Boris Grebenshchikov: biography, interesting facts. Boris Grebenshchikov: biography, personal life, discography

Boris Borisovich Grebenshchikov (BG). Born November 27, 1953 in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). Soviet and Russian poet and musician, leader of the rock band "Aquarium", one of the "founding fathers" of Russian rock music.

Father - Boris Alexandrovich Grebenshchikov (1926-1975), was an engineer, director of an experimental plant of the Baltic Shipping Company.

Mother - Lyudmila Kharitonovna Grebenshchikova (1929-2009), legal adviser of the Leningrad House of Models.

Grandmother - Ekaterina Vasilievna, like her daughter Lyudmila, survived the blockade of Leningrad, having lost her husband and father.

In 1970 he graduated from the Leningrad Physics and Mathematics School No. 239.

In 1976 he graduated from the Faculty of Applied Mathematics - Control Processes of the Leningrad state university them. Zhdanov and began working at the Research Institute of Sociology, continuing to write songs, give concerts and collaborate with the experimental student theater of Leningrad State University. He founded the samizdat magazine Roxy.

In the summer of 1972, together with Anatoly Gunitsky and a group of like-minded people, he founded a group "Aquarium". The group lived a semi-underground life, making home recordings and occasionally going on short tours to other cities. Later, Grebenshchikov himself described his project as follows: “I have a simple approach. Bob Marley said: "Who are playing with me is Wailers" - those who play with me are the Wailers. If people are interested in playing with me, then it will be "Aquarium". It will not be me personally, because when we work together, we do everything together. If people are interested in playing this music, then this is "Aquarium".

According to a widespread version, the name of the group arose when Grebenshchikov and Gunitsky were riding in a bus and saw a beer bar called "Aquarium" on Budapestskaya Street in St. Petersburg (this institution was closed in the 1980s). Boris Grebenshchikov himself in different years answered the question about the name of the group in different ways.

At first, the group did not go beyond rehearsals and the group gave its first concert in Zelenogorsk only in the early spring of 1973. Another performance took place in the Leningrad restaurant "Tryum" near the Central Park of Culture and Leisure, and the first fee was 50 rubles in cash.

At first, the line-up was something like this: Grebenshchikov, George (drums), Alexander Tsatsanidi (bass), Vadim Vasiliev (keyboards), Valery Obogrelov (sound). In 1973, the guitarist Edmund Shklyarsky, later the leader of the Picnic group, rehearsed with Aquarium for a short time. In the same year, bass guitarist Mikhail Fainshtein-Vasiliev (Fan) appeared. The following year, Andrey "Dyusha" Romanov joined the group as a keyboardist. Soon, under the influence of Ian Anderson's playing, he retrained as a flutist.

By 1974, the first magnetic albums of "Aquarium" belong. In January - February, during the holidays, Grebenshchikov and George recorded "The Temptation of the Holy Aquarium". Soon another short album, Minuet to the Farmer, was prepared, but this recording seems to have been completely lost. The third album was called "The Parables of Count Diffuser". It was recorded by Grebenshchikov, George, Fan and Dyusha Romanov.

In 1975, cellist Vsevolod (Seva) Gakkel appeared at the Aquarium.

Since 1976 "Aquarium" begins to conduct a fairly regular concert activity. The first joint concert of Grebenshchikov, Gakkel and Dyusha Romanov took place on February 27, 1976 at the first Beatles music festival, and at the end of March Aquarium travels with its own money uninvited guest at the "Tallinn Youth Songs - 1976" - Tallinn Popular Music Festival, where four acoustic pieces are played.

In the summer of 1978, together with Mike Naumenko, they recorded the acoustic album All Brothers and Sisters, inspired by the work of Bob Dylan. Mikhail Feinshtein took part in the recording.

By the end of the seventies, Aquarium was already familiar with two significant figures of Soviet rock - Artemy Troitsky and Andrei Tropillo, in whose studio the first "historical" albums of Aquarium were recorded. AT new year's eve In 1979, Alexander Lyapin performed for the first time with Aquarium (he finally joined the Aquarium in 1982), in the spring of 1979 Dyusha and Fagot returned from the army.

