Leo Leandros (born 1926 as
Leandros Papathanasiou), is a
GreekGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
musician, composer and producer. Born in
AstakosAstakos , is a community and a municipality located on the eastern shore of the Ionian Sea but small hills to the west of the town block its view of the nearby islands. The place was founded in the ancient times. It is located on a road linking Agios Nikolaos and GR-5 near Mesolonghi slightly...
,
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
, Leandros left in the 1950s for
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
to pursue a career in
singingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. A person who sings is called a singer or vocalist...
and composing. He had some success, but shifted his focus to his daughter,
VickyVicky Leandros is a Greek singer with a long international career....
, who had been singing from a very early age and turned out to be the real treasure. He became her manager, composer and producer when she was 13, and is responsible for her unique training and career. Leandros composed and produced for many other artists such as
Julio IglesiasJulio Iglesias is a Spanish singer who has sold over 300 million copies in 14 languages and released 77 albums. According to Sony Music he is one of the top 10 best selling music artists ever...
,
Demis RoussosArtemios Ventouris Roussos is a Greek-Egyptian singer.He was born in Egypt to ethnic Greek parents George and Olga , and raised in Alexandria. His parents lost everything and moved to Greece after the Suez Crisis. .After settling in Greece, Demis participated in a series of musical groups...
,
Nana MouskouriNana Mouskouri , born as Ioanna Mouskouri on October 13, 1934, in Chania, Crete, Greece, is a singer who is confirmed to have sold over 200 million records worldwide in a career spanning over five decades, making her one of the world's best-selling female recording artists of all time. She was...
, among others. His compositions are very lyrical with interesting arrangements. He has composed some of the most beautiful melodies of Western popular repertoire, combining Greek sound with a European one. In 1983, he retired but returned exclusively to the studio in the early 1990s for 3 albums with Vicky Leandros. His albums have sold over 120 million worldwide. A low profile personality, Leandros avoids public appearances. In October 2005 though he appeared on German/Austrian TV as a surprise guest for his daughter that is celebrating her Jubilee. More than 8 million people watched the show.
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