Kouyioumtzis was born in
Thessaloniki in 1932. His family were refugees from
Asia Minor. He wrote his first song in 1960. quickly becoming a prolific writer, whose work was covered by many of the leading Greek singers. In the late 1960s, he began working with the then 19-year-old
George Dalaras. He wrote Dalaras' first songs and helped establish Dalaras as one of the most important and successful Greek singers of all time. Kouyioumtzis' songs have been covered by many important Greek singers, inclouding;
Anna Vissi,
Haris Alexiou,
Yiannis Parios,
Eleftheria Arvanitaki and
Giannis Kalatzis. Aside from his solo compositions, Kouyioumtzis co-operated frequently with the poet-lyricist
Manos Eleftheriou. Kouyioumtzis' songs are regarded as top-quality music in
Greece. Both his solo writing as well as his co-writing with
Manos Eleftheriou. His songs resonated deeply with Greeks in the sixties, exploring themes of love, poverty and the agonies faced by the poor in living with dignity. According to lyricist
Lefteris Papadopoulos, Kouyioumtzis "followed the music spirit which was dominant in Greece during the last 25 years (from 1965 to 1990) through the music of
Mikis Theodorakis and
Manos Hadjidakis". Kouyioumtzis is remembered as a character of calm disposition, widely respected and held in the highest esteem by many, both in the field of Greek music as well as Greeks in general. A bashful character, it is characteristic that Kouyioumtzis preferred privacy over celebrity. Media appearances were infrequent, except on special occasions. His last appearance on television was in the entertainment music show of
Spyros Papadopoulos on
NET TV. During his last few years, he left his
Athens home and returned to his birthplace, Thessaloniki, where he continued working on music and songs until he died suddenly on 12 March 2005 in the
Kalamaria suburbs. His funeral took place at the Cathedral in the Municipality of Kalamaria and he was buried at the cemetery of Kalamaria, in East Thessaloniki. ==Works==