Biography

Spyros Peristeris (Greek: Σπύρος Περιστέρης; 1900 – 15 March 1966) was a Greek rebetiko composer and a skillful mandolin and bouzouki player. He was born in Smyrna, Ottoman Empire. His parents were Aristides, a famous musician who originated from Athens, and Despina (née Bekou) who was a Corsican Greek and an Italian citizen. Peristeris learned to play the mandolin from a young age. Around 1914, his family moved to Constantinople where Peristeris graduated from the Italian school, managing to learn Italian and German. He also completed his music studies and was already an acclaimed musician at the age of 18. After the death of his father in 1918, he moved back to Smyrna and substituted him in the direction of the famous Smyrna Estudiantina (also known as ta Politakia).

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