Dimitris Polytimos: The oldest Greek rocker has died
Emblematic rocker Dimitris Polytimos has died at the age of 88. The legend of the Greek rock scene, Dimitris Polytimos, has left us at 88. He was the pianist who supported Rolling Stones in 1967 and hosted Eric Clapton.
By Dimitris (Bari) Polyzois
The legend of the Greek rock scene, Dimitris Polytimos, has left us at the age of 88. He was the pianist who supported Rolling Stones in 1967 and hosted Eric Clapton. A friend of Dimitri Poulikakou and of Alki Panagiotidi.
A towering figure of rock'n'roll. Half a century and then some… on the road! In the final scene of the film "Τα Κουρέλια Τραγουδάνε Ακόμη", the Dimitris Politimos closes the door and the credits roll. In his own life, though, the door remains open for the veteran pianist, one of the first to experiment with jazz in Greece.
A few words about the musician
Founder of the quintessential rock band of the '60s, M.G.C., initials that stand for Modern Greek Combo, a name given to the group by Ντίνος Ηλιόπουλος! They left behind three 45s with recordings that are rare today.
The Δημήτρης Πολύτιμος, launched Δημήτρη Πουλικάκο into singing, and since then they've been inseparable friends and collaborators, always in the same band. And his stint with Εξαδάκτυλο left its mark on the record «Ζωντανοί στο Κύτταρο», present among the cream of Greek musicians at the gathering at «Crazy Love στου Ζωγράφου», but also on Πουλικάκου's «Μεταφοραί Εκδρομαί ο Μήτσος» and on the recordings of Παύλου Σιδηρόπουλου's «Φλου», with Σπυριδούλα, and «Zorba the Freak», his swan song.
His stint with Socrates during the three years at Κύτταρο (1979-82) has a story of its own, as does his appearance with M.G.C. in April '67 at the Rolling Stones concert in Athens, as does his hosting of Eric Clapton, and their time together when Clapton found himself in Greece as Angelo Misterioso, due to problems with his label and a wish to stay anonymous.
