 It is known that when he was in the elementary school, he was usually playing his violin with his cousin, Manolis Katsonakis, another popular Cretan musician.He and Manolis Kartsonakis were one of the most popular musical duets during the 1950s in Chania.They were also known as "Kounelakia" which in Greek means "little bunnies" (as "Kounelis" means "bunny" in Greek).