Henri René

Henri René (born Harold Manfred Kirchstein; December 29, 1906 – April 25, 1993), was an American musician who had an international career in the recording industry as a producer, composer, conductor and arranger.

Early years

Born in New York City of a German father and a French mother, young Harold traveled to

Returning to the U.S. in the mid-1920s, he began appearing with several orchestras. Sometime after these experiences, he returned once more to Berlin, working as a composer in the German film industry, and as an arranger with a German record label.

While touring Europe with his band some years before the war, he was appointed musical director of the two largest moving picture firms in Europe,

He was responsible for the original "Beer Barrel Polka" disk, which played an important role in the development of the music machine to its present status as a powerful entertainment medium. Shortly after returning to the USA, he began recording regularly for Standard and became its No. 1 artist, his disks selling in quantities comparable to those of the largest commercial dance bands.[2] Among his most successful records have been "Cuckoo Waltz," "Waltzing on the Kalamazoo," "Tap the Barrel Dry," "Pete, the Pickelman" and "Tommy's Mustache." After service with the Allies in World War II, he resumed working for RCA Victor as a conductor and arranger.

Henri Rene's recording of the

For his contributions to the recording industry, René has a Star at 1610 Vine Street on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Selected filmography

• Men Without a Fatherland (1937)
• Togger (1937)

References

External links

• Henri René at IMDb