Rebetes Explained

A rebetis (Greek: ρεμπέτης in Greek, Modern (1453-); pronounced as /re(m)ˈbetis/; pl. rebetes ρεμπέτες pronounced as /[re(m)ˈbetes]/) is a musician involved in the scene of the Greek musical genre of rebetiko, which flourished between 1920 and 1955.

Prominent rebetes include:

• Rita Abatzi
• Babis Tsertos
• Yiorgos Batis
• Sotiria Bellou
• Anestis Delias
• Roza Eskenazi
• Mihalis Genitsaris
• Dimitris Gogos (Bayianderas)
• Giannis Eitziridis (Yovan Tsaous)
• Apostolos Hatzichristos
• Manolis Hiotis
• Manolis Chrysafakis
• Anna Chrysafi
• Apostolos Nikolaidis
• Marika Ninou
• Giannis Papaioannou
• Vangelis Papazoglou
• Stratos Pagioumtzis
• Stelios Perpiniadis (Stellakis)
• Kostas Roukounas
• Kostas Skarvelis
• Prodromos Tsaousakis
• Vassilis Tsitsanis
• Markos Vamvakaris (Markos)
• Kostas Kaplanis
• Andonis Kalyvopoulos
• A. Kostis
• Antonis Dalgas
• Giorgos Theologitis (Katsaros)
• Stelios Keromytis
• Giorgos Mouflouzelis
• Giorgos Kavouaras
• Odysseas Moshonas

Note: Sometimes (not without controversy) this definition is extended to include modern day performers of this kind of music, such as Babis Goles and Agathonas Iakovidis.

Sources

• Damianakos Stathis, Κοινωνιολογία του Ρεμπέτικου 2nd Edition. Athens, Plethron, 2001.
• Gauntlett Stathis, Rebetika, Carmina Graeciae Recentoris. Athens, D. Harvey and Co., 1985.
• Hadjidakis Manos, Ερμηνεία και θέση του ρεμπέτικου τραγουδιού. 1949.
• Holst-Warhaft Gail, Road to Rembetika: Music of a Greek sub-culture, songs of love, sorrow and hashish, Athens, Denise Harvey, 1989
• Kotarides Nikos, Ρεμπέτες και ρεμπέτικο τραγούδι. Athens, Plethron, 1996.
• Kounades Panagiotis, Εις ανάμνησιν στιγμών ελκυστικών. Athens, Katarti, 2000.
• Petropoulos Elias, Ρεμπέτικα τραγούδια. Athens, 1968.