Joe Dassin: The mystery of the Russian roots of your favorite singer No. 1

Years of life of Joe Dassin November 7, 1938 – August 20, 1980. The famous musician and singer died as a result of a heart attack at the age of 41. His grave is located in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood and is not open to the public. Joe Dassin became famous as a performer of songs in French. He became a real legend of French chanson, and was very fond of listeners from the USSR.

2021 marks the 39th anniversary of the death of the famous French chansonnier Joe Dassin. He died while on vacation in Tahiti, surrounded by family and friends who came to support him. The cause of death of Joe Dassin was a heart attack, which was the third in the summer of 1980. It was difficult for him to part with his second wife, in addition, he did not adhere to the regimen recommended for people with heart disease. Fans were shocked by the passing of a young artist in the prime of his creative career. Until now, Dassin's songs find their fans among listeners from around the world.

Childhood and youth

Joseph Ira Dassin was born on November 5, 1938 in New York. The boy's father worked as an actor in the Jewish theater, his mother was a violinist. His father's acting career was short-lived - he became seriously interested in cinema and soon worked as an assistant to Alfred Hitchcock, and later became a director.

Joe's family lived in New York until 1940, and then moved to Los Angeles. The boy worked part-time since childhood, although the family did not need money. Joe Dassin spent his first earnings on the Britannica encyclopedia, as he loved to read and bought all the volumes at once.

Une pensée pour Joe Dassin, disparu un 20 août…
Posted by Pure Charts on Sunday, August 20, 2017

Joe Dassin in his youth
The future singer lived in Los Angeles for almost 10 years. In 1949, his father was blacklisted as a communist sympathizer, and they moved to France. Joseph fell in love with this country, but a year later his parents sent the boy to a Swiss college. In 1951, the young man went to study in Italy, two years later - to Geneva, and received his bachelor's degree in Grenoble. During his studies, the student learned three languages ​​and became interested in swimming and skiing.

In 1955, Dassin's parents divorced, and the guy was painfully worried about their breakup. To take his mind off things, he decided to return to America and study medicine at the University of Michigan. After three years of study, Joe realized that he could not stand the sight of blood, and chose ethnology. He completed his master's degree and lectured at the university for some time.

Dassin became interested in music in his youth - he sang in cafes, earning $50 a weekend. The young man was attracted to France, and he decided to return to conquer the locals with his voice.

Victim of a witch hunt

Dassin was incredibly talented. Firstly, he spoke three languages ​​fluently. Secondly, he managed to get an education in a variety of fields: at the University of Michigan he studied medicine, the customs of the peoples of the world, and received a doctorate in ethnology. And even before becoming a famous singer, Joe managed to work as a newspaper delivery man, a lemonade seller, a DJ, an assistant director, a voiceover for cartoons, a cook, a janitor, a plumber, a truck driver, and even wrote articles for Playboy.

Joe Dassin.https://t.co/ZvVP8NOAp6 pic.twitter.com/AaRgLqXDGs

— Stories Cat (@T0000l) October 31, 2021

Dassin called himself a European, a Frenchman, although members of Joe Dassin’s family (that’s what his last name originally sounded like) were considered to be from Russia, since his grandfather (the elder Dassin’s father) came to the USA from Odessa. Joe Dassin's mother's father came from Galicia.

True, in the 1950s, when the “witch hunt” began in America - then they were looking everywhere for communists and fellow citizens loyal to them, the Dassins had to move to France. There their surname already began to sound in the French manner - Dassins. Joe then returned to the USA to get an education, but after graduating from university and working a little in his specialty, he became terribly bored “in America” and returned to France in the cargo hold of a ship.

Music

Dassin started out as a folk singer, but by the end of the 60s he decided to change French folk songs to pop ones. During the same period he met Jacques Plet. Thanks to their collaboration, the world heard Bip-Bip, Guantanamera and other compositions.

