Manos Loizos

Manos Loizos (22/10/1937 - 17/09/1982)

Manos Loizos was one of the most important Modern Greek composers.

He was born in 1937 in Larnaca, Cyprus, but when he was very young, his family moved to Alexandria, Egypt, in search for a better life. He studied music from a very early age; he enrolled at a local conservatory and started learning to play the violin, before deciding to play the guitar. After he completed his graduation from the Averov High School of Alexandria in 1955, he went to Athens and initially enrolled at the School of Pharmacy. Later, he enrolled at the Higher School of Financial and Commercial Studies. In 1960, he dropped out of university, making his most important decision in his life, to dedicate himself to music.

To earn his living, he started doing various jobs, from a waiter at a tavern to graphic designer and decorator. In 1962, he met Mimis Plessas, thanks to whom his first song was recorded. He also became a founding member and vice president of the Association of Friends of Greek Music, aiming to support the work of Mikis Theodorakis, as well as introduce new composers. In 1965, he married Maro Limnou, who later became an author of childrens’ books.

During the Regime of the Colonels, he was targeted by the authorities because of his left – wing beliefs. After the uprising of 1973, he was arrested for 10 days; afterwards, he participated in various concerts and in 1974, he released an album with the songs that were forbidden of the previous years. During the period 1974 – 1977, he was one of the main composers of political songs. In 1978, he became president of the Greek Composers Union and takes a leading role in the creation of a copyright collecting agency. Loizos died in 1982 in a hospital of Moscow due to cancer.