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.
Summer wine
Demis Roussos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My summer wine is really made from all these things
I walked in town on silver spurs that jingled to
A song that I had only sing to just a few
She saw my silver spurs and said let's pass some time
And I will give to you, summer wine
Oh, oh, oh, summer wine
Strawberries, cherries and an angel kissing spring
My summer wine is really made from all these things
Take off your silver spurs and help me pass the time
And I will give to you, summer wine
Oh, summer wine
My eyes grew heavy and my lips they could not speak
I tried to get up but I couldn't find my feet
She reassured me with the unfamiliar line
And then she gave to me, more summer wine
Whoa, whoa, oh, summer wine
Strawberries, cherries and an angel kissing spring
My summer wine is really made from all these things
Take off your silver spurs and help me pass the time
And I will give to you, summer wine
Mm, summer wine
When I woke up, the sun was shining in my eyes
My silver spurs were gone, my head felt twice its size
She took my silver spurs, a dollar and a dime
And left me craving for, more summer wine
Oh, oh, summer wine
Strawberries, cherries and an angel kissing spring
My summer wine is really made from all these things
Take off those silver spurs, help me pass the time
And I will give to you my summer wine
Oh, oh, summer wine
The lyrics of Demis Roussos's "Summer Wine" are about a man who meets a woman while on a walk in town. She sees his silver spurs and asks him to spend some time with her, and she offers to give him "summer wine." The wine is said to be made from strawberries, cherries, and the sweetness of spring. The man agrees, and they spend the night together. The morning after, he wakes up feeling disoriented with his silver spurs gone and his head feeling twice its size. The woman has taken his spurs and a dollar and dime, and he is left wanting more of the "summer wine" she offered him.
The strawberries, cherries, and angel kissing spring mentioned in the lyrics all have romantic connotations. The sweetness and passion associated with these things are what make up the man's "summer wine" experience with the woman. The silver spurs are also a symbol of passion and adventure, as they are often associated with cowboy culture and the Wild West. Taken together, the song is about a fleeting romance that is sweet and exciting yet ultimately leaves the man wanting more.
Line by Line Meaning
Strawberries, cherries and an angel kissing spring
My summer wine is a combination of the sweet taste of strawberries and cherries that represent the freshness of spring which is where the angel kissed.
My summer wine is really made from all these things
The combination of the sweet taste of strawberries and cherries, and the freshness of spring from the angel's kiss, create my perfect summer wine.
Take off your silver spurs and help me pass the time
Let us take some time to enjoy each other's company and forget about the hustle and bustle of life.
Oh, oh, oh, summer wine
This is my expression of enjoyment and delight in the taste of my summer wine.
My eyes grew heavy and my lips they could not speak
The intoxicating effect of my summer wine has made me feel drowsy and unable to speak properly.
And then she gave to me, more summer wine
She reassured me and gave me more of my summer wine to enjoy and experience its intoxicating effect.
When I woke up, the sun was shining in my eyes
As I woke up from my intoxicated state, I was met with the brightness of the sun in my eyes.
She took my silver spurs, a dollar and a dime
She took my materialistic possessions and left me with the craving for the taste of my summer wine.
And left me craving for, more summer wine
Her departure left me with the desire and longing for the sweet taste of my summer wine.
Take off those silver spurs, help me pass the time
I invite you to join me in taking some time to forget about our materialistic possessions and just enjoy each other's company while drinking my summer wine.
And I will give to you my summer wine
I am willing to share the intoxicating experience of drinking my summer wine with you.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LEE HAZLEWOOD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@margosipman2799
Prachtig nummer van Demis en Nancy! Kan me nog herinneren dat we van een dun sjaaltje zo,n strik achter op ons hoofd spelde en met schoudervullingen liepen! Nostalgie met mooie muziek!💯💯💯💯💫✨🌟☀️🕊️🇳🇱
@geovaniamendonca
Demis Roussos is always outstanding, no matter if he sings alone or in a duet.❤❤❤❤❤❤
@izabellabelina5390
Demis- jeden, jedyny, niepowtarzalny.
@dorisehmel722
Zwei wunderschöne Stimmen, die man sich ständig anhören kann einfach Klasse 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿eine Stimme ist leider nicht mehr zu hören R.I.P Demis Roussos ✝️ LG von Doris 🥰 😘 💋 💖 💟 🤗 ✝️☮
@mitsos361
Ντέμης Ρούσσος,ένας πολίτης του Κόσμου.Υπεροχα τραγούδια .Καταπληκτικές μουσικές .Demis Roussos a citizen of the world....always wonderful...
@stephentaege6255
I didn't know DEMIS ROUSSOS did a version of this what a beautiful magnificent voice and human being RIP DEMIS,🕯️🙏✌️ cheers Stephen 🍀🍀 ✌️✌️
@beast_bikini
wowh ist das schön.Habe es noch nie gehört bin so überascht wie schön sie zusammen singen
@henrykamoskala1778
Kocham ❤❤❤
@MrPablo11111
❣❣❣❣❣❣❣❣❣❣❣❣❣
@alshamshhajee6209
Miss Demis Rousos. RIP. He was so popular in Africa.