Joe Dassin

Joe Dassin
Joe Dassin in the 1960s
Joe Dassin in the 1960s
Background information
Birth nameJoseph Ira Dassin
Born(1938-11-05)November 5, 1938
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedAugust 20, 1980(1980-08-20) (aged 41)
Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia
GenresChanson
French pop
OccupationSinger-songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active1964–1980
Labels
  • Columbia (Canada, 1964–71)
  • RCA (Canada, 1972–76)
  • CBS (elsewhere, and Canada starting 1976)
Websitejoedassin.fr

Joseph Ira Dassin[1] (French: [dasɛ̃]; November 5, 1938 – August 20, 1980) was an American–French singer-songwriter. In his career spanning sixteen years (1964–1980), he enjoyed numerous successes in France and the French-speaking world, as well as singing in languages other than French. He had a career in Finland, Greece, and Germany.[2] In total, he sold nearly 25 million records worldwide.[3][4][5] He was the son of film director Jules Dassin.

  1. ^ The middle name, Ira, was chosen by his mother as a tribute to Ira Gershwin, whom she particularly liked.
  2. ^ According to one of his interviews, rebroadcast on France 2 in the program Vivement dimanche on 27 June 2010, his sales of songs in languages other than French accounted for two-thirds of his income.
  3. ^ RTBF
  4. ^ France Télévision
  5. ^ La libre Belgique