Vassilis Tsitsanis was born on January 18, 1915 in Trikala, Greece, the son of an Eipirot shoemaker. His father played the mandola and at age twelve Tsistanis began to teach himself the instrument. While at the local high school he also learned violin and received lessons from Mr. Giosa, the Italian music teacher.
In 1935 he moved to Athens intending to study law. Word went around town that “a hick’s in town who plays pretty fair bouzouki,” and through the good offices of the singer Dimitris Perdikopoulos he was introduced to Spiros Peristeris, recording director at Odeon, and cut his first record (ca. Jan. 1936). Over the next two years he made a few more sides, but his recording career really took off in late 1937 when he returned to the Odeon studios with Perdikopoulos to record “Olo Ta Echo Varethi.” From then until late 1940, when the second World War put an end to recording in Greece for over five years, he recorded 80 sides; traveling down to Athens to record during 1938 and early 1939, on brief leaves from doing his military service in Thessaloniki. After the war he re-located to Athens, and when recording finally recommenced in June 1946 he was one of the first to return to the studio.
Many years of success and a stream of memorable songs were to follow. He continued working virtually non-stop until December 22, 1983. A few days later he traveled to London and entered the Brompton hospital for tests. After an operation which seemed to have gone well his condition suddenly deteriorated and he died there on January 18, 1984 - his birthday.