The history of rebetiko is often told through its great male figures. But the genre was also shaped by women who lived and worked in the same world as their male counterparts.

From the café-amans of Smyrna and Constantinople to tavernas and recording studios in Athens, female artists were an integral part of the tradition that would later come to be known as rebetiko. They carried with them experiences of migration, hardship, resilience, and love. In doing so, they left a lasting mark on the music and helped carry it far beyond Greece.

This article highlights eight of these voices. Together, they offer another way into rebetiko – and tell a story that often remains in the shadow of the more familiar male names.

Marika Papagika (Μαρίκα Παπαγκίκα)

Marika Papagika was born in 1890 on the island of Kos and grew up in a world where Ottoman and Greek cultures met. Her family first emigrated to Alexandria and later to the United States, following a path taken by many Greeks in the early 20th century.

In New York, she became a pioneer when she began performing in one of the city’s first café-amans. Through her recordings, she carried the Smyrnaic singing style across the Atlantic and helped Greek-American communities maintain a connection to their cultural roots.

Papagika recorded hundreds of songs and is considered one of the earliest female voices in rebetiko to be preserved on record. Despite her importance, she never returned permanently to Greece and died in New York in 1943. Her recordings remain an important part of the early musical life of the Greek diaspora in America.

Rosa Eskenazi (Ρόζα Εσκενάζυ)

Rosa Eskenazi, born Sarah Skinazi in Constantinople around 1897, grew up in a Sephardic Jewish family and spent her early years between Constantinople and Thessaloniki. She began her career as a dancer and singer, quickly developing a stage style where Eastern melodies met Byzantine and Greek musical traditions.

When she arrived in Athens in the 1920s, she was discovered by the composer Panagiotis Tountas. During the 1920s and 30s, she recorded hundreds of songs and became the first true female star of rebetiko.

Rosa Eskenazi toured throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, and her voice remains closely associated with port cities like Piraeus and Thessaloniki. She continued performing well into the 1970s and is today regarded as one of the greatest women in rebetiko and one of the genre’s most iconic voices.

Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή)

Rita Abatzi was born in Smyrna in 1914 and arrived in Athens as a refugee after the Asia Minor Catastrophe of 1922. She began singing in small tavernas in Faliro and quickly gained attention for her powerful, slightly raw voice.

During the 1930s, she became one of the most recorded female singers in Greece, appearing on hundreds of recordings. Abatzi performed both the Greek song tradition from Asia Minor and the emerging rebetiko of Piraeus’ port districts. She collaborated with several of the era’s leading composers, including Panagiotis Tountas and Vassilis Tsitsanis.

Today, her recordings offer a vivid glimpse into the experiences of the refugee generation in Greece during the interwar years.

Stella Haskil (Στέλλα Χασκίλ)

Stella Haskil was born in 1918 in Thessaloniki into a Sephardic Jewish family. She moved to Athens shortly before the German occupation during World War II. During the war years, she performed in small clubs in Omonia and lived under difficult conditions while many of her relatives were persecuted.

After the war, her career took off and she became one of the leading female voices in rebetiko. In just a few years, she recorded more than a hundred songs. She collaborated with some of the era’s most important composers, including Vassilis Tsitsanis, Apostolos Kaldaras, and Markos Vamvakaris.

Haskil’s career was tragically short. She died of cancer in 1954 at the age of just 36, but her recordings are today considered part of the classic rebetiko repertoire.

Marika Ninou (Μαρίκα Νίνου)

Evangelia “Marika” Atamian was born in 1922 on a ship carrying her Armenian family from Smyrna to Piraeus after the Asia Minor Catastrophe. She grew up in the refugee district of Kokkinia and began performing at an early age alongside her husband in an acrobatic stage act.

After the war, she turned to singing and adopted the stage name Marika Ninou. The guitarist Manolis Chiotis discovered her voice, and in 1948 she made her first recordings. When she joined Vassilis Tsitsanis’ orchestra in 1949 at the famous tavern “Tzimi tou Chondrou” in Piraeus, she quickly became one of rebetiko’s most beloved voices.

