George Dalaras - Biography
By J Poet
George Dalaras is a Greek rock star, and the biggest act in the Mediterranean region for the last 40s years. He helped revive interest in rembetiko, a traditional style of fatalistic Greek music that had fallen out of favor with the young. His double album Fifty Years of Rembetiko (1975 Minos EMI Greece), a celebration of the music, was the first record certified platinum in Greece. His politically charged songs of everyday people have made some American critics dub him “the Greek Bruce Springsteen,” but Dalaras is a lot more musically adventurous and prolific than Springsteen. His sound is largely acoustic and on his more than 40 albums under his own name, and numerous collaborations, he’s explored jazz, pop, rock, Greek folk music, Latin, Bosnian, Baltic, flamenco, classical, Israeli, Arab and other styles. He’s sold more than six million albums in Greece alone. He won the John F. Kennedy Award for his humanitarian efforts in 1994.
Dalaras was born in Piraeus, into a family of musicians. His grandfather, played Byzantine music on the violi (a Greek traditional fiddle) and his father, Loukas Daralas was a noted bouzouki player and singer of rembetika. Rembetika, a fusion of Greek, Arab and European music, is known for its melancholy tunes and lyrics about class struggle, love, drink and drugs, in particular hashish. It was considered déclassé by middle class Greeks. Loukas Daralas played with some of the greatest rembetika artists of his time including Marko Bambakari and Vassilis Tsitsanis. Dalaras started singing and playing guitar with his father when he was a boy, and was accompanying his dad at performances before he was a teenager. He made his recording debut in 1965, only 14 years old, singing with his father on the rembetika song “Bitter Longing.”
Dalaras began appearing solo in coffee houses, after revising the spelling of his last name, in 1966. In 1967, the Greek Army seized control of the country, making all artistic endeavors somewhat dangerous. In that climate, Dalaras released his first album George Dalaras (1969 Minos EMI Greece.) It included “Pou' nai ta hronia,” a song critical of the junta that was immediately banned. The album has slowly gone on to multi-platinum status. Natane to 21 (1970 Minos EMI Greece), with songs by Stavros Koujioumtzis, referred to the year 1821, the year of the Greek War of Independence. It was censored by the military but was a hit nonetheless. It included the hits “Natane to 21,” “Kapou nihtoni,” and an instrumental version of “Pou' nai ta hronia.” Dalaras collaborated with the singer Haris Alexiou on Mikra Asia (1972 Minos EMI Greece), the first major hit for both artists. It was the first Greek album to go gold. 18 Lianotragouda Tis Pikris Patridas (18 Short Songs Of The Bitter Homeland) (1974 Minos EMI Greece) was a controversial project with poems by Yannis Ritsos set to music by Mikis Theodorakis, but his next album, the double LP Fifty Years of Rembetiko (1975 Minos EMI Greece) was an unqualified smash. It was the first record certified platinum in Greece. Dalaras toned down the drug references in the lyrics of the old songs, but it still introduced his generation to a style of music that had been fading. Rembetika influences began appearing in the music of other young musicians and the music has had a renaissance since the album’s release. The older generation of rembetika singers and players came out of retirement to help complete the revival Dalaras started.
Despite his success, Dalaras played mostly small clubs in the late 70s and 80s, supporting albums like Ta Tragoudia Mas (1976 Minos EMI Greece), I Maides I Ilii Mou (1978 Minos EMI Greece), Sergiani Ston Kosmo (1975 Minos EMI Greece), which included the massive hit “Paraponemena logia,” Ta Rembetika Tis Katohis (Rembetika Songs Of The German Occupation (1980 Minos EMI Greece), and Radar (1981 Minos EMI Greece) another album of songs by Mikis Theodorakis. Slowly Dalaras transformed the music business in Greece and by 1983 he was headlining large concert halls and stadiums. He played the 80,000 seat Olympic Stadium of Athens for two sold nights and the two LP live concert album he recorded, Ta Tragoudia Mou (1983 Minos EMI Greece), went platinum.
In the 80s and 90s Dalaras slowly made inroads into the consciousness of the international market appearing at musical festivals throughout Europe and the United States, although most of his concerts still took place in Greece. His albums include Kalimera Kiria Lidia (1984 Minos EMI Greece), Treli Ke Ageli (1986 Minos EMI Greece), Latin (1987 Minos EMI Greece), an exploration of Cuban music featuring Al DiMeola on second guitar, Axion Esti - Dignum Est (1988 Minos EMI Greece), featuring poems by Odysseas Elytis set to music by Theodorakis, Mi Milas Kindinevi I Ellas (Don't Speak, Greece Is Endangered) (1989 Minos EMI Greece), Ta Kata Markon (1991 Minos EMI Greece), Vamena Kokina Malia (1993 Minos EMI Greece), and 100 Hronia Cinema (100 Years of Cinema) (1995 Minos EMI Greece), a tribute to the film music of Theodorakis recorded with the Metropole Orchestra. In the 90s, compilations of Dalaras’s music began to appear outside Greece in an effort to introduce him to the international market. Good bets are Greek Voice (1991 Tropical UK), The Greek Spirit (1991 Tropical UK), Live and Unplugged (1998 Tropical UK), and A Portrait (1998 EMI Hemisphere/Blue Note)
Recent albums by Dalaras include Thessaloniki-Yannena With Two Canvas Shoes (1999 Minos EMI Greece), a collaboration with Serbian guitarist and songwriter Goran Bregovic, Tha Rtho Na Se Vro (2000 Minos EMI Greece), The Running Roads (2001 Universal International) which includes a duet with Sting on the song “Mad About You,” and Deserted Village (2007 EmArcy) a collaboration with accordion player/composer Dasho Kurti. For an overview of his best work try Ta Chromota Tou Chronou (2000 Minos EMI Greece), an 86-track four disc collection and the more concise The Very Best of George Dalaras (2000 Ark 21.)