e was born in Carlos Casares, province of Buenos Aires, in a small piece of land that belonged to the family; things started to go bad and they had to move to the capital. They settled in the neighborhood of Parque de los Patricios, at a house in front of the Langosta canvas shoe factory, on 1856 Maza Street, between Inclán and Salcedo.

The kid Dante was nine years old and was the younger of five siblings, three sisters and another brother, Amadeo, the eldest. The girls spent all day sewing and listening to tangos which then was the music of the youth.

Dante, as a good country fellow did not get acquainted with anyone except when he was singing. On one occasion he told me he used to go to the corner of Salcedo and Maza where there was a barroom. There he was always asked to sing “El ciruja” and “La vidalita”. It was such the enthusiasm he arose that he returned home with his pockets full of coins and «small 50-cent papers». That meant an income larger than his father’s who was scarcely seen by them because he worked day and night.

Due to his passion for soccer, he succeeded in playing in the fourth division of the Club Huracán at the times of Nano Gandulla. He told me that once his old man talked to him and asked him about what he would like to be when he grew up: « A mechanic, a blacksmith like your brother Amadeo?», and he replied: «No, dad, I want to be like Gardel» and he added: «At that precise moment Carlitos was singing on the phonograph».

His devotion for singing began at a very early age and he was always a faithful admirer of the Zorzal Criollo, to such an extent that he’s used to say: «I learned to sing with the Gardel’s discs».

His debut was in 1946 on Radio Del Pueblo with the folk group headed by maestro Eduardo Pauloni. With the latter he sang a large number of criollo folk songs. His tenure on the radio station was until 1949 and later, his love for tango and his capacity as interpreter made that great orchestras of that time, like those led by Juan D'Arienzo, Alberto Mancione and other less known, summon him. But he always preferred to follow his own road and soon thereafter he launched himself as soloist.

On one of his many performances on Radio Del Pueblo, a renowned lady, Mrs. Maruja de Apud, heard him and suggesting him recording for RCA-Victor. «It was like playing in the first division», he said and added, «there no less than Gardel and Libertad Lamarque recorded».

For RCA-Victor on July 12, 1949 he cut “A unos ojos” written by Carlos Montbrun Ocampo and Hernán Videla Flores and “La López Pereyra” accompanied by the group led by Prudencio Giménez. Three months later, on October 5, with the same group, “Tu vieja ventana” and “El puente del amor”, also composed by Montbrun Ocampo.

The following year, on February 8, with the outfit led by José Herrero he recorded “El jardín de mi madre” and “San Ramón”, a cueca by Félix Pérez Cardozo and J. Herrero; on May 23, “Para ti madre" and “Claveles mendocinos”; on 8 September 8, “Cuando miran tus ojos”.

He continued recording on the label and cut “Luna tucumana”, zamba, on May 23, 1951 and, between April 1952 and May 1955, “Cobrate y dame el vuelto”, “Pompas de jabón”, “Que nadie sepa mi sufrir”, H. Ayala’s “Linda vida mía”, “Herencia”, “Carnaval de mi barrio”, “Las cuarenta”, “Maestrita de mis pagos”, written by Miguel Abrodos and Eugenio Majul, accompanied by the guitar group led by Roberto Grela.

He made tours throughout the country always with Grela and his guitarists Coco Barbieri, Davis and Neri. With them he also appeared on Radio Belgrano for three consecutive seasons.

His first appearance outside our borders was in 1955 in Chile, at the Confitería Goyescas and at the Gran Hotel Capri. By mid- 1955 he rejected a tour of Spain and a movie because of reasons I ignore and which he did not want to explain. Then Guillermo Arenas, an agent of artists and husband of Morenita Rey, who was Libertad Lamarque’s niece, signed him for a tour of all the South American countries with the Mario Canaro’s orchestra.

The tour began in Peru and continued in Colombia and Venezuela. In the latter country he appeared on the Continente and Catatumbo radio stations to great acclaim and also in television programs of Caracas. He as well recorded two numbers: “Por qué no has venido” and “Manos adoradas”. That was by 1957.

He came back to Buenos Aires because of the president Marcos Pérez Jiménez who regarded him with scorn because he was flirting with the daughter of a military officer. But he did not adjust himself to the new situation in Argentina —after the fall of General Perón— and, soon thereafter, he decided to return to Venezuela. Some people say that it was due to political reasons because Dante was a peronist. But this was never confirmed but what really moved him was love. The Caribbean dictator was no longer there and a girl in love was waiting for him. Later this romance came to an end and in his life appeared Librada Santos, another Venezuelan woman that was a widow and would become his wife and his true love. Because of this romantic reason he definitively settled in Caracas.

After a break he resumed his show business career in the Caribbean country and appeared at the best venues, among them, La Peña Tanguera and on Radio Cultura.

Some years ago he confessed to me: «My dream is singing again in my country before I die». Unfortunately it was not possible, he died at the Hospital Central de Valencia (Venezuela), at age 97.

Because of this article, Ricardo García Blaya told me that Dante Ressia is one of his preferred singers, together with Osvaldo Cordó and José Berón. They are all great vocalists of the Gardelian school who did not reach the acclaim they deserved despite their extraordinary vocal and interpretive quality.