Vangelis Finds His Way Home after a Stellar 50-Year Career
Legendary Greek musician and composer dead at 79
His birth name was Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou — but (thankfully) he went by the more pronounceable monicker of Vangelis.
Born in 1943 in Agria, Greece, he spanned numerous musical genres in an extraordinary career which lasted for over half a century.
Without wishing to do a disservice to his many side projects, Vangelis’ career falls roughly into four sections:
1. Prog Rock Innovation
After cutting his teeth in a Greek pop band called The Forminx, Vangelis settled in Paris, where he formed Aphrodite’s Child in 1968. Whilst Vangelis handled keyboards and flute, the band also featured Demis Roussos on vocals, guitar and bass, and drummer Loukas Sideras.
The band employed an innovative proto-prog mix of psychedelic rock and ballads that — along with likes of Procol Harum and The Moody Blues paved the way for the progressive rock movement of the early 1970s.
After enjoying modest success with their first two albums, the band began work on an ambitious double album, 666, based on the Book of Revelation. The eventual concept album took almost two years to make, eventually being released in June…
