From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Vicky Leandros
Vicky Leandros
Vicky Leandros pand his career and went to Germany while she grew up
at her grandmother’s house until the age of five. In 1958
her parents took her to Germany where she stayed with
her father permanently after her parents’ divorce. She
revealed her talent at a young age while taking guitar,
music, dance, ballet and voice lessons.
In 1965 Leandros released her first single "Messer,
Gabel, Schere, Licht". This was the beginning of a suc-
cessful career for her with her father as composer, man-
ager and producer. In 1967 she received an offer to sing
for Luxembourg at the Eurovision Song Contest with the
song "L’amour est bleu". She finished in fourth place but
the song became one of the biggest worldwide hits of the
year and was covered by many artists. She was shortly
singing in eight languages with her albums, singles and
EPs being sold all over the world. She became particular-
ly successful in Japan and Canada.
The 1970s
In 1970 her first TV show, Ich Bin was broadcast in 13
Vicky Leandros in Berlin, 2010 European countries. It received many awards for its orig-
Background information inality and thought-provoking contemporary graphics
including in 1971 the world famous Bronze Rose of Mon-
Birth name Vassiliki Papathanasiou treux. It was also the first time that Vicky used the same
Also known as Vicky Leandros stage surname as her father (actually his real Christian
name) and became known from then onwards as Vicky
Born 23 August 1949 (1949-08-23)
Leandros having been known simply as Vicky during the
Origin Palaiokastritsa, Corfu, Greece 1960s. Guests appearing were Julien Clerc and Deep Pur-
ple. The show has been repeated over the years and is
Genres Pop
seen as a classic piece very evocative of the era, though
Occupations Singer, politician at first it was not well received in all quarters owing to its
Years active 1965–present surprising, even shocking, imagery, in an age when songs
were not generally accompanied by visuals for market-
Website Hey! Vicky Leandros ing purposes. Throughout the 1970s other film portraits
Vicky Leandros’ Greek website
by prominent film makers were to follow which attracted
interest around the world. She later went on to host a
Papathanasiou,
Vicky Leandros (born Vassiliki Papathanasiou Greek:
television series in the UK for the BBC, entitled Music My
Βασιλική Παπαθανασίου, 23 August 1949,[1] now legally
Way.
Ruffin)
Vassiliki, Baroness von Ruffin is a Greek singer with a
In 1972 she represented Luxembourg at Eurovision
long international career. She is the daughter of singer,
for the second time and won the contest with the song
musician and composer Leandros Papathanasiou (known
"Après Toi". Translated into English as "Come What May"
as Leo Leandros – composer pseudonym Mario Panas).
it was also a hit in the UK reaching #2 on the UK Singles
She achieved worldwide fame after winning the Eurovi-
Chart.[2] Globally it sold over six million copies, and was
sion Song Contest in 1972 with the song "Après Toi" (repre-
awarded a gold disc.[3] Leandros recorded the song in
senting Luxembourg).
seven languages. Later in the year she released her ver-
sion of the Theodorakis composition "O Kaymos (Sorrow)
Early career (The Love in Your Eyes)" which became a hit all over
the world in various language versions. It peaked at #40
Leandros was born in Palaiokastritsa, a resort on the is-
in the UK Singles Chart.[2] In 1973, "When Bouzoukis
land of Corfu in the Ionian Sea. Her father wanted to ex-
Played" became another massive selling world hit in sev-
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Vicky Leandros
eral languages, reaching #44 in the UK chart.[2] In 1974 releases from the album also became Canadian hits - "Tu
she recorded "Theo, wir fahr’n nach Lodz" a song that as sept Ponts a traverser" and "Salut bien Sarah" the
was a #1 hit in Germany. She also found much success in French version of "Gruesse an Sarah" .
