During the Greek military junta of 1967–1974, Maria Farantouri recorded protest songs in Europe with Mikis Theodorakis. In 1971, she recorded Songs and Guitar Pieces by Theodorakis with Australian guitarist John Williams which included seven poems by Federico García Lorca. She has recorded songs in Spanish (‘Hasta Siempre Comandante Che Guevara’), Italian, and English (“Joe Hill” and Elisabeth Hauptmann’s Alabama Song from Bertolt Brecht’s Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny), George Gershwin’s works, as well as works by Greek composers Manos Hatzidakis, Eleni Karaindrou and Vangelis.

On 23 September 2004, the President of the Hellenic Republic recognized the contribution of Maria Farantouri to Greek song, awarding her the Gold Cross of the Order of the Phoenix. She was awarded the Premio Tenco Italian Award 2014 for her contribution to international contemporary and traditional music, and the Spanish LiberPress 2017.