B.B.King versus Bouzouki.

I am playing at B.B.King`s!
Sunday July 2nd from 8:00 pm to 1:00 am.
I am so thrilled.
I am so excited.

2003 was the celebrated year of the blues in the U.S.A.
It was the year i finally made my decision to leave Athens (Greece)
behind and come to live in New York City.

Greece is a heavily dominated Bouzouki music country.
It seems that people are hypnotized to like only one kind of music
that they can call their own.

Bouzouki is Greece`s instrument of choice.
They are very proud of it and they live under the false impression
that it`s a genuine Greek instrument.

Greeks have a passion about their nationality and they tend
to forget that it is a Turkish instrument as it is the music played
with this instrument that was imported from Turkey.

It`s like the Turkish coffee that they very proudly call Greek coffee.

Greeks don`t like the electric guitar .

They think of it as an imported American instrument.

Sometimes it makes you wonder about Their state of mind.

I never liked Bouzouki Music.

It has always been at the very bottom of my musical choices.

I find it very depressing and its culture totally foreign to mine.

I never ever borrowed,bought or owned any bouzouki record.
But it`s very hard to escape it when you live in Greece.
Bouzouki related music is everywhere.

In my teens i spent all my pocket money trying to find and buy
every Blues related album i could get my hands on.

The British Blues Explosion influenced me so bad that i decided
to become a guitar player myself and despite of my private
English language lessons,i learned the language by translating
and singing the songs on the records.

All of my guitar heroes stated B.B King as a major influence
and that`s how i discovered the Man and His Music.

Now I am Playing at Lucille`s and That makes Me Very Proud and Happy!

OPA!