Singer Manolis Lidakis passed away at the age of 65

Singer Manolis Lidakis passed away at the age of 65.

Manolis Lidakis was born in 1960 in Heraklion, Crete, and became involved in music from a very young age. At the age of nine, he began his musical studies in guitar, wind instruments, and music theory. From 1970 to 1977, he participated in the Heraklion Philharmonic bands, playing the euphonium and trumpet.

In 1982, he moved to Athens, where he took part in the television show Na i Efkairia and signed his first recording contract. From then on, his professional singing career began, although he had already performed in small music venues, taverns, and bouat, both in Crete and Athens, as well as in Serres alongside his brother.

As he himself had stated, he began singing in a small venue in Crete at the request of the owners. Although he initially intended to perform for only a few days, the collaboration was extended as he was offered higher pay. This chain of events led him to Athens, where he signed a contract with Minos and appeared on the television show in the presence of Lefteris Papadopoulos and Giorgos Katsaros.

That same year, he released his first album, Meta Apo Sena, with music by Giorgos Katsaros. He also participated in the album Mila Mou Apla alongside Eleni Dimou and Giannis Parios, as well as in Reportaz by Giannis Markopoulos, together with Giorgos Dalaras.

In 1988, he signed a contract with Sony Music, which significantly boosted his popularity, especially with the release of the album Oute Pou Rotisa in 1990. This was followed by a series of successful collaborations and albums that established him as one of the most important representatives of entehno and laiko music. At the same time, he engaged with Cretan music, reinterpreting old rizitika and other traditional songs, as seen in his album Kokkino Akrogiali.

Lidakis had mentioned that his musical influences included Nikos Xilouris, Manolis Baxevasanis, Chronis Aidonidis, Stelios Kazantzidis, Grigoris Bithikotsis, as well as notable female singers such as Vicky Moscholiou, Haris Alexiou, and Dimitra Galani.

In June 2001, he released the album Yliko Oneiron, collaborating with Giorgos Andreou, Lakis Lazopoulos, Kostas Livadas, Sokratis Malamas, and Alkis Alkaios. The album’s title came from a duet with Eleni Tsaligopoulou, inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tempest. The two artists collaborated again in 2002 for live performances at Sfendona.

In 2007, he took part in a series of musical performances with Alkinoos Ioannidis in a tribute to the works of Manos Hadjidakis. This collaboration led to the release of the album 4 Theatrical Myths, which featured Hadjidakis’ compositions for theatrical productions such as Lorca’s Blood Wedding, Kampanellis’ A Tale Without a Name, Kazantzakis’ Captain Michalis, and Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle.

In 2008, he signed a contract with the record label Legend, and that same year, he collaborated with Dimitris Mitropanos and Babis Stokas for live performances at the Kentro Athinon.

His last album was released in 2009, titled Mi Mou Gremizeis To Oneiro, where he collaborated with Pantelis Thalassinos.