Yannis Poulopoulos

Giannis Poulopoulos (Greek: Γιάννης Πουλόπουλος, a. k. a. John Poulopoulos; 29 June 1941 – 23 August 2020) was a Greek singer-songwriter, who had several hits in Greece during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. In terms of total album sales, he is the fourth biggest-selling Greek singer of all time.

Poulopoulos was born in Mani, Greece. Shortly after his birth, his parents, originally from Messenia, moved to the Saint Ierotheos region of Peristeri, near Athens. Poulopoulos liked singing from an early age. Prompted by friends, he unsuccessfully sought an audition with Columbia Records, while also working as a builder, playing football in Saint Ierotheos for Atromitos F. C.

, and producing oil paintings. Aged 19, Poulopoulos secured auditions with Mikis Theodorakis, Apostolos Kaldaras, Vassilis Tsitsanis, and Giannis Papaioannou, and sang two songs, Mana mou kai Panagia ("My Mother and the Madonna") and Parapono ("Complaint"). Poulopoulos impressed Theodorakis at his first audition, and Theodorakis arranged for Poulopoulos to sing three songs in a theatrical production by Nikos Kourkoulos and Tzeni Karezi of Iakovos Kambanellis's play, The Neighbourhood of Angels. Grigoris Bithikotsis later performed cover versions of the first three songs ("Set a table for two," "Glory to God" and "Bread is on the Table") that Poulopoulos recorded. Poulopoulos sang regularly in a music hall in Plaka.