Her powerful and dramatic singing style made her a defining figure of postwar rebetiko. She died tragically young in 1957 at the age of just 35.

Ioanna Georgakopoulou (Ιωάννα Γεωργακοπούλου)

Ioanna Georgakopoulou was born in 1920 in Pyrgos on the Peloponnese but moved to Athens at an early age. She was discovered as a teenager while singing in the church choir at Agios Pavlos and began recording at just 18. Her elegant voice quickly made her sought after, and she collaborated with composers such as Vassilis Tsitsanis, Giorgos Mitsakis, and Manolis Hiotis.

Georgakopoulou also wrote her own songs, something that was uncommon for female artists in rebetiko. Her most well-known composition is Trelé Tsigane.

Eftychia Papagianopoulou – the woman behind many of the well-known songs

Not all the women who shaped rebetiko stood on stage. One of the most important was the lyricist Eftychia Papagianopoulou (1893–1972). She was born near Smyrna and came to Greece as a refugee after the upheavals around 1922.

Eftychia wrote the lyrics to many of the most beloved songs in Greek music and collaborated with composers such as Vassilis Tsitsanis, Apostolos Kaldaras, and Manos Hadjidakis. Among her best-known lyrics are Τα καβουράκια (Ta kavourákia), Δυο πόρτες έχει η ζωή (Dyo portes echi i zoi), and Είμαι αετός χωρίς φτερά (Ime aetos horis ftera).

Despite her immense influence, she long remained in the shadow of the artists who performed her songs. It was only after her death that her importance to Greek music began to be fully recognized.

Sotiria Bellou (Σωτηρία Μπέλλου)

Sotiria Bellou was born in 1921 near Chalkida and had a dramatic youth marked by conflict and political engagement. During the German occupation, she joined the resistance and was tortured by the Gestapo. After the war, she established herself as one of the most powerful voices in rebetiko and worked closely with Vassilis Tsitsanis. Bellou is especially associated with some of the genre’s most iconic songs, including the well-known Συννεφιασμένη Κυριακή (Synnefiasméni Kyriakí).

She also became a symbol of personal freedom and defiance within Greek musical culture. Bellou continued performing well into the 1980s and passed away in 1997.

Marió (Μαριώ)

Maria Konstantinidou, known as Marió, was born in 1945 in Thessaloniki and belongs to the generation that carried rebetiko into the present day. She began performing as a child alongside her father, who was a musician, and learned to play the accordion at an early age. As a young girl, she heard Rosa Eskenazi sing and decided to devote her life to rebetiko.

Since the 1960s, she has performed with both older masters and younger musicians and is regarded as one of the last classical female voices of rebetiko. Based in Athens, she remains closely connected to the tradition, often appearing on smaller stages where the music still lives on.

The women of rebetiko who shaped the genre

Most people who discover rebetiko first encounter its great male figures – Markos Vamvakaris, Vassilis Tsitsanis, Giorgos Batis, and others whose names have become almost synonymous with the genre.

But the women of rebetiko were an integral part of this world, even if their names have often remained in the shadow of their more well-known male counterparts. On stage, in the studio, and on record, they helped shape the music’s expression and gave voice to the experiences that define so many rebetiko songs.

They all sang about the same kinds of lives – love, loss, migration, everyday struggles, and survival.

When listening to their recordings, a richer picture of the genre emerges. Not just as the story of a few legendary male musicians, but as a musical tradition and way of life in which female artists also left a clear and lasting mark on both the stage and the repertoire.

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• https://greekexpedition.com/en/music/misirlou-takes-the-world/

We visited the Museum of Greek Folk Instruments – a small but very charming and truly fascinating museum, housed in a beautifully restored 19th-century building in the heart of Plaka. Hundreds of instruments and related materials are preserved and displayed here, telling the story of Greece’s rich musical tradition – from antiquity to the present. The museum also promotes research, education, and the dissemination of traditional Greek music in Greece and internationally.

