Spotlight on

"Spotlight on", a 2 LP compilation released in 1974, includes many of her essentials such as "The white rose of Athens", "Turn on the sun" and "Try to remember". In 1982, it was certified gold (50,000 copies) by PolyGram. But it surely exceeded 100,000 units since so many were sold during the London period. With "British Concert", it was in all the press advertisements and even in concert magazines.

British Concert

Of the two, "British Concert" was the most popular. This double live album was recorded in England in 1972. With this one, the public rediscovers the live atmosphere: her Greek songs, her spontaneity and her complicity with her musicians and the applause. On every tour, thousands of spectators purchased it. For this, it is Nana's first Canadian record to be certified platinum (100,000 copies). As it continued to sell well for many years, one can easily believe that it reached 200,000 units.

Roses & Sunshine

In 1979, the arrival of "Roses & Sunshine" made her even more popular with Canadians. Of course, it's hard to resist its cover with Nana's dazzling smile. But the choice of songs is also excellent. "Roses Love Sunshine", "Nickels & Dimes" and "Even now" became classics. A gold, platinum and double platinum record were presented to her. As the Toronto firm, Cachet Records, closed its doors, Nana didn’t have time to receive her triple platinum, even though her sales have exceeded 300,000 copies. And the other 100,000 with Grand Records and PolyGram!

Come with me

In 1980, Nana was at the peak of her popularity in the country. So, the success continued with "Come with me" which found 200,000 takers. Produced by famed country music producer Larry Butler, the album was released on Grand Records, another Canadian company. In addition to the title song, "Someone is looking for someone like you" and "Smooth sailing" were released on 45 rpm. Unfortunately, the existence of this opus was short-lived since after ten months Grand Records ceased its activities. Strangely, the record hasn’t been reissued.

Song for Liberty

From 1982, her new albums were distributed by the firm PolyGram. Among the first, "Song for Liberty". The title song is the English version of "Je chante avec toi liberté", adapted from Verdi's "Nabucco". Also included: "The guests" by Leonard Cohen, "Every grain of sand" by Bob Dylan and "The rose", a Bette Midler’s hit. "Song for Liberty" was the third consecutive album to be certified in Canada. It reached gold status and surely platinum.

Only Love

The song, "Only Love", from the television series "Mistral's Daughter", first appeared in 1985 in the album "Alone". As this one includes six big hits, there is reason to believe that it has reached the certification threshold, even if there is no trace of a gold record. However, in 1991, the song regained popularity thanks to the compilation "The very best of" which sold 100,000 copies. Note: "I have a dream", popularized by the group Abba, is among the favourites.

Gold

Another compilation, this time bilingual, was released in 2003. For several months, it was supported by an advertisement on TV and Nana toured across the country. "Gold" ist aptly named since it in turn became a gold record. This shows that, even if we saw her less often in recent years, her audience remained loyal.

Christmas with

We must not forget her 1972 Christmas album which was popular on both the English and French sides and which earned her a gold and platinum record. Thanks to its multilingual content (in English, French, Greek and Latin), it was released in around twenty countries. However, it is in Canada that it had the longest existence. For decades, every year during the weeks before Christmas, a lot of them were sold. This suggests that it has undoubtedly achieved double platinum status (200,000 copies). Her CD, released in 1988, has been imported all over the world.

Located on the Pacific coast, British Columbia is renowned for its beautiful natural settings; mountain ranges, islands and ancient forests. Nana, who accompanied Harry Belafonte on his tour in 1965, took ten years before returning to this province. Vancouver was for a long time the only city where she performed. It was reported that in 1977, all 17,000 tickets for her concerts at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre sold out in just a few hours. At the Orpheum, she was also well received. Furthermore, in 1993, 1996 and 1999, she sang with the symphony orchestra. Nana also went to Victoria, Nanaimo, Kelowna and Richmond. British Colombians have seen some of her BBC television series.

