Oklahoma City rock 'n'roll singer dies

Once during a show at the Samurai Club on N May Avenue in 1985, Basile Kolliopoulos told an Oklahoman reporter what it was like growing up in Greece as a rocker who liked the Rolling Stones.

He said he aligned himself with the bad boys of rock when he was growing up.

The clash was raging in his youth between the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. He was one of the “teddy boys,” who was into the Americanized rhythm and blues sounds.

“It was a split camp, man: the Beatles gang vs. the Stones gang,” Kolliopoulos said. “The Beatles were nicer: they shook hands, they wore ties ... and they didn't get busted,” Kolliopoulos said.

Goetz said Fortune Tellers live shows gained a regional following.

John Manson, singer of the Oklahoma City band Billy Joe Winghead, was the doorman at The Bowery at NW 10 and Walker Boulevard when he met Kolliopoulos and the Fortune Tellers in the early 1980s.

The band members wore sharkskin suits and walked in with creepers shoes, Manson recalls.

“They looked like Mink DeVille and sounded like Dr. Feelgood,” Manson said. “They played a blues, slash, pub rock with a punk rock attitude. It was obvious when they took the stage you knew who the cool guys were.”

In 1992, Kolliopoulos released “El Greco,” true to his Bo Diddley beat influence but with his own Greek accent and style.

Oklahoma City disc jockey Jon Mooneyham's career has paralleled Kolliopoulos on the local music scene since the 1970s. Mooneyham said Basile Kolliopoulos did more than embrace the roots of rock during his career in Oklahoma City. He was also known for his artwork.

“He was a multifaceted diamond,” Mooneyham said.

He is survived by wife Heather and his son Miles, 22, both of Oklahoma City.