A few weeks ago, when I featured Shirley Bassey on Soulful Sundays, my blog buddy, Narelle mentioned Nana Mouskouri. I hadn’t thought of her in quite a while but I promised Narelle that I’d feature her soon.

I was introduced to Mouskouri when I lived in Ottawa — feels like decades now. I remember the media referring to her as the woman who made wearing glasses ‘sexy.’  One story that made the rounds then was that when she toured with Harry Belafonte, he asked her not to wear her glasses. She refused. Indeed, she is a very attractive woman. But it’s her voice that is captivating in its simplicity. Give a listen to her singing The White Rose of Athens. I also love her rendition of Amazing Grace.

Born Joanna Mouskouri on October 13, 1934 in Crete, she became known to family and friends simply as Nana. She has recorded jazz, world, Greek folk, Pop, and Classical music. Mouskouri has more than 230 gold and platinum albums and nearly 400 million discs worldwide, making her one of the best-selling female recording artist of all time.

In addition to her music, Mouskouri was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF in 1993 and was elected a Member of the European Parliament from 1995-9.

Mouskouri retired in 2008 giving a farewell concert in Athens, Greece.