The beauty of the Rocky Mountains, its glaciers and its shimmering lakes have made Alberta one of the popular places for landscape lovers. The internationally known West Edmonton Mall and Calgary Stampede also have something to impress. For decades, the province has developed thanks to its oil industry. If we take its two rival cities (Edmonton and Calgary) as an example, their population has more than tripled since Nana's first visit in 1975. They say that Albertans love her country repertoire and it's true. On each of her tours, Nana gave three or four shows in both cities, always for sold-out audiences. In 1977 and 1982, she outdid herself with six performances in Edmonton. It must be said that in those years, her concerts were filmed for television. On a few occasions, Nana sang in Lethbridge and Red Deer.

What to say about this rectangle-shaped province located in the heart of the Canadian prairies? Surely that it is the champion in agriculture and it is often called the breadbasket of Canada. In Saskatchewan, Nana’s fans consider themselves fortunate to have often welcomed her to their province. For them, she offered 55 concerts. In Nova Scotia, where the population base is the same, she only gave seven. During each of her visits, Nana performed in Regina, the capital. In her best years, from 1977 to 1991, also in Saskatoon. At a certain period, she gave up to three performances in both cities.

Located in the centre of Canada, Manitoba has a wide variety of landscapes; tundra, boreal forest, prairies and great lakes. It was the first western province where there were enough people to present a Nana concert. The reason is simple. There is the largest Francophone community: Saint-Boniface. In all, Nana went there 14 times. Winnipeg is the only Manitoba city where she has performed. Over the years, she mainly sang at the Centennial Concert Hall, in front of bilingual audiences. She already gave up to seven consecutive concerts there.

Nana's first contact with Ontario dates back to 1965. For three weeks, she sang in Harry Belafonte's show at the O'Keefe Centre in Toronto. She then presented her solo concerts at Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall. In 1980, she was surrounded by 13,000 spectators at Ontario Place and the following year, by 10,000 fans at the CNE Grandstand. Nana often gave concerts in Ottawa, Hamilton and Kitchener and did four tours through the province. Which makes a total of 269 concerts in 14 cities.

Montreal has remained her home base for her Canadian career. Her main record distributors, London Records and PolyGram, were established in the metropolis. Her impresario, Samuel Gesser, had his office there. Even today, this is where she comes to promote her tours.

Nana is right to feel Quebecer. Moreover, in 2013, she was promoted to the rank of officer of the National Order. This was of course in recognition of her bounds created with Quebec and for her participation in the influence of our culture.

Le disque d'or

In 1968, London Records released a collection bringing together her main hits in Quebec. Even if the public had already bought the 45 rpm or the 33 rpm records, they purchased "Le disque d’or" in large numbers. It lasted for years. The two most requested titles remain "Les parapluies de Cherbourg" and "L’enfant au tambour". After eight years, this compilation reached 50,000 copies and was certified gold.

Comme un soleil

At the time of the release of "Comme un soleil", in 1972, Nana was very popular. But with this album, she expanded her Quebec audience. Indeed, those who were not yet fans got it and praised the choice of songs, arrangements as well as the quality of her interpretations. The title song still remains the favourite. Aware of this, Nana had to sing it in each of her singing recitals. "Comme un soleil" was the first to turn gold and probably platinum.

Une voix qui vient du coeur

The same year, Quebecers obtained "Une voix qui vient du coeur" for "Soleil soleil", "Je finirai par l'oublier" or even "Ave Maria" by Gounod. But after a few years, it was especially for "Le temps qu’il nous reste" whose 45 rpm was very successful. The album went gold in four years. Then, from 1976 to 1980, the period when it sold the most, we found it in large quantities in all record stores. That is why we can say that it is at least platinum.

Je chante avec toi liberté

In 1982, after several months of waiting, we could finally obtain "Je chante avec toi liberté". This adaptation of Verdi's "Nabucco" has become her greatest hit in France. The single didn’t come out and they invested in the album which went gold and platinum the same year. The success was considerable. On the other hand, since the song was playing on the radio before its release, record dealers believed that they could have sold more of it. Despite the 80 concerts given across the country that year, it’s in Quebec that the song was the most-well-received.

