K. Papadakis

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Kostas Papadakis was a popular cretan violinist, playing cretan folk music (see Music of Crete) . He was born in 1920 at Kasteli, Kissamos, Chania. He was also known as "Naftis" in greek, which literally means sailor. He started playing violin since he was 7 years old. In particular, he was playing an Italian violin dated from 1710 (when Crete was under the Venetian occupation). His first public performance was when he was ten playing at a wedding reception. From 1959 to 1976 he lived in the United States and in 1981, he moved to Australia where he stayed for another five years. He performed live in numerous musical events and festivals in different countries, where he was invited by Cretan immigrants.

Kostas Papadakis first recorded an album in 1938. Throughout his career, he participated in several recordings that included his own compositions. He also published a book in 1989 titled “The Cretan Lyre, a myth” supporting the idea that the first instrument, used by early cretan musicians to play cretan music, was the violin and not the lyre. He died at the age of 82, in May 2003.