ILIAS ASVESTOPOULOS - 2002 GR: 50 YEARS ANNIVERSARY

On the 13^th of January, 2024, Ilias Asvestopoulos and 2002 GR are celebrating an anniversary of 50 years. Since 1974, singer Asvestopoulos has led a celebrated career of many successful albums and classic hits. 50 years have passed and Mr. Asvestopoulos has invited us to a feast with many special guests and distinguished friends. In this article we will see some points of Asvestopoulos’ long history and see which songs we expect to listen at this live music party!

The story so far

2002 GR is a pop/rock music band with Greek lyrics. Under this name, the band has existed since 1982, succeeding the group formed in 1970 as a result of the collaboration between singer Ilias Asvestopoulos and members of the band Scorpios, initially named Ilias Asvestopoulos – 2002. 2002 GR has performed extensively in clubs and has released over ten albums, achieving significant success. “O Siderenios Anthropos,” “I Magiki Avli,” “Eipes Pos,” “I Anna,” “Ti Na Sou Prosfero,” and “Den Eisai Ero̱tas Esy” are among the most popular and timeless songs of the band. Ilias Asvestopoulos plays a leading role in the band, and his distinctive voice characterizes each of his performances.

During the period of 1965-1970, Ilias Asvestopoulos was a member of the bands The Persons and Blue Birds. During that time, he became acquainted with the members of the Scorpios band and proposed collaboration. As a result, the initial members of the Ilias Asvestopoulos – 2002 band included Giannis Chatzisoglou (guitar), Giannis Giokarinis (piano), George Kalaitzoglou (bass), and Andreas Tsantas (drums). In 1974, they released their first album titled ‘Pola’ under the MBI/Pan-Vox label. Later on, George Kalaitzoglou and Andreas Tsantas left their positions, making way for Stelios Karaindros (percussion) and Sotiris Karaoulias (bass). The following year saw the release of their second album titled ‘O Siderenios Anthropos,’ again under the MBI/Pan-Vox label.

In the subsequent years, with the gradual rise of commercial music, the band limited itself to live performances in clubs throughout Greece, consciously staying away from the recording scene until the early 1980s, when Greek pop and rock music experienced a revival. Meanwhile, Ilias Asvestopoulos released two solo albums: ‘To Galazio Oneiro’ (1977) under Columbia and ‘Gemato Feggari’ (1979) under EMI. Giannis Giokarinis left the band during this period to pursue a solo career.

In 1982, 2002 GR made a dynamic comeback to the music scene with their new name and their third album, “V.O.L. 3”, released by MBI, which quickly achieved gold and platinum status. Many of the album’s hits were featured not only on television through ERT broadcasts, but also on the big screen, contributing musically to the film ‘Sta Sagonia Tis Eforias’ (1983). Before the contract with MBI expired, they also released four albums: ‘Amomoria’ (1984), ‘2002GR’ (1986), ‘Peste Me Trello’ (1989) and ‘Bananes’ (1990).

Their next musical venture took place in 1993 with FM Records after the departure of Stelios Karaindros and the addition of Giorgos Andriotis (drums) and Giorgos Serngkelidis (keyboards). The album titled ‘Ta Vradia Ta Epomena’ was released the same year, along with the 12″-single ‘Monaha Xaplomenoi’. In the spring of 1995, they released a collection of old and new songs titled ‘The Best of… 1995’. In 1997, they released a CD single titled ‘Mi…’ under FM Records, and in 1998, another album titled ‘Deka,’ where the former band member Giannis Giokarinis participated on friendly terms.

Since then, they have continued their live performances, spreading their nostalgic tunes and gaining a younger audience. Additionally, they occasionally release albums featuring covers of their earlier songs.