Πάμε στο τεκέ μου

Like several of the other classic era rebetiko composers, Peristeris was an accomplished musician (trained in Istanbul and Smyrna), who played mandolin, guitar, bouzouki, accordion, cello, double bass and piano.

He made his name both as a composer and as a repertory manager and orchestra leader for several Athens-based record companies. He is credited with writing dozens of rebetiko songs that have became standards in the ‘30s and ‘40s , often with words attributed to Minos Matsas, another recording executive.

Yiannoula from Liesia, recorded in 1940, was one of the early songs to feature the combination of bouzouki and accordion, something that became increasingly common. It was sung by Apostolos Chatzichristos and Markos Vamvakaris.