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.
Silent Night
Demis Roussos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace
Silent night, holy night!
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born
Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth "
Demis Roussos's song Silent Night is a beautiful rendition of the classic Christmas carol that is beloved by people worldwide. The song's first verse describes the peaceful, calm atmosphere surrounding the night of Jesus's birth. It paints a picture of a serene environment, where even the Virgin Mother and Child are resting comfortably. The second verse tells of the shepherds' reaction to the event, with their trembling in fear at the sight of the angels who announced Jesus's arrival. They sing aloud in praise of the Newborn King, with the word "Alleluia" uttered in awe of the miracle that has taken place. The third verse emphasizes the significance of the Baby born in a manger as being the Son of God, the embodiment of love's pure light. It speaks of the redeeming grace that comes with the dawn of His arrival, bringing hope and renewal to all.
The lyrics speak to the true meaning of Christmas, which is the birth of Jesus Christ, who came to bring light and hope to a world in darkness. Demis Roussos's powerful voice perfectly captures the beauty and awe of the holiday season, with his rendition of Silent Night being a perfect addition to any festive playlist.
Line by Line Meaning
Silent night, holy night
A serene and sacred evening, where all is at peace and pure
All is calm, all is bright
Everything is tranquil and shining with radiance
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Mary, the young and innocent mother, embracing her newborn son
Holy Infant so tender and mild
The baby Jesus, pure and gentle in his manner
Sleep in heavenly peace
Resting in pure and divine tranquility
Shepherds quake at the sight
The pastoral caretakers shudder in awe at the vision they behold
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly light and majesty emanates from a great distance
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
A chorus of heavenly beings sing in praise of the divine event
Christ, the Saviour is born
The Messiah, the one who saves, has entered into the world
Son of God, love's pure light
Jesus, the beloved child of God, is the embodiment of love and purity
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
Brilliant divine light emanates from the face of Jesus
With the dawn of redeeming grace
As a new day dawns, salvation and redemptive power is brought forth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
The newborn Jesus is hailed as Lord and ruler of all
Contributed by Ellie T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sergio Mass
É de arrepiar, Demis Roussos, único. Eterno.
Magdalena Jelinkova
Aj vianoce s Demisom su prekrasne dakujeme laska nasa 😇👍👍👍👍❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Maria Georgina Silva
Uma bênção divina em nossas vidas. Fantástico.
Cida Pereira
Quanto mais vedeo se ve, mais se surpreende.Demis the best, imortal.Saudades sem fim.💐💔🇧🇷
RH2011ful
Maravillosa versión, que me emocionará siempre. La voz de Demis compite con la de los ángeles y, sin duda, les gana.
rivaldo l leite
Um homem abençoado por Deus,. e essa voz que vem do alto..
Celia Milan
Voz sem igual. Belíssima voz..
Mercedes Borges Ribeiro
Canta como um anjo
Lavínia Antonietti
Belíssimo único encantador extraordinário e muito mais...
Cleusa Garcia
maravilhoso poder ouvir esta vóz.. me sinto nas nuvens neste paraiso abençoado por Deus.