Joe Dassin rarely wrote music for himself; more often he adapted foreign songs, which in his performance became hits. Because of this, confusion often arose. For example, some fans attribute to Dassin the song “Nostalgie” by Julio Iglesias, written to the tune of the Russian romance “Black Eyes,” since it was Dassin who gained popularity with adaptations and covers.

The audience fell in love with the elegant singer for his unique performance of compositions; the musician’s low, velvety voice penetrated deeply into everyone’s soul. They said that Dassin was born for success.

Joe Dassin - “if it weren’t for you” (Et si tu n'existais pas)

In 1965, the musician recorded Les Dalton - the disc with this composition went gold. After the hit Siffler sur la Colline appeared, the performer developed a tradition of always going on stage without preparation.

Four years later, Dassin released another disc, the hit of which was the composition “Champs Elysees” translated from English. By this time, Joe Dassin was known in Canada and Africa. Over the next five years, his records sold out in millions of copies, and his touring schedule was very busy.

In May 1972, the composition “Taka Takata” was released, which instantly became popular in France and Germany. The song took 50th place in the German charts, which served as an incentive to release 12 more songs in Germany.

Joe Dassin - "Indian Summer" (L'ete indien)

In 1975, the singer recorded a song that became Dassin’s most famous track in the musician’s entire creative biography. It is based on the composition Africa by the little-known Italian group Albatros. The poems were written by the famous poet Vito Pallavicini, and the composition was originally performed by the then unknown Toto Cutugno.

The track was translated into French - this is how Dassin’s hit L’ete Indien appeared, which in the Russian edition and cover versions received several names: “Where are you and where to look for your traces?”, “Without you” and even the tracing title “Indian Summer” " The song was distinguished by an atypical composition: from the introduction, against the background of quiet music, the singer simply recites the text and only begins to sing as the music intensifies.

At the end of the year, the composition took first place in sales in France. Subsequently, Dassin also recorded the song in Italian, German and Spanish. But the track became a hit not only in Europe. L'ete Indien was popular in America and even in the Soviet Union.

Joe Dassin - "Taka Takata"

At the end of 1975, Dassin presented the “Golden Album” and a collection of songs on two discs. Then another disc appeared, which included Dassin’s most famous hits Et Si Tu n’Existaispas, which also sounded in Russian and was translated as “If it weren’t for you,” and Salut, known in Russia as “Salute.”

Radio stations greeted the artist’s next composition, “Garden of Luxembourg,” without enthusiasm, despite the popularity of Joe Dassin. The problem was the length of the song. "Luxembourg Gardens" lasted 12 minutes. After the release of the single, the radio stations changed their minds and put the song in rotation, where it became super popular.

By the end of the 70s, Dassin was already a world-famous singer. Ilfautnaitre a Monaco, Ca va pas Changer le Mond, A Toi and other compositions also became super hits.

The singer's musical biography includes 20 studio albums, the performer has traveled to dozens of countries where his concerts were sold out, and left behind a rich creative heritage.

Interesting Facts

• As a child, Dassin loved to read and used the first money he earned to buy the complete collection of the Encyclopedia Britannica.
• Dassin had no musical education, but he wrote the music himself for many of his songs.
• On the advice of producer and friend Jacques Ple, before starting to perform, the singer grew thick hair.
• While filming a photo shoot in New York, Dassin accidentally found himself in front of someone's Harley Davidson motorcycle. The photo became the cover of one of the albums, and Dassin began to be called “Harley Joe.”

  The same photo

• With his composition Le Petit Pain Au Chocolat, the singer contributed to an unprecedented increase in sales of chocolate buns.
• Joe was a true fan of Russian cuisine, surprising his friends with home-cooked dishes.
• According to the artist, at each concert he lost several kilograms in weight, pushing himself to the limit.
• Regular poets Pierre Delanoë and Claude Lamelle called Dassin a “beautiful bore” for constantly changing his texts. He made changes constantly, sometimes they filled an entire notebook.
• The singer's perfectionism sometimes reached extremes. So, one day, while on vacation in Courchevel, he played a game of chess with the owner of a bar and lost. Joe called his friends to send him books on chess games. A week later, he offered the man a rematch and won the game.
• Dassin performed to sold-out audiences several times at the famous Olympia Hall, which many French performers dream of conquering.

