Sotiria Bellou

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Sotiria Bellou (Greek: Σωτηρία Μπέλλου) (August 22, 1921 – August 27, 1997) was a famous Greek singer and performer of the Greek rebetiko style of music. She was one of the most famous rebetisa of all, mentioned in many music guides, and a contributor to the 1984 British Documentary entitled Music of the Outsiders. On 14 March 2010, Alpha TV ranked Bellou the 22nd top-certified female artist in the nation's phonographic era (since 1960).

Early years

Bellou was born in Halia (now called Drosia, part of the town of Chalkida) on the island of Euboia. She was the oldest of five siblings of a wealthy family. Her grandfather Sotiris Papasotiriou, after whom she was named and who was particularly fond of her, was an Orthodox priest at Shimatari. As a little girl, Sotiria would go to church along with her grandfather and she would absorb the religious sounds and Byzantine hymns. She began singing at the age of three, and was soon making her own guitars out of wire and wood and playing them. Her father, Kyriakos Bellos, had a grocery store in Neapolis in the northern part of Chalkida. The movie "The little emigree" (I prosphygopoula) featuring the popular singer Sofia Vembo was the catalyst that pushed her to pursue an artistic career. On hearing of her daughter's ambitions, her mother Eleni beat her because, as a conservative woman of that time, she did not want her daughter to pursue an artistic career. However, her father bought her a guitar and paid for private lessons.

Bellou

Bellou is a commune in the Calvados département in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.

Geography

The commune of Bellou is situated 18 kilometres from Lisieux, in the Pays d'Auge.

Population

Monuments

The Manoir de Bellou, built in 1720, and its 16th century dovecote, have been registered as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture since 1923. Its cider press building with its machinery and cellar were added to the register in 2004.

People linked to the commune

See also

References

External links