The museum is housed in a beautifully restored neoclassical building from 1840, built by General Georgios Lassanis (1793–1870), freedom fighter, writer, and minister during Greece’s struggle for independence. Today, the building holds one of the country’s most important collections of traditional musical instruments and serves as a national center for ethnomusicological research and public education.

Greek folk instruments – a selection

Here, we present a selection of instruments from the museum’s permanent exhibition – a mix of well-known classics and lesser-documented instruments from the history of Greek music.

Tambourás – a string instrument with deep historical roots

The tambourás belongs to a family of long-necked lutes with roots in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. In classical Greece, this type of instrument was known as the pandoura, and in later periods, it lived on under various names and forms – such as tambourás, sázi, bouzouki, bağlama, and tambur. In Greece, the tambourás has played an important role in traditional music and is seen as a predecessor to the bouzouki and other instruments associated with the world of rebetiko.

Baglamas made from tortoise shell

The small baglamas is closely related to the bouzouki and is widely used in rebetiko music. Some older versions were made from tortoise shell – an example of how simple, natural materials were used to create instruments with a unique sound and character.

Kementzes – the Pontic lyra

The leading folk instrument among Greeks from Pontos – the historical region along the southern coast of the Black Sea – and among Pontic Greeks who arrived in Greece during the refugee movements of the 20th century. The small bridge allows the bow to play on two strings at once, creating the distinctive polyphonic sound that characterizes the Pontic musical tradition.

Gáida – the Greek bagpipe

The gáida is a traditional wind instrument played in many parts of Greece – from Thrace and Macedonia to the islands and Crete, where it is also known as tsambouna, touloumi, or askavlos. With its raw yet ornate sound, it was often played at dances and celebrations, though in many regions, it was gradually replaced by the clarinet during the 20th century.

Everyday rhythms

Improvised percussion art In Greek folk tradition, everyday objects like wooden spoons, drinking glasses, and kombolói (worry beads) have often been used as rhythm instruments – especially during spontaneous music gatherings and celebrations. A living expression of rhythm found in the body, the hands, and whatever happens to be within reach.

The museum for Greek folk instruments

The museum holds around 600 Greek musical instruments from the past 300 years – and many more are preserved in the museum’s storage collection, inaccessible to the public but a treasure trove for researchers and ethnomusicologists.

In addition to the instruments we’ve highlighted in this post, the permanent exhibition offers a rich palette of traditional instruments – some well-known, others more unexpected. Here, you can discover everything from bells and bagpipes to handcrafted lyres, flutes, and percussion instruments, among others.

• Lyres – from various parts of Greece, including the Cretan lyra
• Flutes and wind instruments – such as flogera, souravli, and the powerful zournás
• Percussion – including toumpeléki (hand drum), ntefi (tambourine), and various types of koudounia (bells)
• Lutes – such as laouto, oud, bouzouki, and baglamas
• Bagpipes – under names like áskavlos or tsambouna, depending on the region
• Rarer instruments – like lalítsa, a small traditional folk flute

Museum’s Facebook page here >>

The exhibition – more than just instruments

The exhibition offers more than just a visual overview of the instruments’ forms and materials – it also provides an audible one, through interactive stations and selected sound samples. It’s a place where you can quite literally hear the resonance of history.

The Museum of Greek Folk Instruments is also a living archive of cultural experience, movement, and sound. For anyone curious about Greece’s musical heritage or interested in how tradition and craftsmanship continue to evolve, the museum offers a rare depth. And even though many of these instruments are now played in different contexts – or not at all – they still bear witness to a deep human urge to create, to find rhythm, and to express through music, in everyday life as well as in celebration.

This post is the first in a series on Greek folk instruments here on Expedition Greece. In the coming months, we’ll explore the history and contemporary use of these instruments in more detail – both here on the blog and out in the field. More encounters, voices, and sounds await.