Personal life

The successful singer was modest by nature and carefully hid his personal life from strangers. He was happy in his dream home, which he built in California style in France.

In 1966, the artist married for the first time. Dassin's wife was Maryse Massierat. Seven years later, the couple had their first child, Joshua. The child was born prematurely and died 5 days later. The tragic death of the baby destroyed the couple's relationship, and a year later Dassin divorced his wife.

Joe Dassin and Julian(Julien) Dassin – Salut

The singer met the woman of his dreams at the age of 38. Christine Delvaux was working in a photo studio in Rouen, where Joe Dassin came to develop the film. It was love at first sight. On January 14, 1978, Joe and Christine celebrated their wedding. The wedding took place in the pouring rain, but the bad weather did not interfere with the happiness of the couple. This marriage produced two sons - Jonathan and Julien.

In 1980, Joe Dassin filed for divorce - then his second son was not even a month old. Relations between the spouses were not going well, and the singer made, as it seemed to him, the only right decision. Joe was going through a painful divorce and threw himself into work. His heart was beating from constant overload.

Brief information

Joseph Ira Dassin was born into a musical family on November 5, 1938. The child grew up in a creative atmosphere, but due to troubles that happened to his father, he ended up in Paris when he was barely 11 years old.

At the age of 15, the young man came to America, where he continued his studies at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Michigan. At the same time he studied ethnology. Success came to the artist after performing a chanson.

The singer had 2 sons from his second marriage, but after the divorce he became only their guardian. Soon after the stress, his health began to fail, heart problems appeared, and the artist died suddenly in the summer of 1980 while on vacation in Tahiti at the age of 42.

Biography of Joe Dassin.

Death

On July 11, 1980, at 6 pm, Dassin's concert began in Cannes. It was clear from the singer that the musician was not feeling well. Pale, haggard Joe even tried to joke, but in the second part of the concert he lost consciousness. The musician was taken to the hospital, where Dassin stayed until the end of July. Joe knew about the heart problems - this was not the first attack.

After being discharged from the hospital, the artist decided to relax in Tahiti. While in transit, Joe had another seizure. Dassin arrived in Tahiti depressed.

Joe Dassin with his wife
Posted by Retro on Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Joe Dassin and his wife
On August 20, 1980, the singer was relaxing with friends in a restaurant. Suddenly he lost consciousness. There was a doctor in the hall who tried to bring the star back to life for 5 minutes, but he failed. The cause of death was the consequences of a recent heart attack. The great chansonnier did not live to see 42 years of age.

On August 27, Joe Dassin was buried in the Jewish section of Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, next to his grandparents. According to his will, the grave of the executor is closed to visitors.

Date and causes of death

Figure 1. During the performance, the artist felt unwell and left the stage

The idol of millions had a seizure and died within a few minutes. The doctors who responded to the call managed to restart the heart several times, but the singer died in the ambulance.

Dassin learned that he had health problems in his early youth. He tried to make a fake certificate to avoid military service. Then the doctor said that he did not need to invent anything, since he really had a weak heart.

The first heart attack occurred when he was only 31 years old. At 41 he suffered a second attack. In 1980, Joe Dassin felt ill during a concert in Cannes. He announced to the audience that he was not feeling well and went backstage. After he was given an injection, he continued his performance. However, the concert could not be completed, as the artist had to be hospitalized.

He was treated for some time in a hospital in Neuilly, then went to Tahiti. It was there that his last fatal attack occurred. Both Dassin's sons and close friend Claude Lemelle were present at the tragic event.

Memory

After the death of the musician, the company CBS, which was responsible for his recording and promotion, re-released Dassin's records and singles and released a complete collection of songs on nine discs and a collection of videos for Dassin's compositions. It sold 6 million copies with music and video.

