George Dalaras is one of the most prominent figures of Greek musical culture.
21 Facts About George Dalaras
2.
George Dalaras has collaborated with many Greek and foreign artists.
3.
George Dalaras is the Greek artist who has performed the biggest concerts of all time, both in Greece and abroad.
4.
George Dalaras has performed at some of the most famous concert halls and stadiums all over the world, and has collaborated with many of the most renowned symphonic orchestras of the world.
5.
George Dalaras has received several honors and awards, including the "Kennedy" Award and the UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadorship.
6.
George Dalaras has performed at some of the most famous concert halls all over the world, such as Radio City Music Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Metropolitan Opera, Olympia, Roy Thompson Hall, Meadowlands Arena, Sydney Opera House, Hammerstein Ballroom, Madison Square Garden, Wembley Arena, Rosemont Theatre, Trump Taj Mahal, The Wang Theatre, Place des Arts, Wiener Konzerthaus, Palais des Congres, etc.
7.
George Dalaras is a Greek traveler, an exceptional interpreter, a restless musician who deeply believes in the individual character of Greek music, in its power and its competence and, at the same time, in its global quality.
8.
George Dalaras has collaborated with many contemporary Greek composers, including Mikis Theodorakis, Stavros Kouyioumtzis, Manos Loizos, Apostolos Kaldaras, Stavros Xarhakos, Manos Hadjidakis and Christos Nikolopoulos.
9.
George Dalaras discovered and supported young Areti Ketime, producing her first album.
10.
Apart from his prominent singing career, George Dalaras is considered to be one a talented musician as he plays most of the stringed instruments of a Greek folk band with great success, including the guitar, bouzouki, baglamas, tzouras and outi.
11.
George Dalaras has accompanied Al Di Meola and Paco de Lucia, among others.
12.
George Dalaras has collaborated with Pyx Lax, Bruce Springsteen, Jethro Tull, Yehuda Poliker, Emma Shapplin, Goran Bregovic, Apostolis Anthimos, Dulce Pontes, Andriana Babali and many others.
13.
George Dalaras moved from his homestay label of Minos EMI in favour of Universal Music Greece in 2006, thus ending an almost 40-year collaboration.
14.
In 2000 George Dalaras discovered a new local orchestra that specialized at traditional Smirneiko and Rebetiko songs.
15.
George Dalaras pulled Estoudiantina in the light of publicity and make it known to the Greek public.
16.
George Dalaras even had to struggle to get into the studio, as ironically the day he began his studio career was the day that the Greek military junta took over the streets of Athens, and the roads were littered with tanks.
17.
The recording included many compositions by Stavros Kouyioumtzis, who in the early years proved a fountain of help towards George Dalaras achieving musical success.
18.
The songs were mainly reinterpretations, as was common in the late 60s for new Greek singers; however, not all the songs on their first release had proved successful, and in many instances, even now, many people in Greece believe that the George Dalaras songs are originals and not cover versions.
19.
George Dalaras had been scheduled to perform a concert on the closing night of the second International Orthodox Youth Conference held in Istanbul from 11 to 15 July 2007.
20.
Since 1983, George Dalaras is married to Anna Ragousi, his manager and former politician who served with the PASOK government in 2009 and 2011.
21.
George Dalaras is a collector of musical instruments and in his spare time he goes fishing and traveling on his motorcycle, being a big motorsports fan.