Nicos Pourpourakis

Nicos Pourpourakis (NÎ¯κος ΠουρπουρÎ¬κης) is a Greek American musician who plays the 3 chord bouzouki. His styles of music range from rembetiko to laika (popular).
Early Life
Nico was born on the island of Oinousses (off the coast of Chios) in Greece. His parents were refugees from Asia Minor. Following in the steps of his musician father, he began playing the violin, laouto (lute) and mandolin at 9 years of age.
He immigrated to the United States in the 1950s at a young age bringing with him a bouzouki. He landed in Norfolk, Virginia and remained for a short time with relatives. He then traveled to New York and in a recent radio interview told the listeners that he had his instrument (bouzouki) with him, and since he had no case for it, put it in a paper sack, went to a night club on 42 Avenue and announced that he could play bouzouki. Bouzouki players in the United States were very few and he was given the chance to play with the musicians. He was hired immediately and seated in the back row of the stage. A week later he was placed front and center and thus began his performing career. Nico earned $12.00 a week and was approached by another club owner who noticed that he had knack for playing a variety of music and was offered $100.00 a week. This kind of money back then was unheard of and it was the beginning of Nico's professional career.
Career
In his early years on the scene, Pourpourakis traveled back and forth from Boston to New York. In Boston he worked along side Markos Melkon and Udi Hrant Kenkulian (also referred to as Udi Hrant) two very well known musicians of the time.
As time went by he met Theodoros Kavourakis and John Miller and started the record label Kalos Diskos. Pourpourakis was a producer at Kalos Diskos. He also he orchestrated, directed and performed on over 45 songs which were released on 78 rpm records between 1953-1955. His composition "O Soultanos" is most familiar to music aficionados. According to Nico, the story behind "O Soultanos" was that the band was lacking music for the other side of the record they were working on. Nico sat down and thought for a minute and began playing a tune that came to him, the band followed and the result was a composition that has become Pourpourakis' signature piece. The music was composed "on-the-spot." "O Soultanos" was re-released in 1999 on the CD entitled Mourmourika: Songs of the Greek Underworld (Rounder Records).
The artists featured with Pourpourakis on Kalos Diskso include Roza Eskenazi, Virginia Magidou, Theodoros Kavourakis, Andonis Loris, Athanasios Athanasiou, Dimitris Franzezsakis and Angela Pallagoudi.
Throughout his career Nico worked with many of the famous musicians and singers who were arriving in the United States from Greece throughout the 50's and 60's. He performed alongside Yianni Tatasopoulos, Poly Panou, Manolis Angelopoulos, Anna Chrisafi, Thanasis Evgenikos, Nicos Tseperis, Beba Blans, Zoe Nahi, Kostas Roukounas, Kostas Kaplanis, Georgia Mitaki and shared the stage with Manolis Hiotis and Mary Linda. He also worked for many years with guitarist Bobby Tsobanakis, one of the founders of the group Trio Bel Canto.
In the 1950s, Greek nightclubs were in abundance in New York due to the influx of immigrants. Nick worked in several of the clubs in those days. He was the first to bring in a drummer and belly dancing into a Greek nightclub which was unheard of and nearly lost his job. He also took the intitiative to make the nightclubs he worked in a more family friendly environment.
As time passed his style of music changed along with the sound of his bouzouki. He was the first to add not only one but three pickups to the instrument and increased its range of sound. According to sources, back when no one knew of flangers, phasers, effects, vibrato and what is considered "wha-wha" on the bouzouki Nick apparently he used all that. Nick also creates a a "whoop whoop" sound fingers back and forth along the strings. He was known as the "Gadget Master" or "King of Gadgets." He also added echo, reverb and woofer to his sounds.
1950s
The 1950s found Niko in Chicago, Boston and New York at the various nighclubs of the time. Nick played bouzouki for Roza Eskenazi in New York for over 1-1/2 years and recorded sevaral 78rpm records with her, 4 of which have been located.
Boston: Zara and Club Kyam.
Chicago: Ellas Cafe
New York: Pantheon, Zappion Pavilion.
1960s
The 1960s find this now popular entertainer in New York at the Zappion Pavilion around 1965 working on the same stage with the great bouzouki artist Manolis Hiotis and singer Mary Linda. Pourpourakis and his wife, Katina, became fast friends Hiotis and Linda.
Pourpourakis again worked at the Cafe Ellas in Chicago and ended up in Cleveland at the Grecian Gardens. During this time Pourpourakis and his band was heard on Cleveland radio and made a one week appearance on the Mike Douglas Show during
*Angeliki (KD No.316 / __)
*O Dimitrakis (KD No.313-B/Composer: Georgios Mitsakis)
*Μia Nihta Stin Anatoli (KD No. 315/Compser: M. Mihalas)
*Helidonaki Mou Gorgo (KD No. 317/Composer: Lazaros Rouvas)
Over 45 records/songs on Kalos Diskos label. Listing to be updated as information is obtained.
Recorded on Aristophone and on Standard. List to be updated.

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