Costa Cordalis

Although his success has come as a pop singer in Germany, Costa Cordalis was born and spent his childhood in Greece. Born May 1, 1944, in Elatia as Konstantinos Costas, he began playing guitar at the age of seven and, realizing that his musical aspirations would be difficult to reach in Greece, he relocated to Germany when he was 16 years old. Settling in Frankfurt, Cordalis learned German at the Goethe Institute and began working toward a degree in philosophy. His love of music derailed that plan, though, and he released his first single, a German cover version of Elvis Presley's "Crying in the Chapel," in 1965. Cordalis didn't really see much popular success until 1973 when his side "Anita" broke into the German charts, and he placed several singles on the charts between 1973 and 1977. Always an avid skier, Cordalis has twice been Germany's national master in the sport.