South Africa during the 1970s. In 1986 following the success of her 1985 album "Eine
In Japan she reached her peak during late 1960s and Nacht in Griechenland" Leandros again took time off to
early 1970s and recorded many times in Japanese. Her concentrate on her private life . The album achieved Gold
second Japanese single "Watashi no Sukina Chocolate" status in the Benelux and German speaking countries. It
(The Chocolate That I Like) became a notable hit. She also was early 1988 before the next album release "Ich Bin
recorded many cover versions of songs, "Mamy Blue", Ich" on which she worked with Klaus (Nick) Munro . This
"You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me" and "My Sweet album contained many new rhythms and was more rock
Lord" among others. orientated . Leandros did not tour though and made very
In 1975 she recorded an album, Across the Water in limited appearances during this period concentrating
Tennessee and Miami. The album was a departure for mainly on her family life and her ( by now three ) young
her, combining country, rock and soul, gaining her good children . Nevertheless two singles were released from
reviews on release in the US. In 1976 she signed a multi- the album "Du hast schon laengst Goodbye gesagt" and
million contract with CBS Records for albums in the US "Oh Oh Oh" in a remixed version .
and started working in Hollywood with Kim Fowley. This In 1989 she returned to her music career and charted
did not last long however as Leandros felt a lack of sup- highly in Greece with her comeback album, Piretos tou
port from her record company and returned to Europe. Erota.
After her American adventure Leandros released al-
bums of German folk songs, Christmas songs and a Span- The 1990s
ish album which became a success in Spain and all over In 1990 Leandros released the album "Starkes Gefuehl"
Latin America. The first single "Oh Mi Mama" was a mi- (Strong Feeling) which notably contained a new version
nor hit, but the second single "Tu Me Has Hecho Sentir", of "Apres Toi" her Eurovision song contest winner of
although not promoted by Leandros or CBS due to differ- 1972 . The album also contained the German version of
ences between the two and a reported health scare, was a Piretos tou erota now "Suchtig nach Geborgenheit"
big hit in Spanish-speaking countries in 1979. It regularly which was the first single cut . The early 1990s saw her
appears on compilation albums and is easily the most fa- scoring successful albums in Greece with "Prosexe" in
mous and remembered song by Vicky Leandros in Span- 1991 ( Nur Einen Augenblick in Germany ) and "Andres"
ish . A new album, Wie am Allerersten Tag went unreleased ( unique album for Greece ) in 1993 and in Europe in
and Leandros became pregnant and took time off over 1994/5 with singles "Du Bist Mein Schoenster Gedanke"
the next 18 months. and a duet with Tony Christie, "We’re Gonna Stay To-
gether".
The 1980s The resurgence of popularity in Greece saw first the
In 1981 she recorded the album Love is Alive including re-release on vinyl of Leandros’ early albums (with differ-
duets with Demis Roussos, Johnny Hallyday and US star ent sleeves) and later a CD release of them all with bonus
David Soul for a United Nations Benefit. Also in 1981, she tracks.
released the album, Ich Gehe Neue Wege and its Greek ver- From 1995 to 1998 she collaborated with German hit-
sion, Irtha Yia Sena. This comeback was consolidated in maker Jack White and released three Top-10 albums, as
1982 by the success of the song "Verlorenes Paradies" well as the German version of the Titanic song "My Heart
from the same titled next album which saw Leandros Will Go On". This song "Weil mein Herz dich nie mehr
back in the upper reaches of the singles charts in many vergisst" gave Leandros her highest charting record
territories after a few years absence. It was also recorded since Verlorenes Paradies in 1982.
in Dutch . In 1983 came the album Vicky containing the
popular song and single "Gruesse an Sarah" which is reg- Recent career
ularly still sung in concerts often acapella with the other In 2000 she started producing her own records. The al-
musicians and vocalists making the sounds of the beats bum Jetzt / Now was a success and her own compositions
and instruments vocally to combine with Leandros’ main received critical praise. Her duet with Chris De Burgh was
vocal . Also later in 1983 she recorded again in Dutch a one of the highlights of the album. Following this she fea-
song specially for the Dutch-speaking market; "Ver Van tured again on the charts of several countries such as
Het Leven". In 1984, the French version - "A l’Est d’Eden" Canada, China, Japan, Belgium and South Africa due to
- was a big success in France, reaching #2 on the singles the many greatest hits collections that several companies
chart. This single and corresponding album (Vicky) gave released.
Leandros a notable comeback in Canada and she toured In 2003 she recorded a new album, Tragoudi Alliotiko
there after a gap of many years in 1985. Two more single with songs by Mikis Theodorakis accompanied by the
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Vicky Leandros
Kamerata Orchestra under Theodorakis’s supervision.