In October 1979, Joe performed in Moscow at the opening of the Cosmos Hotel, as evidenced by an old black and white photo. He liked the reception of the audience so much that the artist wanted to return to the country with a solo concert, but did not have time to carry out his plan. His youngest son has already succeeded. In 2011, at the Crocus City Hall concert hall, Julien presented the musical performance “Once upon a time there was Joe Dassin...”.

Joe Dassin and Hélène Segara — Et si tu n'existais pas

With the development of modern technology, it has become possible to sing a duet with Joe Dassin, recording your own vocals along with the chansonnier’s voice. The popular French singer Hélène Segara took advantage of this by filming a video for the cover version of Et Si Tu n'Existais Pas.

In 2013, the Flammarion publishing house released a collection of stories written by Dassin in his youth. The book, entitled “A Gift for Dorothy,” was published in French, the contents are based on Joe’s student memories.

In 2021, Russian viewers saw the documentary “Once Upon a Time in Paris. Dalida and Dassin”, dedicated to the biographies of two legendary French pop stars.

Another concert of Julien Dassin in Russia was planned for the fall of 2021 with his father’s songs and French chanson.

Brief biography of Joe Dassin

Joe Dassin began his independent life early. At 17, he moved to America with only 300 francs in his pocket. For some time he was interested in medicine, and then switched his interest to ethnology. However, it so happened that the main thing in his life was his student passion for music. Together with a friend, he played chanson, which was unfashionable at that time, on campus, performing Brassens’ poetry with an acoustic guitar.

Childhood and youth

Figure 2. As a student, he earned small money by performing on the university campus.

Joe Dassin was born into a family of Jewish immigrants. His ancestors came to America from Odessa; his paternal grandfather's surname was Dassin (emphasis on the first syllable). The parents of the future musician met in a summer colony for youth. My father was seriously interested in cinema, my mother was a violinist. After marriage, she left her musical career.

On November 5, 1938, the first child was born into the young family, Joseph Ira. Later, little Joseph’s sisters, Ricky and Julie, were born. After 1940, the family moved to Los Angeles, as the father signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Nine years later, they were forced to leave for France, as Senator McCarthy repressed all sympathizers of communism. Joseph was assigned to an elite college. Having completed his studies there, he continued his education:

• 1951 – studies in Italy;
• 1954 - receives a bachelor's degree in Grenoble;
• 1955 - Entered the medical school of the University of Michigan.

While studying in America, he became interested in music. Contrary to the fashion trends of that time, together with a friend, they performed the songs of Georges Brassens and even earned a little money this way.

By that time, the parents had divorced. The young man sought to gain complete independence. He took on any job, working as a garbage man or as a courier. In 1958, his father asks him to record several tracks for one of his films. It all ended with him being advised to leave music forever. However, this spurred him on, and he began to work on his vocal abilities. He made the final decision to become a singer.

Way to success

Figure 3. The future legend of chanson made money from the sale of short stories

Joseph returned to Italy and began to move into the world of cinema, where his father periodically involved him. At the same time, he worked as a journalist for Playboy and made money by writing novels. Music continued to be his passion. At this time, he began a relationship with Maryse Massiera, who had the idea to record a disc with his songs for her lover’s birthday.

The amateur record attracted the interest of the CBS record company, and he even received an offer to collaborate with the company. However, Joe was not pleased with this message, and he ignored this opportunity for a long time. Finally, after much persuasion, he signed a contract and recorded four songs.

The first two records were not successful; songs were played on the radio extremely rarely. The third disc sold well, as the public loved one of Joe Dassin's tracks called “Bip-Bip.” It was after this that they started talking about him as a serious singer.

Painstaking work began on finding new hits and recording them. It became clear that country music was not particularly successful, it was necessary to try something new. Joe began singing chansons in French. In April 1966, Dassin's next super-disc went on sale, with the title song "Ça m'avance à quoi". The composition quickly entered the music ratings. The singer's career took off. He began recording hits one after another.

