Throughout his childhood he was influenced by the musics that were coexisting in Egypt. The sound of Arabic music entered into his life at that time and has continued until today as one of his biggest influences. At the age of ten, he was intrigued by Jazz and learnt to play the trumpet. As a young boy he also attended the choir of the Greek Byzantine church of Alexandria and sang for five years as a soloist.
However, when Artemios reached the age of fifteen, his life changed. It was the time of the Suez Canal crisis. His family left Egypt and immigrated to their homeland Greece. Artemios then had to work to support his family. During the day he attended school and, at night, he played the trumpet in various clubs in Athens. Two years later, his first band, "The Idols" was formed. Artemios played the Bass Guitar and sang backing vocals as well. One day, as the lead singer needed to rest, he asked Artemios to replace him for a few songs. That night, when Artemios sang "The House Of The Rising Sun" and "When A Man Loves A Woman" the audience was amazed. From then on Artemios was asked to sing again and again.
Within a short period, Artemios was making a sound reputation. It was at this time that he met the man who would later become one of his most successful composer, Lakis Vlavianos. From that meeting a new band was born, the "We Five", with Artemios as the lead singer.
In 1968 Artemios’s journey crossed the road of two other top Greek musicians, Vangelis Papatanassiou and Loukas Sideras. Their associationbecame one of the biggest musical events of the seventies in the form of "Aphrodite’s Child". This ambitious band decided to travel to the United Kingdom for better commercial prospects. Artemios--who had now shortened his name to Demis--would be the singer and the bass player, Vangelis the main composer as well as the keyboard player, and Loukas would play the drums.
However, they were refused entry to the United Kingdom for lack of a work permit. Instead, Aphrodite's Child travelled to Paris, arriving just as the city was going through the May 68 revolution. After a few concerts in some trendy Parisian clubs, a major company offered to record a song of theirs, one that was inspired by Pachelbel‘s canon called "Rain And Tears". This first album of Aphrodite’s Child sold over a million copies in France alone.
Nine months later, as Demis first daughter, Emily, was born, "Rain And Tears" was the top single all over Europe and a top 20 single in the United Kingdom. The band experienced a huge success for three years.
They then released their legendary last album “666”, after which, for various reasons, Aphrodite's Child decided to split up.
Since Demis was one of the main elements of the band, the record company offered him a chance to recorded his first solo single, "We Shall Dance", which was released on the album "On the Greek Side of My Mind". This album and the single jumped into the top five of all the national hit parades of Italy, Spain, France, Holland, Germany and Scandinavia.
Some months later, Demis met with his old friend of the "We Five", Lakis Vlavianos. Lakis was then going through an inspired period and wrote many songs which Demis recorded; these turned into a string of number one hits all over the world, including: "Forever And Ever", "My Friend the Wind", and "Velvet Morning".
After his second child, Cyril, was born in 1975, Demis toured the globe for eight years with his second wife and child. In Brazil, he packed a stadium of 150 000 people--an event that was achieved in that particular stadium twice only. (The other previous artist was Frank Sinatra.) In fact, Demis sold enough records to gain a name in the Guinness Book of records among the personalities of show business in the 70’s and the eighties. He was awarded more than a hundred golden, platinum, and diamond albums and cassettes.
His unique dressing style was often considered eccentric but Demis was following his instinct which told him that the music he was performing should match with the combination of looks between the glorious Byzantine Empire and the Arabic Caftan.
In 1978 his instinct told him again that he should retire for a while, thinking of new things concerning his career and life. And so he took his family to an area of the world where he was unknown, Malibu Beach, California. There, Demis lost over 50 kilograms. He returned to Europe and lived a quieter life between England and Greece, alone with his son, Cyril.
On June 14 1985, wile he was travelling from Athens to Rome, a decisive event occurred. Demis’s TWA airplane was hijacked by terrorists. After two days in that plane praying, Demis was held three days in the prison of Beyrouth with his third wife. Like many other survivors, he went through the shock of a traumatic experience. After that, Demis said he had never understood so well the importance of the nations living in peace and how precious life is when you see death so close. He felt more than ever that his contribution for a better tomorrow could be via music and so decided to return to the recording and performance scene.
He recorded twenty songs and compiled an album called "The story of Demis Roussos". With this album, Demis started to world tour again and found a nostalgic audience who had missed his magic voice. In 1986 Demis toured the USSR for three weeks and was invited to join important scientists, writers and artists at the forum for peace and disarmament in Moscow, during February 1987.
Later that year, during a tight TV schedule in Chile, Demis insisted on fitting in a visit to the Earth summit in Rio to get a clearer picture of the environmental problems, which were a main concern for Demis.
Since then Demis had been a regular visitor of the charts with singles such as "Quand je t’aime" and "On écrit sur les murs", and albums such as "Voice and Vision" and "Immortel".
Since 2008, Demis had been living in Greece by the sea. After being one of the most talented singers of his century, Demis was still working on more magical offerings, with the blessing of music and God.
He died aged 68, on the Hygeia Hospital in Athens on January 25, 2015.
The lyrics of Demis Roussos's song "Island of Love" are a beautiful and poetic representation of a place where love and happiness are eternal. The song describes an island where the sun always shines bright, and the wind is warm and gentle. The island is a place where love is the only currency and where hearts are free to love without fear or judgment.
The first verse begins with the gentle strumming of a guitar, and the lyrics slowly transport the listener to the island of love. The lyrics describe how love is the most beautiful thing in the world and how it can transform even the darkest of places into a paradise. The chorus of the song is a beautiful melody that repeats the phrase "island of love" multiple times - this repetition reinforces the idea that love and happiness are at the heart of this place.
Line by Line Meaning
Island of love on your heart
You carry with you a place of love within your heart
See the sky and the deep blue sea
Take in the beauty of the vast sky and the deep blue sea
Nature's beauty is all around
The natural world is full of beauty and surrounds us
All the riches that we have found
Despite all that we possess, the true treasure is love
On the island of love we'll be free
In a place of love, we'll experience freedom
On this island all our dreams will come true
In this realm of love, all our desires will become reality
On the island of love we'll be glad
In a place of love, we'll experience joy
All the sorrows will be far away
In this realm of love, our sorrows will be distant memories
On the island of love we'll be strong
In a place of love, we'll be empowered and resolute
All our troubles we'll leave behind
In this realm of love, we'll forget our worries and problems
On the island of love we'll belong
In a place of love, we'll feel a sense of belonging
In each other we will find
Our love for each other will be our source of fulfillment
All the riches that we have found
Despite all that we possess, the true treasure is love
On the island of love we'll be free
In a place of love, we'll experience freedom
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: EDWARD J BRIGATI, FELIX CAVALIERE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@חייםבןזקן-ה7נ
שיר מדהים ומלא אהבה!! הקול של דמיס שאין שני לו
@man08839
Today's songs are nothing in front of this!
@matlachevelyne2463
❤
@Veronika-o5j
❤
@Veronika-o5j
Me
@Veronika-o5j
❤🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
@lilgamer4512
Demis Roussos it was my fever singer...And i love all is songs❤❤❤
@marcelpop5840
👍
@purr2638
So do I... RIP... My Demis Roussos... ❤😭
@Rudina-go6lp
Faleminderit Demis Rusos per muziken ritmike e te gjalle.❤❤❤❤R.I.P.