Kostas Hatzis was born in Livadeia, a city in central Greece to a Romani family.

When he was sixteen years old, his father took him to play at weddings, christenings and other events where folk music was requested.

[1] Hatzis's talent was discovered by the day's great composers like Mikis Theodorakis, Manos Hadjidakis, Mimis Plessas, Stavros Xarchakos, and Yannis Markopoulos, with whom he since has collaborated, performing their songs, incorporating his personal style and particular sensibility to them.

At the end of the 1960s, Hatzis toured the United States to perform concerts for expatriate Greeks.

[2] Hatzis has sung about love as well as about social issues in duets with singers like Marinella.