Much-loved singer Vassilis Karas passes

In the summer of 1969, Karras made a brief appearance at the club "Prosfygas" in Evosmos, Thessaloniki and made an immediate impact. Even though he was only 16 years old, he became a favourite in the city suburbs due to his distinctive then raspy voice. The club owners allowed Vasilis to sing on many more occasions, and thus a legend was born. The audience in his home city took a particular liking to his style.

In the 1970s, Karras cemented his reputation as a young upstart on the Greek 'laika' (folk songs) stage singing throughout Northern Greece and towards the end of the decade had begun to develop his own repertoire, working with song writers and also creating his own work.

Karras became a legend, not just for his characteristic raspy voice, but also as the living expression of north Greece's and especially Macedonia's more "kapsoyriko" side (forelorn love and desire). He was known as a low key, grassroots person despite his fame an earnings.He left behind him the legacy not just of his songs, but of the civic deeds he ubdertiik, and the silence of hundreds of deeds of silent philanthropy.

On hearing of his passing, people of Thessaloniki, already out for Christmas Eve,  broke out spontaneously in his songs, in many neighborhoods.