Marika Papagika (; Katsori (Κατσόρη); September 1, 1890 – August 2, 1943) was a Greek singer in the early 20th century and one of the first Greek women singers to be heard on sound recordings.
Biography
Marika Papagika was born on the island of Kos on September 1, 1890. In late 1913 or early 1914, she recorded for the Gramophone Company in Alexandria, Egypt. Only one of those recordings has so far been found.
She emigrated to America through Ellis Island in 1915 with her husband, Kostas (Gus) Papagika, a cymbalom player who was also her accompanist. She also recorded a number of songs in Turkish. By 1925, Marika and Kostas had opened a nightclub in New York on W. 34th St near 8th Ave, called Marika's, likely the first café-aman—a gathering place characterized by Greek cuisine and Greek music—to appear in the States. Marika's wasn't just a café-aman, but a speakeasy for Greek people as well as for other Mediterranean immigrants. Marika's attracted not only Greeks as regular patrons but also Albanians, Arabs, Armenians, Bulgarians and Turks.
Between 1918 and 1929, she recorded at least 232 performances
Marika's café-aman was a successful business until the stock market crashed. The club closed in 1930, and Marika Papagika's recording career ended, except for four sides recorded for Victor in 1937.
In her later years, Marika lived with her husband on Staten Island, New York, where she died on August 2, 1943.