Sotiria Bellou was, like Chavela Vargas (posted about earlier this month), a singer of indigenous music (SB was Greek, and sang in the style of "rebetiko"). Although born into a wealthy family, she married both young and badly, left for Athens at 19, joined the anti-Nazi resistance, was captured, tortured, and imprisoned. In 1944 she joined the Nationalist Resistance Army, which earned her the undying enmity of right-wing opponents-which culminated in a savage public beating during a performance which no one stopped. She came out as a lesbian after the war and lived a difficult life, made easier by a period of success in which she was quite well-known and popular. A descent into mental illness and a slow, painful death from cancer ended her life in 1997 at the age of 76. She is buried next to the man who helped to make her the success she was. The songs she sang were full of harsh lyrics and hard music, no "Never on a Sunday" stuff. Here is an unattributed translation I found of the lyrics for the song I have chosen, one of her best known: Anoixe, Anoixe": The widow closed, sealed into dark, why not to open stuborn one to see Open, open because I can not stand enough, enough is enough to torture. Xerostaliasa night (dried sea) hours to sing to you my heart puts out flames but not to go out this way Open, open, because I can not stand, Enough, enough is enough to torture.
Posted on: Thu, 22 Aug 2013 18:49:45 +0000
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