Only two months after his arrival in Los Angeles, Harout put together a studio band and recorded his first album, "Our Eyir Astvats" (Where Were You, God?

But it's the centuries-old folk tunes about protecting the soil and fighting in the highlands—"Antranik Pasha", "Sassouni Orore", "Msho Aghchig"—that appeal to his fans' nationalistic pride.

He is most fond of Ruben Hakhverdyan, including the 1996 almost all-acoustic "Yerke Nayev Aghotk Eh" (Songs Are Also Prayers).

A year after the 1988 Armenian earthquake, which killed 25,000 people and left many more homeless, hundreds of thousands of fans looking for some kind of temporary diversion from the devastation, packed the Hrazdan Stadium and Karen Demirchyan Complex to hear 28 concerts by Harout.

Some of his famous interpretations include "Asmar Aghchig" (Dark Skinned Girl), "Zokanch" (Mother-in-law), "Msho Aghchig" (Girl from Mush), "Msho Dashter" (Fields of Mush), "Hye Kacher" (Armenian Heroes), "50 Daree" (50 Years) and "Hey Jan Ghapama"