Original Released on LP Philips 844.973 BY
(France, 1969)
Rika Gozman (later Zarai) was born in Jerusalem, in February 19, 1938. Her mother was from Poland and her father from Russia. She begins to learn piano at seven, and in 1953 she wins the first prize of the conservatory. Eight years later, in 1961, she makes her debut at Paris Olympia, doing the first half of Jacques Brel perfomances. In 1965 she goes on tour with Gilbert Bécaud and, finally, she rose to fame in 1969, with her songs “Casatchok” and “Alors Je Chante”, the French version of “Vivo Cantando”, wich the Spanish Salomé sang in the Eurovision Festival of that same year. She went on to have a successful career in Europe, where she popularized Israeli classic songs such as “Hava Nagila”, and “Hallelujah”. In the early seventies she returns to the Olympia, but now as the principal singer. During her career Rika Zarai sold more than 30 million records, singing in Hebrew, English, French, Italian, Spanish and German. Actually she lives in Paris but visits Israel periodically. According to a report in the Israeli newspaper in 2008, she suffered a stroke which paralyzed the left side of her body.
(France, 1969)