Aquarium managed to make itself known loudly in rock circles at the 1980 Tbilisi Rock Festival. The group did not receive prizes, but with their performance they made a real scandal. Compared to the rest of the festival participants, Aquarium behaved eccentrically and shockingly on stage, but the jury did not appreciate this: when during the concert Grebenshchikov, playing the guitar, lay down on the stage, all the jury members defiantly left the hall. "Aquarium" was accused of promoting homosexuality (this is how one of the episodes of the performance was regarded), incest (performing the song "Marina", Grebenshchikov instead of "marry a Finn" sang "marry Ino": due to poor technique, it seemed to many to "get out marry a son”) and in obscene behavior and at first they even wanted to immediately send him out of the festival. The speech became known in Leningrad, and as a result BG lost his job and was expelled from the Komsomol.

In January 1981, the "Blue Album" was recorded, which became the first "historical" independent studio work of the "Aquarium".

In 1981, the group became a member of the Leningrad Rock Club, took part in its first five festivals.

In 1982, Grebenshchikov produced the first album of the Kino group, 45.

From the beginning of 1982, the band started playing electric concerts. At the very beginning of the year, on January 6, a concert was played at the Lunacharsky Palace of Culture in Moscow. In the summer, the album "Taboo" is recorded. According to BG, for the group it was Hard times, after a concert in Arkhangelsk, a rock club banned Aquarium from performing until the end of the year. Feinstein and Dyusha got a job in the summer and almost did not participate in the recording of the album - for this reason, a question mark was even put on the cover after the name of the group. Among the invited musicians was 20-year-old Igor Butman.

The popularity of "Aquarium" increased, despite the lack of official recognition. At the end of 1983, the group got into the top three in the USSR according to the results of the first poll of experts in Soviet practice, conducted by the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper among about thirty journalists and rock figures from Moscow, Leningrad and Tallinn.

In March 1984, the group was invited by Tamara and Vladimir Maksimov to record the first program "Musical Ring" on Leningrad television. On October 24, 1986, the ensemble appeared on the Musical Ring for the second time, and on January 17, 1987, this performance was broadcast on the first all-Union program. "Musical Ring" becomes the first "visualization" of the "Aquarium" "in full height"- in the mode of a studio talk show and concert and on a scale of the entire USSR.

Aquarium - Golden City

On June 3, 1988, the group played their first concert abroad - in Montreal, Canada, after which "Aquarium" in in full force recorded two songs in Canada ("China" and "King Arthur") for BG's forthcoming English-language solo album. In August 1988, he worked in the US and UK on "Radio Silence" ("Radio Silence"). In autumn and winter, Aquarium gives several concerts, but Grebenshchikov is constantly away in the USA, appears in the press and gives concerts independently of the group.

In the early 1990s, the activity of the Aquarium was discontinued.

In 1991-1992, Grebenshchikov headed the group "BG-Band". "BG-Band" was assembled by Grebenshchikov in the spring of 1991 and was a kind of reincarnation of "Aquarium" in a new name and sound, and in new "old" faces, among which there was no core of the classic "Aquarium" - Gakkel, Romanov, Feinstein. The ensemble included Grebenshchikov, Oleg Sakmarov (flute), Sergey Shchurakov (accordion, mandolin), Andrey Reshetin (violin) and Sergey Berezovoy (bass). Reshetin and Shchurakov already participated in the recording of Equinox (1987), and Sakmarov and Berezovoy were known for touring with last line-up"Aquarium".

During its existence, the BG-Band group gave 171 concerts in Moscow, Leningrad-St. Petersburg, Kyiv, Minsk, Riga, Kazan, Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk, Kharkov and several cities of the Volga region, the Urals and Siberia, which performed completely new songs and some from the former repertoire of Grebenshchikov and Aquarium.

The new "Aquarium" was assembled in September 1992. It included Alexander Titov, Oleg Sakmarov and Alexei Zubarev, who already played in Aquarium and BG-Band, as well as two new members: Alexei "Lord" Ratsen and Andrey Vikharev. A little later, Sergei Shchurakov joined this six.

In 1994, two solo albums by Grebenshchikov were released - "Songs of Alexander Vertinsky" and "Soulful Songs" (the latter was recorded together with "Aquarium", indicated on the cover as "Anna Karenina Quartet"). In addition, the collection "Boris Grebenchikov & Aquarium 1991-1994" appears in France for European listeners. It is timed to coincide with Grebenshchikov's big concert at the Theater de la Ville in Paris.

