SPIROS SOUKIS
Rockin' Blues with Greek Soul
"Spiced with funky grooves, shuffle beats and rock elements, enlivened with European style and the freshness of Mediterranean breezes."
The latest release, "Loveborne Blues" (So Well Music) highlights the signature Soukis style that takes the listener on an aural journey through six shades of blue.
A consummate performer, Spiros Soukis plays regularly at B.B. King Blues Club, the premier place for blues in Manhattan. Fans throughout the world faithfully follow "Rockin' Blues," his long-running blog about life as a working musician who lives and plays in Times Square.
A native of Athens, Greece, Spiros began his love affair with the blues filtered through the British Invasion and guitar masters Peter Green, Eric Clapton, Robin Trower and Jeff Beck. In time he learned about American slingers like Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter, Duane Allman and Roy Buchanan. Reading liner notes and recording credits led him to discover the original men behind the music like B.B. King, Freddie King, Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters.
His studies in guitar, piano and harmonica earned him a Music Theory degree from Athens Conservatory. He performed and toured with the late, great Greek rock legend, Pavlos Sidiroupolos then moved to Stockholm, in the mid '80s, where he continued performing live while teaching music and earning another degree, in Musicology, from Stockholm University. Returning to Athens in the early '90s, Spiros formed the band, That's Why, performed widely, recorded regularly and toured extensively. That's Why opened for a diverse group of musicians ranging from The Pixies to Peter Green--one of his earliest influences.
His self-produced "Fota Tou Iliggou" (Lights of Vertigo), was released July 1996, in Europe, to overwhelmingly positive reviews. Voted 'CD of the Month,' "Fota" was reissued in September 2000, with many of its songs included in various compilations.
Spiros moved to New York City in 2003, when the U.S. Congress declared it, "Year of the Blues." One year later he released "Transblues," his first English-language CD. Recorded in both Athens and his newly adopted city, the record consists of eight of his own songs on which he sings and plays guitar. Two smokin' blues covers, captured live in the heart of Manhattan, round out this auspicious American debut.
Spiros creates soundtracks, scores music and does audio design for a variety of media--including documentary films, travel shows and video games. He's also a frequent guest on radio shows like "Antique Blues," WPKN-FM, in Bridgeport, Connecticut and Montauk, New York; and "Something Inside Me," WKCR-FM, at Columbia University.
A gifted musician/performer, Spiros is also a dedicated teacher to a large number of private students, beginner to advanced--some of whom are invited to participate in the regular master jam sessions Spiros hosts in his Times Square studio.
