The very first greek Bouzouki song recorded “Το μινόρε του τεκέ”

Have you ever thought about all the songs that we don’t know how they sound because there are no records of them? Well, what we do know, is how it sounds the first greek
bouzouki song that was recorded for posterity.

The “Teke’s minor” ( in greek:Το μινόρε του τεκέ) is an instumental piece that has it’s own place in history as it was the basis of registering the bouzouki as the leading national instrument of Greece in the 20th century.

This song is a composition of Ιωάννη Χαλκιά (Τζακ Γρηγορίου) (John Halkias) and was recorded in USA on 1931. When the record came to Greece the directors of Columbia recordings could not understand the reason behind the success. They also could not understand the lead instrument. After extensive research they concluded that what made that recording great was due to the fact that the instrument had a different sound that was coming from the unknown until then instrument, the bouzouki.

Here a lot is owed to John Halkias as he is the 1st official bouzoukiplayer to record music. Phonographs became a profession since 1928. So this song that was transmitted through the phonographs was the reason for a whole generation to get engaged with the bouzouki.

One noon, at the tavern of Ginopoulos at Tzitzifies, Γιάννης Παπαιωάννου (John Papaioannou) was there with his work clothes (he was apainter), and he said:

I heard a recording that Halkias made in USA…
Once I heard it I lost my mind… Such solo can never be made again… I immediately changed my mind, I quit the guitar that I was playing and picked up the bouzouki… That’s how I started with the bouzouki and became Papaioanou.

Also Μανώλης Χιώτης (Manolis Hiotis) was playing guitar with the band “Άσπρα Πουλιά” (White birds) of K. Bezos. After that he gets engaged with the novel sound of Halkia’s Teke’s Minor and starts with the bouzouki. On 1932 the recordings with bouzoukia and baglamades begin systematically with Μπάτη (Bati) and Μάρκο Βαμβακάρη (Markos Vamvakaris)

As such with this new instrument and new style of lyrics a new wave is born that encompassed all of the nation and became one of a major characteristic of the greek identity, the Greek Bouzuouki.

Now, as a member of BouzoukiGreek.com you can learn to play this iconic song.

Take a look…

https://youtu.be/rLDACVpL6QU