One Starry Night

A global pop icon, Greek-born Nana Mouskouri is one of the most recognizable and beloved singers of her generation. Her fluency in multiple languages – Greek, French, English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese – enabled her to reach audiences all over Europe, the Americas, and even Asia. Possessed of a distinctive, angelic soprano, Mouskouri, who burst onto the international scene in the early 1960s, was sometimes described as Europe's answer to Barbra Streisand. Her repertoire was varied enough to support the universal appeal she aimed for: jazz standards, well-known pop tunes from before and after the rock era, French cabaret chansons, movie songs, classical and operatic repertory, religious music, folk songs from her native Greece and elsewhere, and more.

NANA MOUSKOURI was born in Crete on October 13, 1934. Being that her father was a projectionist and her mother a worker in the cinema, it was natural that she grew up with songs from the movies and the dream of her mother to become a singer. In the forties, her country goes through the occupation and the civil war. The numerous and disconcerting images of horror mould her personality. Introverted and full of complexes, the young Joanna, her real first name, develops a surprising determination.

Spending eight years at the Conservatory of Athens to study classical singing permitted her to find her vocation and discover that her musical universe was not limited to any one style. She made her beginnings by singing jazz on the radio. Then, she became band vocalist in the tavernas of Plaka with a repertoire mainly comprised of American Hits. In 1958, after meeting with MANOS HADJIDAKIS, leader of the Revival of the Greek song scene, he offers to compose for her. On October 3rd, 1959, he presents her at the GREEK SONG FESTIVAL where she won the first prize with "Kapou iparhi agapi mou". Within a few months, this song makes her the most popular singer in her country.

It's a little surprising to consider that Julio Iglesias didn't have a comprehensive hits collection until My Life: The Greatest Hits was released in the fall of 1998, but the result was so strong that it made the wait worthwhile. Featuring no less than 37 songs over the course of two CDs, My Life has all of his biggest hits, most popular duets, and fan favorites, including "To All the Girls I've Loved Before," "All of You," "My Love," and "Summer Wind," a duet with Frank Sinatra. With only a couple of exceptions, the first disc is devoted to English-language hits, the second entirely to Latin hits. For some listeners, it may be too much material to digest, especially in one sitting, but there's little question that this is the definitive Julio Iglesias compilation.