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Visiting a bouzouki maker >>

Amid the smell of wood shavings, the sound of sandpaper rasping, and strings being tuned, raw pieces of wood are transformed into instruments such as bouzouki, baglama, tzoura, and Greek folk guitars. With a passion that was sparked at the age of ten in his grandfather’s carpentry workshop, Giorgos has dedicated his life to combining traditional craftsmanship with innovative ideas.

In addition to handcrafting instruments, Giorgos has also modernized the industry. In the late 1990s, he built Greece’s first online music store – a pioneering effort that left a mark during a time of change. For this, he was awarded a prize by the Greek government for digital entrepreneurship.

But his passion truly shines in his physical workshop – where each instrument is a tribute to Greece’s rich musical heritage and craftsmanship traditions.

From apprentice to master instrument maker

Giorgos Karellas’ journey began long before he set foot in a music workshop. As a ten-year-old, he stood by his grandfather’s side in a carpentry shop, where pieces of wood were transformed into wine barrels, troughs, and saddles. It was there that his love for craftsmanship was born, a passion that has followed him throughout his life.

His fascination with sound and instruments took off in school, where he built his first flute from bamboo scraps. His passion deepened during visits to a nearby monastery, where the monks’ various signals on wooden bells sparked his curiosity about the sound and acoustics of wood. These early discoveries became the young Giorgos’ first encounters with the magical interplay between wood and sound. This combination would lay the foundation for a life devoted to Greek music.

“So, Giorgos, tell us, how did you get started in this trade? What made you so passionate about it?”

“It all started when my parents sent me to Athens to celebrate Christmas with my uncle,” Giorgos says with a smile. “He had a music workshop, and I spent the whole day there. It was like stepping into a new world – the smells, the sounds, the tools. I was instantly enchanted!”
“I was fourteen at the time,” he continues.

“When I came back, I couldn’t let it go. I kept pestering my parents to let me move to Athens and start working with my uncle.”

“And did they agree to that?”

“Yes, with the condition that I would continue my schooling there. But I spent almost all my time in the workshop anyway. I didn’t even want to leave the workshop for lunch – that’s how passionate I was.”

“I stayed with my uncle for 15 years,” Giorgos continues. “I learned quickly, but I was sometimes a bit too cocky – I’d say I could do things better than him! But over time, I matured and realized just how much he taught me.”

Tradition meets innovation

After many years as an apprentice, Giorgos began to dream of creating something of his own. He had developed a deep fascination with musical instruments, and violins, in particular, piqued his curiosity.

“For a few years, I wanted to become a violin maker,” Giorgos recalls. “There was something about the shape and sound of the violin that fascinated me. I dreamt of studying in Cremona, Italy, but I didn’t know the language, and there were many other obstacles at the time that made it impossible for me to even think about it.”

Although his dream of making violins never became a reality, his passion led him down other paths. He traveled to Germany, where he worked with modern techniques and the building of classical instruments. There, he learned to combine his traditional craftsmanship with new methods. These experiences shaped his view of the trade.

“The time in Germany gave me a new perspective,” he says. “I realized that tradition and innovation don’t have to be in conflict – they can complement each other.”

After 15 years of apprenticeship and experiences from both Athens and abroad, Giorgos finally took the big step of opening his own workshop. It was a decision that required both courage and determination.

“I felt it was time,” he explains. “I wanted to create something that was my own, where I could apply what I had learned and continue to grow.”

With his workshop as a base, Giorgos continued to seek knowledge and inspiration. He corresponded with schools in Germany to gain access to materials and information about the trade. But it was a challenge – finding details on instrument making was difficult, especially for someone working in Greece.

“At that time, it wasn’t like today,” Giorgos explains. “There was no internet, and finding the right books or manuals was almost impossible. I had to study on my own and learn through trial and error.”

Despite the difficulties, he didn’t give up. He seized every opportunity to learn more, both through correspondence and by experimenting in the workshop. It was a time marked by both determination and a thirst for discovery, where each breakthrough was a confirmation of his passion for the craft.

