Born in Annemasse, France, he was the son (and pupil) of a well known German Heldentenor, Fritz Windgassen (who was also the teacher of Gottlob Frick).
Windgassen was the Siegfried in several complete, live Rings from Bayreuth that have been issued commercially on CD, conducted by such now-legendary figures as Hans Knappertsbusch, Clemens Krauss, Joseph Keilberth, and Karl Böhm.
Recorded performances are also available as Parsifal, Walther von Stolzing, Tannauser, Erik, Lohengrin, Froh, Max, Prince Orlofsky, Rienzi, and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
He can be seen on video in a performance as Tristan (with Birgit Nilsson and Hans Hotter, in Wieland Wagner's production, conducted by Pierre Boulez), as Otello (singing in German), as Prince Orlofsky, and briefly in concerts and rehearsals on various anthologies.
He kept cool while singing and slowly retreating further and further into the wings, where he managed to get someone to bring him the complete Nothung from backstage, which he then carefully smuggled under his cloak, undetected by the audience.