The album became a success in Germany, central Europe
Awards and collaborations
and in Greece. TV stations and tabloid newspaper re- Leandros has received innumerable awards including
viewers celebrated her comeback while other publica- gold and platinum records from all around the world for
tions and reviewers questioned the rationale behind Le- discs that have sold in excess of 150 million copies.[citation
andros’ performance of songs from a political composer needed]
like Theodorakis. Around this time Leandros appeared in She has worked with many composers and producers
many TV shows on German and Greek television includ- such as Kim Fowley, Leo Leandros, Brad Shapiro and
ing galas with José Carreras. The album made it to the Michel Legrand and also with conductors such as Herbert
100 best selling records of 2003 and Theodorakis wrote von Karajan and Claude Denjean. She has been awarded
that he considered "her among the two or three most im- with the "Bronze Rose of Montreux", "Goldene Europa",
portant interpreters of [his] work". In 2003 Leandros re- "Record Award of USA", and "Song Statue of Japan".
ceived two prestigious awards from the Greek govern-
ment for her promotion of Greek culture and music
abroad and the other from the Greek Orthodox Church in
Selected discography
recognition of her work for poor children in Africa. The
latter award was presented to her at a classical concert
Albums
held at the Herod Atticus amphitheatre in October 2003 Many variations of Leandros’s albums were released
and is the highest honour that the Greek Church can be- around the world and a huge amount of compilations
stow. Leandros is one of only a few to receive it and the which still continue to be released on a regular basis . The
only female. following list is of original albums she recorded. In Japan
2005 saw the release of a double album, Ich Bin Wie Ich a few albums also contain some songs mainly in Japanese
Bin containing new recordings of Leandros’s songs. The or English which were not released elsewhere though the
album charted in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Le- majority of tracks were recorded in Europe and featured
andros’ Jubilee Tour of Europe started in February 2006. also in various languages on albums already listed here.
In March 2006, Leandros took part in the German pre-
selection for the Eurovision Song Contest - 34 years since
"Après Toi". Her song, "Don’t Break My Heart" which had
References
already entered the charts, failed to win the most votes [1] IMDb. Other years are also provided: 1952 – Vicky’s
from the televoting public.. age by means of the Way Back Machine (Internet
Leandros released a CD in March 2009 titled Möge der Archive) or 1948 – Bertelsmann Lexica.
Himmel. This album contained soul elements combined [2] ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums
with some R&B flavour, hip hop and rap. The change (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records
in direction was headline news and the album received Limited. p. 315. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
mixed reviews. The next album Zeitlos in 2010 returned [3] Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd
to the idea born in 2008 to record a collection of French ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 315.
songs in the German language. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
Personal life External links
From 1982 until 1986 Leandros was married to Greek en- • Official Homepage of Vicky Leandros
trepreneur Ivan Zissiadis. He is the father of her son Le- • Greek Official Political Homepage of Vicky Leandros
andros Zissiadis (Leo) (born 6 June 1980). In 2005 Lean- • German Homepage and Fanclub of Vicky Leandros
dros and her second husband Enno von Ruffin separated • Official Homepage of Vicky Leandros′ daughter
after 19 years of marriage. The couple have two daugh- Sandra Ruffin
ters: Maximiliane von Ruffin (Milana) (born 31 January Persondata
1985) and Alessandra von Ruffin (Sandra) (born 6 Decem- Name Leandros, Vicky
ber 1986). On 15 October 2006, Leandros (as Vassiliki von
Alternative Papathanasiou, Vassiliki; Ruffin, Vas-
Ruffin)
Ruffin was elected town councillor of the Greek harbour
names siliki von
town of Piraeus on the Pasok list. Her task concerned the
Cultural and International development of Piraeus. She Short descrip- Greek-German singer
was also Deputy Mayor of Piraeus. tion
It was announced in June 2008 that Leandros decided Date of birth 23 August 1952
