Musicאריס סאן

Aris San

Aris San was a Greek-born singer who popularized Greek music in Israel in the late 1950s and 1960s.

1940 to 1992The song Boom PamBringing Greek music to IsraelThe Sirocco nightclub in New York

Born: 19 January 1940, Kalamata
Died: 25 July 1992, Budapest
Occupation: singer
Education: music school

Aris San was born in 1940 in Kalamata

Aris San was born Aristides Seisanas in Kalamata, Greece, in 1940, to a Greek Orthodox family. His family later moved to Athens, where he finished primary school. As a boy he won a young talent contest and began singing and playing guitar in taverns.

He came to Israel and began performing at a nightclub in Jaffa that became known as Arianna, linked to immigrants from Thessaloniki. He played the electric guitar like a bouzouki and mixed styles, bringing Greek and Mizrahi music to a wider Israeli audience. He performed for senior army officers and Mapai figures, including Moshe Dayan, and soon received Israeli citizenship.

He recorded in Hebrew, appeared in Israeli films such as Fortuna, and had hits including Boom Pam and Sigal. He had a relationship with singer Aliza Azikri, wrote songs for her, and they had a daughter. During the Six-Day War he and his band performed for soldiers.

He later moved to New York City and opened the Sirocco nightclub. After an FBI raid found drugs at the club, he was convicted and served a two-year sentence. He later moved to Budapest, and in 1992, after a heart attack, he was strangled in the hospital by mafia hitmen.