George Dalaras
A Greek musical force who gave voice to the soul of his nation, blending rebetiko with modern sounds and championing social causes.
Born 1949 (age 77)·Greek singer·Birthday: September 29·Baby Boomers
Biography
Born in Piraeus in 1949, George Dalaras grew up immersed in the sounds of rebetiko and laiko, the urban folk music of Greece. His father, a bouzouki player, provided an early education, but Dalaras forged his own path, emerging in the 1970s with a voice that was both raw and refined. He became a cultural phenomenon, not by chasing trends, but by excavating and revitalizing Greece's musical roots, collaborating with composers like Mikis Theodorakis and Manos Loizos. His work during the Metapolitefsi period after the junta provided a soundtrack for national healing. Dalaras transformed concert halls into communal spaces of memory and emotion, selling millions of records and performing on the world's great stages, all while using his platform to advocate for refugees and the marginalized.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
George was born in 1949, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When George Was Born
The biggest hits of 1949
#1 Movie
Samson and Delilah
Best Picture
All the King's Men
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
George's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1949Born
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1954Started school
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1962Became a teenager
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1965Could drive
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1967Could vote
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Turned 21
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1979Turned 30
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 40
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 50
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 60
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 70
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 77 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- He has released over 70 personal albums, selling more than 10 million copies and becoming one of Greece's top-selling artists.
- His 1975 album '50 Chronia Rebetiko' played a pivotal role in the modern revival and appreciation of the rebetiko genre.
- He performed historic concerts at the Olympia in Paris and the Royal Albert Hall in London, bringing Greek music to a global audience.
- He was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in 2006 for his humanitarian advocacy.
Did You Know?
His first professional recording was at age 15, backing singer Beba Blanche on the song "Ena Karavi Ap' Tin Persia."
He is an avid painter and has held several exhibitions of his artwork.
He performed a duet with Bruce Springsteen on the song "The River" during a 1988 concert in Athens.
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