to leave her position in Greek politics with immediate ef- Place of birth Palaiokastritsa, Greece
fect.[citation needed]
Date of death
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Vicky Leandros
Date Album title Language
October 1966 Songs und Folklore German/English/French/Greek
July 1967 A Taste of...Vicky German/French/English/Greek
October 1967 A Taste of Vicky International English/French/Greek
October 1967 L’amour est bleu French
October 1967 Love is Blue English
July 1968 A Taste of Vicky English/French
(First US release)
August 1968 Summertime Forever German/French/English
August 1968 Vicky (To Mistiko Sou) Greek/French/English
December 1968 Le Temps Des Fleurs French
August 1969 Ich Glaub’ An Dich German
October 1969 I Mikri Mas Istoria Greek
October 1969 Zoom Sur Vicky French
September 1970 Vicky ( Je Suis ) French/Greek
January 1971 Ich Bin German/French/Greek
February 1971 Vicky (Pes Mou Pos Boreis) Greek/French
March 1971 I Am English
(First UK release)
April 1972 Vicky Leandros German/English
May 1972 Apres Toi French
May 1972 Mono Esi Greek/French/English
May 1972 Vicky Leandros English/French
May 1973 Meine Freunde Sind Die Traume German
August 1973 Itan Mia Vradia Greek/English
September 1973 Dreams Are Good Friends English/French/Greek
September 1973 Ceux Que J’aime French/Greek
July 1974 Mein Lied Fur Dich German/English/Greek
August 1974 My Song for You English/Greek
October 1974 Ma Chanson Pour Toi French/English/Greek
December 1974 Your World - My World English/Greek
August 1975 Ich Liebe Das Leben German/English
September 1975 Across the Water English
September 1975 J’aime La Vie French
January 1976 I Zoi Einai Oreia Greek/French
February 1977 V.L. German/English
April 1977 V.L. Greek/English
April 1977 Vicky Leandros French/English
September 1977 Omorfa Chronia Greek/English
October 1977 Du Du Liegst Mir Im Herzen German
October 1977 Suesser Die Glocken Nie Klingen German
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Vicky Leandros
February 1978 Vicky Leandros (Recorded in USA) English
March 1978 Ich Bin ein Mädchen German/English
April 1978 Poso S’agapo Greek/French/English
October 1978 Oh Mi Mama Spanish/English/Greek/German
October 1980 Singt die schönsten Deutschen Volkslieder German
April 1981 Ich Gehe Neue Wege German/English
October 1981 Love is Alive English
January 1982 Irtha Yia Sena Greek/English
October 1982 Verlorenes Paradies German
October 1983 Vicky German
May 1984 Vicky French
October 1985 Eine Nacht in Griechenland German/Greek
February 1988 Ich Bin Ich German
October 1989 Piretos Tou Erota Greek
September 1990 Starkes Gefuhl German/French
September 1991 Nur Einen Augenblick German
November 1991 Prósehe! Greek
February 1993 Andres Greek
October 1995 Lieben Und Leben German/English
April 1997 Gefuehle German
August 1998 Weil Mein Herz Dich Nie Mehr Vergisst German
February 2000 Jetzt! German/English
May 2001 Now! Greek/French/English/German
October 2001 Mit Offenen Armen German/Greek/English
November 2002 Weihnachten mit Vicky Leandros German/Greek/French/English
(CD&DVD)
September 2003 ...Singt Mikis Theodorakis German/Greek
December 2003 Tragouthi Alliotiko Greek/English
March 2006 Ich Bin Wie Ich Bin German/French/English
March 2009 Möge der Himmel German/English/French
September 2010 Zeitlos German
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Winner of the Eurovision Song Contest Succeeded by
Séverine 1972 Anne-Marie David
with "Un banc, un arbre, une rue" with "Tu te reconnaîtras"
Preceded by Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest Succeeded by
Monique Melsen 1972 Anne-Marie David
Preceded by Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest Succeeded by
Michèle Torr 1967 Chris Baldo & Sophie Garel
Place of death
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicky_Leandros"
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Vicky Leandros
Categories: 1949 births, Living people, English-language singers, Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1967, Eurovision
Song Contest entrants of 1972, Eurovision Song Contest winners, French-language singers, German-language singers,
German people of Greek descent, Greek female singers, Greek pop singers, Greek women in politics, Luxembourgian
Eurovision Song Contest entrants, Modern Greek-language singers, Musicians from Corfu, Panhellenic Socialist Move-
ment politicians
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