Ma vérité

Before being included in this album, in 1985, "L'amour en héritage" sold very well on 45 rpm record and with the original soundtrack of the television series. So that it ranked sixth French song of the year in Quebec. In this opus, other hits like "Où va l’amour?" and "Mama Leone" were added. And, surprise, "Je reviens chez nous", a Quebec song that Nana has recorded in seven languages. There is something to be proud of. We have to admit that after 23 French albums, Nana was equal to herself. Of course, "Ma vérité" earned her another gold record.

New Brunswick is home to the highest tides in the world and a multitude of places to marvel at nature. It is the only officially bilingual province in Canada. The French-speaking community lives mainly in Acadia and represents a third of the population. From the first years, it was sensitive to Nana's songs. There too, after the success of "Roses & Sunshine", the English-speaking community demanded her. In total, Nana has been there nine times and she gave sixteen concerts in six cities, including six in Moncton and four in Fredericton.

The most densely populated province per square kilometer is the smallest in the country. Since 1997, it is connected by the Confederation Bridge to New Brunswick. At the time of its inauguration, it was the longest bridge in the world with 12.9 km. Nana's only concert in 2003 at the Charlottetown Civic Centre had an impact since with a capacity of 4,700 spectators that is approximately 3% of the province's population.

Tourists who go to Nova Scotia do not fail to visit Cape Breton Island. They travel along the Cabot Trail to admire the fantastic panoramas. Its population sums up to one million inhabitants. If we consider the number of concerts that Nana gave there, seven in all, we see that it is the province where her fans have been less fortunate. Most of the time, Nana went there when she did tours of secondary cities. Bringing together 8,000 spectators in a room may seem exceptional. However, Nana did it six times at the Halifax Metro Centre.

Newfoundland is a large island located on the Atlantic coast. It was the first European contact with the New World, during a Viking expedition around the year 1000. It was the last province to join the confederation in 1949 with Labrador. Nana traveled twice to its capital, St. John’s, located at the eastern end of the island, to give concerts. There too, Nana has her audience and her discs are selling well.

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF KILOMETERS

Whether by plane or bus, Nana has traveled tens of thousands of kilometers across Canada. When she had enough days off, she did a bit of sightseeing. Otherwise, most of the time, she stayed at the hotel to rest for her next concert. If she didn’t have time to visit everything, people from everywhere came to see her sing.

After the shows and during autograph sessions, her admirers could meet her. Those with whom she had created bounds sometimes talked to her about ice hockey, a sport of Canadian origin. That’s why Nana knows each of our seven national teams. Moreover, some of them gave her an official jersey.

Since Nana came every month of the year, she experienced our four seasons and faced all our temperatures, both cold and intense heat. Having travelled the country so many times, she remains impressed by its size and diversity.

Before concluding, it seems interesting to me to devote a paragraph to the collection "Un Canadien errant / A Canadian Tribute". In this one, we find almost all of the Canadian songs that Nana has recorded over the years. Some undoubtedly appreciate, others not, that it was designed without making a difference between francophone and anglophone authors. Among them are Jean-Pierre Ferland, Daniel Lavoie, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Gordon Lightfoot. On the back, this album is described as a moving expression of a Love story between a great country and a great artist. This is why it can be considered a collection as an inheritance.

MEMORIES AND PRIDE

Canada, a huge country of 41 million citizens, bears well its motto: "From sea to sea". For several decades, almost every year, Nana came to present her concerts. Moreover, she became equally popular in all provinces by making a career in both national languages. Among international entertainers, very few have done the same. Nana has wonderful memories of her stays on Canadian soil. Inspired by our artists, she has recorded some of their songs. At least thirteen of her albums have been certified gold or platinum. Today, her son and her three grandchildren are of Greek-Canadian nationality and she is very proud of it.