Kostas Hatzis

About the author

Kostas Hatzis was born in Livadia, in the region of Viotia, Greece, on August 13, 1936.

He comes from a family of folk musicians. His grandfather, Kostas Karayiannis, was one of the most famous folk clarinetists of his time in Greece and his father, Evaggelos Hatzis, was a dulcimer virtuoso.
At sixteen, he sang with his father at weddings, christenings and other events.

As time passed, he became better known, performing and recording his own songs which gradually made him famous as a leading modern troubadour with his sui generis voice and individual performing style. Hatzis sang ballads, which usually included intense social criticism, giving a voice to the lower class of the time, something that really helped him take grip of the public psyche. In 1963, he recorded his first record which includes “Efige i agape mou” (my love is gone) by the famous Greek composer Mimis Plessas.

Kostas Hatzis is one of Greece’s best known songwriters and performers, primarily famous as a balladeer. He created his own style of music, with his unmistakable voice and guitar, pioneering for his country in the 1960s and still inimitable to this day. Many of his love songs are timeless, with sales that have so far reached around 30 gold and platinum records.