Joe Dassin

One of the best-loved French-language singers of the ’60s and ’70s, songwriter/vocalist Joe Dassin has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. ∙ The son of film director Jules Dassin, he made his recording debut singing the theme from his father’s 1958 film, La Loi, in which he also appeared. ∙ In 1964, he was the first French-singing artist to sign with CBS Records, whose execs were impressed by a demo that his girlfriend gave them without his knowledge. ∙ After several misses, Dassin finally broke through in 1966 when his recording of the Cuban folk standard “Guantanamera” was rereleased and became a hit in France and Belgium. ∙ “Les Dalton,” his song based on characters from the Belgian comic strip Lucky Luke, was a Top 10 French hit in 1967. ∙ His world-weary love song “L’été indien” was France’s second-most-popular track of 1975 and was a Top 10 hit in Argentina, Belgium, Finland, Israel, Switzerland, and Yugoslavia. ∙ A new generation of fans discovered his music when his 1969 hit “Les Champs-Élysées” was featured over the closing credits of Wes Anderson’s 2007 film, The Darjeeling Limited.