"Reite, kleiner Reiter !/Vole, Cavalier Fidèle!"...André Dassary (1943)

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This is one of the records I heard about but never thought I would find : the French version of Zarah Leander's hit song "Reite, kleiner Reiter!". I only know of 2 recorded French versions : one by the popular tenor André Dassary on Pathé and one by the long forgotten singer Yane Granier on Polydor. I found the Dassary record in Paris...

André Dassary (1912-87) was a very popular singer in France in the 1940s, 50s and 60s. After winning a first price at the Bordeaux conservatory he started out in the orchestra of Ray Ventura - recording amongst others a wonderful version of the Danielle Darrieux song "Dans mon coeur". At the outbreak of the Second World War he was drafted and became a prisoner of war. After returning to France he returned to the stage and scored a big hit with the operetta "L'auberge qui chante" (Lit. The singing Inn). However he became notorious over night with "Maréchal, nous voila!" (Lit. Marshall, here we are!) a song dedicated to the glory of France's Maréchal Pétain who headed the collaborationist Vichy government (a song which Tino Rossi had apparently had refused to record). "Maréchal, nous voilà" became its unofficial hymn. While the song caused him some difficulties after the war Dassary's popularity remained intact and his career really took off as he scored a big hit with "Ramuntcho" in 1944. After starring with the Ray Ventura orchestra in Feux de Joie (1938) and Tourbillon de Paris (1939), Dassary starred in the first French color feature called "Le mariage de Ramuntcho" in 1946. He played parts in several other movies and was the star of many operettas. A website is decdcated to his memory :
http://www.andre-dassary.com/pages/ca...

André Dassary recorded "Reite, kleiner Reiter/Vole Cavalier fidèle" in 1943. In the French version the meaning of the song remained the same : it is about a man riding his horse as fast as he can in order to catch up - in vain - with the girl he loves (who is sailing down a river). The record is not in great condition but I wanted to present it anyway as it is quite rare. What I like especially about it is the orchestration. The flip side of the record is "Viens, m' a dit le vent" which is a beautiful song - more suited to Dassary's voice than the very uptempo "Reite, kleiner Reiter !/Vole, Cavalier Fidèle!".

The video has an equestrian theme taken from two French newsreels from 1943. One showing training of the French national police and the other a race in the spring of 1943.

About the record :

Pathé

PA 2114 ./ mx. CPT 5586-1

Paris,
1943

Record in average condition

This record was recorded with a Grado 78c cartridge and stylus. The restoration was done as truthfully as possible.