Bookings are now open! To reserve your tickets for the concerts in Gauteng and the Western Cape, phone Computicket on 0861 915 8000 or visit their website at www.computicket.com. Alternatively visit your nearest Computicket outlet or the client services counter at any Shoprite or Checkers store. For the performance in Bloemfontein, call Pacofs on 051 447 7772. Groups of 10 or more qualify for a special discount by phoning Lefra Productions on 011 815 3000 or send an e-mail to [email protected]. For more information, please visit www.demis.co.za.

But the kaftans are now gone ... yet feeling more at home in well-tailored suits punctuated with lightly coloured neckerchiefs, his silver hair tied in a ponytail, the beard somewhat ragged, eyebrows prominent, he is still unmistakably Demis Roussos. The voice is familiar, throaty and somewhat croaky. “My voice has matured somewhat”, he says. “I don’t sing at the pitch I used to sing, but nobody does!” He takes care of his voice with lots of sleep and “trying not to talk too much”.

During a 2002 interview the interviewer noted that he looks better now than 25 years ago. What was Roussos’ secret, he wanted to know. “I feel better inside now”, he answered. “You show on the outside what you are inside. Back then, I was in a career that snowballed; I was young and very inexperienced. I invested my money cleverly and don’t need to work. If I work, it is because I want to get to know my audiences – because I love them and I love music. It is my destiny in this lifetime.”

Destiny is a recurring theme when talking to him. Roussos was born in Alexandria, Egypt in 1946 to a well-to-do Greek family. Aged 15, however, he and his family were forced to flee Egypt during the Suez Crisis with only clothes on their back. It was in Greece that the teenaged Roussos turned to music as a way of supporting his family. While playing the trumpet in various jazz bands and the bass guitar in a pop band, he got the opportunity to sing lead when the original singer fell ill.

“I always wanted to go into an artistic field”, recalls Roussos.

His experience in Athens made him realise that he could sing as well as play. By the late 1960s he was already finding fame in the progressive rock band Aphrodite’s Child, alongside well-known musician Vangelis.

When Aphrodite's Child disbanded, Roussos continued to record sporadically with former band mate Vangelis. In 1970 the two released Sex Power, also recording the 1977 album, Magic, together. Their most successful collaboration was Race to the End, a vocal adaptation of the musical theme from the Oscar Award winning film, Chariots of Fire, and also sung in Spanish as Tu Libertad, while Roussos also guested on the soundtrack to Blade Runner. The song was entitled Tales of the Future.

Roussos began his solo career with the song We Shall Dance. His solo career peaked in the 1970s with several hit albums. His single Forever and Ever topped the charts in several countries in 1973 (1976 in U.K.). Other hits were My Friend the Wind; My Reason; Velvet Mornings; Goodbye, My Love, Goodbye; Someday; and Lovely Lady of Arcadia.

The 1990s saw even more substantial releases by Roussos. In 1993, he released Insight (also called Morning has Broken) to general acclaim. After this he teamed up with BR Music in Holland to produce Immortel, Serenade and In Holland, utilising a variety of ethnic and electronic styles. Roussos continued to record and tour and has performed in among others Russia and Dubai. Spring of 2002 saw him do a successful tour of England. A committed follower of the Greek Orthodox faith, he now sings as a guest in a number of churches in Greece and worldwide. From 2006 to 2008, he was part of the Âge Tendre et Têtes de Bois tour, a series of concerts featuring French singers from the sixties and seventies.

Frans Swart, CEO of Lefra Productions, is the producer of the Demis Roussos World Tour to South Africa.

“I am really excited to bring Mr Roussos to South Africa. As a child, we grew up with the music of Demis Roussos and it has always been my desire to see him live on stage,” says Swart. “This dream now became a reality and I cannot wait to see him live on stage. His hits are timeless and will always be some of the best music. Just mention My Friend the Wind and people start to hum the song. This is going to be unique concerts with a great band, wonderful lighting and sound and obviously the excellent music of Demis Roussos. He has such a unique voice and stage personality that I am sure South African audiences is in for a wonderful musical experience.”

Roussos will be performing on Saturday, 8 December and Sunday, 9 December at the Big Top Arena, Carnival City in Gauteng. From there, he will travel to Bloemfontein to perform on Wednesday, 12 December at the Sand du Plessis Theatre. Roussos will finish off his South African leg at the Liqui-Fruit Amphitheatre in Paarl on Saturday, 15 December.

Bookings can be done at Computicket 0861 915 8000 or www.computicket.com. For the Sand du Plessis Theatre Show in Bloemfontein, please book on 051 447 7772. Groups of more than 10 at discounted prices – call Lefra Productions on 011 815 3000.

For more information, visit www.demis.co.za or email [email protected].