Noted Greek performer George Dalaras, hailed by many as the best male performer in the country, is known for his benefit concerts and international collaborations, with the likes of Julio Iglesias, Dulce Pontes and Cesaria Evora. His prominence as a musician and a supporter of many charities led to his selection as Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency.

He was born in Nea Kokkinia, Piraeus, a working-class district in the western part of Athens-Piraeus where most of the residents are descendants of Greek refugees who left their ancestral homes following the 1922 Asia Minor catastrophe.

“I like meeting people in politics. I believe that it needs courage, daring and focus to be able to do that,” he says. “That’s what I believed… I’m part of a generation that lived with politics, especially for those from the Left. We used to get together and have intense discussions. Don’t imagine extreme differences. It was a time when ten people from the wider Left would disagree about specific matters or the ‘procedure’ that should be followed. Oftentimes, these were constructive.”

His collaboration with singers Eleni Vitali and Glykeria is based on the message that “love and truth” still exist today. “Only love remains, but the rest is smoke,” he says, adding that his program includes  a union of all three musicians in a four-hour concert with personal interpretations and memorable songs.

He has often been criticized by satirists for being insincere regarding his leftist ideology and support of a wide range of charities, when he himself has generated hefty income from his work. “Whatever I succeeded, I succeeded with personal struggle, effort, patience, study and mainly with people’s love,” he says. “On the other hand, guilt, in my opinion is a good thing. These days it is a virtue. Only humble people have it.”

Booed at a concert –