Biography of
Vangelis
The musical talents of Vangelis first became obvious at the age of four. His
parents tried to encourage him to study with a professional teacher, but he did
not respond well to formal education as he was generally unwilling to follow
instructions.
Vangelis explains, "I have always felt that you should not borrow knowledge from
others, because personal experience and development are of utmost significance."
After leaving school he and some friends formed a group called Formynx. In the
early 60s this band packed Greek stadiums with thousands of music hungry fans.
Vangelis was virually the first artist that brought pop music to his home
country. Formy nx was soon Greece’s most popular musical group.
During the Greek upheaval in 1968 Vangelis moved to Paris. Together with Demis
Roussos and Loukas Sideras he formed a band called Aphrodite’s Child. This group
scored an immediate world wide hit with their first release, Rain and Tears.
Aphrodite’s Child went on to release several further European number-one singles
over the course of three years. The band split up after their controversial
double album. Vangelis remained in Paris for a while, recording a couple of film
soundtracks for the French director Frederic Rossif (among these L’Apocalypse
Des Animaux and La Fete Sauvage and giving an amazing performance at the
"Olympia" to promote his first solo album, Earth, on the Philips label.
In 1974 he moved to London in the midst of a storm of rumors that he would be
joining the group Yes as Rick Wakemen’s replacement on keyboards. After
rehearsing with Yes for several weeks Vangelis left, explaining that his musical
theory and direct ions and the group’s were too far apart. It was during his
stint with Yes that he and Jon Anderson became friends and collaborators.
Vangelis soon signed a recording contract with RCA, and assembled his own 24
track studio known as Nemo Studios. Nemo Studios is near London’s Marble Arch,
and is referred to by Vangelis as his laboratory. The first album cut here was
Heaven and Hell. This first album on the RCA label, a collection of
extraordinary and forceful music, catapulted him to the forefront of popular
music in Europe and the United States. To this date, all albums that followed
Heaven and Hell were equally internat ionally acclaimed and enormous sellers.
Vangelis achieved an array of awards, among them an Oscar in 1982 for the
soundtrack of the film Chariots of Fire.
The music of Vangelis is too diverse to be described as either pop, rock,
classical, jazz, or new age. Explaining his music, Vangelis says,
"All I try to do is let people know what I think through my music. I just bring
the music to you and it is up to you to do what you want with it.
Taken from the Greatest Hits Album (1981).
Discography
More information in English
Interview 1 in English
Interview 2 in English
Interview 3 in English
Vangelis Speaks in English
More information His Biography in Turkish
Vangelis and Neuronium in English
Pictures of Vangelis You will find Vangelis himself and also album covers
Another Internet Pages about Vangelis
Going on means going far.
Going far means returning.
(TAO TE CHING)