Stellakis Perpiniadis was a singer and guitarist. He was born on the island of Tinos in 1899. He was the 11th (and final) child born to the family! Stellakis father was from Tinos and his mother from the island Hios. In 1900 the family moved to Alexandria, and thence on to Constantinople in 1906. Stellakis’ early years were difficult, and the family were poor. His father worked as a baker in Galata. Stellakis received only a little formal schooling before joining his father in the baking trade to help the family make ends meet.
Whilst living in Galata, Stellakis joined psalters in St John’s church and he learned ecclesiastical music. In 1919 he embarked for army service for the Greek army first in Athens and subsequently in Smyrna. In 1922 he left Smyrna as a refugee and went to the island of Hios and then to Piraeus where he worked in a paint shop. In 1925, he met Manoli Margaroni at a wedding and Manoli helped Stellakis by buying him his first guitar and teaching him how to play it as well as encouraging him to become a singer. Stellakis became a performer at fetes and at tavernas in Pireaus. In 1929 Stellakis met Panagiotis Toundas and recorded some sides which became hits. Stellakis met and worked with the greatest artists and composers of that era, and also composed many classic songs himself which became classics. He recorded in many musical styles, including Rebetiko, Smyrneika, Nisiotika (island songs), Demotika and Laika. He also recorded many popular duets with artists such as Stratos Payioumtsis, Roza Eskenazi, Rita Ambatsi and Anna Politissa.
Stellakis opened his own taverna towards the end of the 1930s. Apart from the period from 1942 - 1945 (when the recording companies in Greece were closed) Stellakis made recordings right up to the 1960s. In the 1970’s Stellakis made many appearances in his taverna, concerts and on TV. He died at his home in Haidari in September 1977. Stellakis son, Vangellis, went on to became a very successful composer and recording artist in his own right - primarily in the laika field.