New roles in the world of craftsmanship

With his workshop running smoothly and years of experience behind him, Giorgos took the next step in his career – he became a teacher. When new schools for craftsmanship and instrument-making opened in Greece, Giorgos was one of the first to be hired as a teacher. Here, he had the opportunity to share his knowledge and inspire the next generation of instrument makers.

His passion for craftsmanship extended far beyond the workshop. As a teacher, he saw it not only as his task to teach technical skills but also to instill respect for tradition and the importance of continuous development.

At the same time, he took on another important role – president of the Greek instrument makers’ union. Here, he fought for better working conditions and for raising the profile of the trade within Greece’s cultural landscape.

“It was a time when a lot was changing in the guild, and it was important for us to stick together,” Giorgos recalls.

His involvement in both education and union work made him a key figure in Greek instrument making, a position he used to elevate the entire profession.

The profession from past to present

When the economic crisis hit Greece hard, Giorgos was forced to reassess his situation. It became increasingly difficult to balance work with education and the workshop. In the end, he chose to let go of all other commitments to fully focus on his craftsmanship and the instruments that were his life’s passion.

“Tell us a little about the profession. It must be a trade that stretches far back in history – one of the oldest crafts, building musical instruments.”

“The profession has developed slowly over time,” Giorgos explains. “During the early years of the modern Greek state, in the 1800s, musicians often built their instruments, but over time, the profession began to specialize, particularly in the cities.”

In the 20th century, the bouzouki developed with strong influences from the mandolin and eventually became a symbol of Greek music, despite initially being dismissed by certain social groups.

“The bouzouki became an instrument for revolutionary and cultural expression,” Giorgos continues, especially during the interwar period with the rise of rebetiko. Today, the bouzouki is Greece’s most iconic instrument and is used by musicians around the world, with its development still influenced by both societal changes and individual innovations.

How a bouzouki is made – step by step

“So, Giorgos, what is the most important thing for you when you start building a new bouzouki? What is the first thing you think about?”

“The material, of course – the wood,” Giorgos begins. “We use both local woods like walnut and linden, as well as imported materials like rosewood and ebony. Each type of wood has its specific characteristics and requires different treatment.”

“How do you choose the right wood for an instrument?”

“It depends on hardness, elasticity, durability, and of course, cost,” Giorgos explains. “Some types of wood are very expensive. It’s about creating a balance between aesthetics and function. The instrument must not only be beautiful – it must also last over time.”

Giorgos points to a bouzouki in his workshop:
“This one is 20 years old, and right now I’m doing a general service on it. But it still works perfectly. Another bouzouki, hanging over there, is over 30 years old. When the base structure is right, instruments last a long time.”

“Tell us briefly about the process from wood to finished bouzouki. How does it work?”

“First, I choose the material, often in consultation with the customer,” Giorgos explains. “Then, I start with the shape, the body of the instrument. That’s the foundation, and after that, I build the soundboard – the top. I adjust the soundboard according to the wood’s frequencies before I assemble it. Finally, the neck and fingerboard are added, where I make sure they can withstand the tension of the strings.”

“Has technology changed the work?”

“Absolutely. I use both traditional methods and modern technology like computers and lasers for greater precision. But in the end, it’s always the hands that do the final finishing.”

“And after that?”

“Then comes the varnishing. I apply several layers of varnish, with drying time between each, depending on humidity and temperature. After that, I tune the instrument and do the final tests. Only then is it ready for delivery.”

A craft that carries Greek music forward

Giorgos Karellas is not just an instrument maker – he is a bridge between the past and the future. In his workshop in Psyrri, he creates not only instruments but also a link to Greece’s rich musical traditions. Each bouzouki, each baglama, and each tzoura carries a piece of the Greek soul, a heritage that Giorgos nurtures with care and passion.