Table 1. Joe Dassin's studio albums

Interesting! In 1979, Joe Dassin visited Russia and was invited to the opening of the Cosmos Hotel. At the presentation he spoke together with Alla Pugacheva. Dassin introduced the fashion for white suits in the USSR, which few people dared to wear before his visit.

Video Composition “Et Si Tu N'Existais Pas”

Friends, acquaintances

Joe Dassin maintained friendly relations with many of his colleagues. For example, he communicated well with Dalida, another mega-star of his time. Until the end of his life, he was friends with Jacques Plet, with whom he began his creative journey, and Claude Lemelle.

He had a friendly relationship with the actor Bobby Lapointe; it was he who introduced him to Georges Brassens, whose songs he played on guitar as a student.

In general, he was constantly among friends. Many remembered him as an intelligent and charming person. At the same time, he was not a public person at all; his private life remained hidden from the cameras.

You may be interested in: Biography and date of death of Michel Legrand.

Personal life

Figure 4. Delvaux tormented the singer with jealousy and constant scandals

Chansonnier was married twice. The first marriage was registered in 1966, his chosen one was Maryse Massiera. His wife contributed to the formation and development of his career. However, the couple's relationship fell apart after the death of their first child, who lived only five days.

In 1978, Dassin married for the second time to Christine Delvaux. Delvaux gave birth to two sons, Jonathan and Julien. It was a difficult relationship, Christine was jealous of the singer and constantly made scandals for him. In addition, she was fond of alcohol and soft drugs, which she also got Dassin addicted to.

The couple broke up six months after the birth of their second child. The court awarded custody of the children to Joe. Dassin's sons are musicians. Jules performs all over the world, performing his father's hits.

Creation

Joe Dassin began his musical career by adapting the hits of other artists, most often English-speaking ones. However, the timbre of his voice - a soft baritone with a hoarseness - was more suitable for performing lyrical and emotional compositions in European languages. Therefore, over time, Joe came to French chanson and became one of its legends.

He rarely wrote his own songs, except perhaps for other performers. For example, his poems expanded the repertoire of Serge Reggiani.

Joe had a special demeanor on stage. He stood at the very edge of the stage so that he could look into the eyes of the audience. He changed the timbre of his voice, sometimes switching to a whisper. Many imitated him. The audience was amazed not only by his singing talent, but also by his charm and sense of style. With his light hand, the white suit entered the wardrobe of men all over the world.

Video TV channel “Russia”, “Joe Dassin’s last tour”.

The beginning of a performer's career, first album

In 1964, Joe Dassin's lover gets a job at a recording company, where she brings a tape on which several compositions performed by the future artist are recorded. The original timbre of his voice interested the studio management and soon Joe was invited to record his debut collection.

The performer's first album, called “Les Dalton,” was received rather coolly by listeners. After this, Dassin decided to change the country music style to French chanson. This was definitely the right decision. The singer's musical career took off sharply. Released in 1966, the collection “Je change un peu de vent” becomes a worldwide sales hit and brings long-awaited success to Joe Dassin.

Crazy Marathon

But why did friends later accuse Christine of shortening Joe’s life? He began to smoke a lot and drank too much. Everyone saw it. But according to friends close to him, cocaine appeared in the singer’s life, which Christine “indulged in.”

She herself said that, even while pregnant, she did not stop drinking and using drugs. She considered it a miracle that her son was born healthy. A couple of months after Jonathan's birth, the singer's family life turned into hell.

His wife made terrible scandals for him, made scenes of jealousy and accused him of all mortal sins. Constant hassle at home and working exhaustingly for 12-16 hours a day brought Joe to the point where he developed a stomach ulcer.

In early 1980, Joe could not stand it and filed for divorce, despite the fact that Christine was expecting a second child. Frightened by the prospect of being abandoned, Christine seemed to pull herself together, but she broke down just 3 weeks after Jules was born, and the family finally broke up. Moreover, the singer already had a new friend next to him: Natalie.