Kostas Roukounas was born in Neo Karlovasi on the island of Samos in 1903, which is why he was known by the nickname “Samiotaki”. His father Apostoli left for the USA when Kostas was two years old and later divorced his mother, Eftihia.
Because the family was very poor, Roukounas began working at the age of eight for a cigarette manufacturer, where he stayed for seven years. Around 1920 he began working as a carpenter or joiner and became known across Samos as an expert craftsman. Around 1927 he started singing, primarily Smyrnaic songs, at Pansamiakon, a well-known taverna in Nea Karlovasi. Within months, his voice had become famous locally.
In 1928 he left Samos for mainland Greece, singing around Athens at weddings, baptisms, and local celebrations. By 1929 or 1930, news of his talent reached Panayiotis Tountas, who arranged for Roukounas to make 78 rpm recordings.
Roukounas recorded in many styles, including rebetika, dimotika, kleftika, amanedes, Smyrnaic and Constantinopolitan songs, and nisiotika. He worked with many founding artists of the rebetika and Smyrnaic schools. He was especially known for his ability to sing technically demanding amanedes, and he also composed many songs himself.
He married Anna Politissa, also a singer, in 1934. She died of a heart attack in March 1943. After the war, Roukounas continued performing through the 1950s and 1960s. In 1948 he married lyricist Alexandra Kiriasi.
In 1958 he toured the USA for a year. During the rebetiko revival of the 1970s, he returned to concerts and taverna appearances and recorded LPs of traditional, Smyrnaic, and rebetic songs. He lived with Alexandra in Pallini until his death in March 1984.