The winner of the 1972 Eurovision Song Contest, where she became the latest in a long line of foreign vocalists to represent the tiny principality of Luxembourg, Vicky Leandros was born in Palaiokastritsa, on the Greek island of Corfu, on August 23, 1952, the daughter of composer Leandros Papathanasiou. Her birth name was Vassiliki Papathanasiou, which became Vicky after her parents moved to Germany in the late '50s. Leandros was 13 when she released her first single, "Messer, Gabel, Schere, Licht," in 1965. A hit around northern Europe, it led to her being invited to represent Luxembourg at the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest. She finished fourth with "L'Amour Est Bleu," a vocal version of the famed instrumental "Love Is Blue," but the record went on to become a major hit across Europe and, with her father now acting as her manager (and, oftentimes, songwriter), Leandros' career went into overdrive.
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