His story is a reminder that craftsmanship is not just about technique, but about a love for the material, the music, and the culture. And when he tunes the final strings on a newly built instrument, he knows that it’s not just an object leaving his workshop – it’s a part of Greece’s heart and soul that lives on.

Giorgos Karellas homepage here>>

Related article (in Swedish): Grekisk musik på svenska del 1

International megahit

Misirlou is a song that doesn’t have a known creator but millions of people have listened and danced to it over the years. And many have heard it without knowing its history. It exists in a large number of different (and sometimes very different) versions.

In “modern times”, many people became familiar with the song for the first time
while watching the movie Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994), in which Dick Dale’s surf version of Misirlou plays a very prominent role in the movie’s soundtrack. Dale had grown up with the song (he had a Lebanese background) and his energetic version in 1962 became a big hit. Dale influenced bands such as the Beach Boys and The Trashmen with his guitar playing. Dale’s version, and therefore Dick Dale himself, gained renewed popularity with the success after the movie.

Widespread from the 1920s onwards

Misirlou became very popular in the 1920s in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, among Greek, Jewish, Turkish and Arab communities. Misirlou became a well-known folk song in this area, which was still part of the Ottoman Empire. The song is about an
Egyptian girl. Wikipedia provides the following information on the background of the title:

“Misirlou (Μισιρλού), … is formed by combining Mısır (“Egypt”
in Turkish, borrowed from Arabic مِصر‎ Miṣr) with the Turkish li-suffix,
literally meaning “Egyptian”. Therefore, the song is about an Egyptian
woman. The original Turkish word Mısırlı is, however, genderless”.

The first recordings of Misirlou

1927
But let’s back up a bit, to 1927 to be precise, when the first known recording was made by Theodoros “Tetos” Demetriades. Tetos was born in the Ottoman city of Constantinople in 1897, but decided in 1921 to emigrate to the United States. This was a very troubled period
just before the “great catastrophe” when more than a million Greeks were forced to leave Asia Minor and half a million Turks had to leave Greece.
Misirlou was a song that Tetos brought with him to the United States but which
was probably already known there among Greek/Jewish/Armenian communities when
Demetriades came to the country. This first recording can be said to be in the style of
rebetiko and intended for tsifteteli, a popular dance in Anatolia and in the
Balkan region.

1930

The origin of the song is thus unknown according to many. But sometimes Michalis Patrinos can be seen as the author of Misirlou. Patrinos made a famous recording in 1930.
But he did not write the song. Patrinos sings here in his Smyrni dialect so that Misirlu sounds like Musurlu.

Unprecedented popularity until today

Misirlou became immensely popular, first in the Mediterranean countries but then on several continents. The song has been performed in a variety of styles and genres. Here are some famous versions:

• Jazzy instrumental recording by Nick Roubanis (1941), who is sometimes also incorrectly credited as the songwriter
• Big band leader Harry James who reached #22 with the song on the US charts.
• English lyrics were given to Misirlou by Chaim Tauber/Fred Wise/Milton Leeds.
• Pianist Jan August scored a rather unexpected Billboard placement with his equilibrist version of Misirlou in 1946.
• Turkish-Jewish Dario Moreno gave the song French lyrics (1951). He has also done a Spanish version of the song.

Spotify

Here is also a Spotify list with many mixed versions of Misirlou:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4bFuXxWgQwkwbgfuHb6g1K?si=7b96fb5b13ee42f8

Immortal song

A good song never dies, which is true of Misirlou. In addition to Dick Dale’s success with the song in the 60s and 90s, for example, the hip-hop band Black Eyed Peas had a hit with Misirlou under the name Pump It.

On the occasion of the 2004 Athens Olympics, Misirlou was named one of Greece’s most influential songs of all time. The song was played during games in all stadiums and during the closing ceremony of the Olympics when Anna Vissi sang the song.

Text in Greek and English

(*Cover image based on fbartondavis from Pixabay)

Related post (in Swedish): Domna Samiou – galjonsfigur inom grekisk folkmusik>>