Alexis Parcharidis

Alexis [Alexandros] Parharidis is a folk singer of Greek traditional songs of Pontian Greeks who used to live in Pontus which is a historical Greek designation for a region on the southern coast of the Black Sea, located in modern-day eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey. The name was applied to the coastal region and its mountainous hinterland (rising to the Pontic Alps in the east) in antiquity by the Greeks who colonized the area and derived from the Greek name of the Black Sea, Pontos Euxeinos ("Hospitable Sea"), or simply Pontos. After being encouraged by ever memorable Chrysanthos Theodoridis, he began involving himself with the traditional pontian song, having performed to this day in many folklore scenes of Thessaloniki, Athens and other cities mainly of Northern Greece. Up to this day he has recorded seven personal albums all with songs that are written and performed in the Greek-Pontian dialect which is considered to be the closest dialect to the ancient Greek language. In 1998 he took his first steps in the modern artistic Greek music, by participating in the album «Yakinthos» (Hyacinth) by Manos Achalinotopoulos. Since then he has participated in many Greek and international festivals.