In 1997, Grebenshchikov, together with "The Band" (the famous american group, among other things, accompanying Bob Dylan) recorded the album "Lilith", released in two versions (Russian and American).

In January 1998 he became the winner of the "Triumph" award.

March 31, 2002 - Grebenshchikov and "Aquarium" were awarded the award of OUR radio "PoboRoll" for their contribution to the development of music.

2003 - 50th anniversary of Boris Grebenshchikov and big concert in the Kremlin on this matter.

March 2005 - organized a meeting of a number of rock musicians and producers with Vladislav Surkov, deputy head of the presidential administration, which caused a great resonance in the media.

May 22, 2005 - began his career as a radio host and hosts an almost hour-long author's program Aerostat on Radio Russia.

In 2006, Grebenshchikov underwent vision correction surgery.

March 18, 2013 Grebenshchikov announced the termination of communication with the press in Russia, continuing to occasionally give interviews abroad. In January 2013, "Aquarium" resumed cooperation with the guitarist of the 90s Alexei Zubarev. At the end of 2013, in honor of BG's birthday, the twenty-second "natural" album "Aquarium Plus" was released, containing, among others, little-known songs of the group replayed in a new way. "It's a fantasy about 'what the Aquarium songs would sound like if things were different.' The album was recorded between St. Petersburg, London and Los Angeles with the active assistance of our new colleague Mitchell Frum. Not a single panda was hurt during the recording, ”BG commented on the album.

2014 - BG's solo album "Salt", "the best in over 40 years."

March 18, 2016 "Aquarium" released a mini-album from three songs"Songs of the Unloved". Two of them were recorded in Cuba exclusively with Cuban musicians.

On June 16, 2017, the Aquarium group published new song"Peggy Piston". In a recent interview, BG talked about working on a new Aquarium album. Since June 2017, the Aquarium has started a tour dedicated to the 45th anniversary of the group. holiday concerts dedicated to the 45th anniversary of the Aquarium, with the participation of guests from different countries were held on June 30 in Moscow at the STADIUM club and on July 2 in St. Petersburg at the Yubileiny sports club.

On October 20, 2017, the mini-album "Grass Doors" was released with three songs composed in the 1970s and 1980s and recorded in St. Petersburg and Paris in 2017.

In 2017, Boris Grebenshchikov became the artistic director of the annual St. Petersburg festival Parts of the World.

The growth of Boris Grebenshchikov: 176 centimeters.

Personal life of Boris Grebenshchikov:

The first wife is Natalya Kozlovskaya. They got married in the fall of 1976 after graduation. The wedding was played in Astoria. According to the recollections of friends, they walked widely, noisily, cheerfully. The musicians of the "Time Machine" came to the celebration.

At that time, BG led a bohemian lifestyle, perhaps this was the reason that the family broke up after three years. Divorced in 1980.

Daughter Alice gave her grandson Alexei (born 2008).

Second wife - Lyudmila Shurygina (1980) (before that - civil wife Vsevolod Gakkel). An artist, she worked as a cleaner in the 222nd school. He lived with Lyuda BG from 1980 to 1989.

Son Gleb Grebenshchikov (born December 14, 1984) - known as DJ gebe. Granddaughter - Alisa Grebenshchikova.

The third wife is Irina. Married since 1991. Ex-wife Alexander Titov, who played in the group "Earthlings" at the Kemerovo Conservatory. Boris and Irina raised Mark Titov and Vasilisa Grebenshchikova, the son and daughter of Irina and Alexander, adopted by Boris. Irina's children received higher education. Gleb lived with his father since the death of his great-grandmother Ekaterina Vasilievna. Mark plays in several independent bands and writes electronic music under the name Bio C, Vasilisa is an artist.

Boris Grebenshchikov, wife Irina and Joanna Stingray

Not a follower of any particular religion. In the early 1990s, he became seriously interested in Buddhism, calling himself a student of the Danish lama Ole Nydahl, a preacher of the Europeanized version of the teachings of the Karma Kagyu school in the West and in Russia. Repeatedly visited the ashram of the famous Indian guru Sai Baba. In 2006, in Malaysia, he met the famous neo-Hindu guru Sri Chinmoy, who gave the musician the name Purushottama (translated from Sanskrit means "magnificent person"). With the support of Sri Chinmoy, Grebenshchikov's concerts were organized in London, at the Albert Hall, in August 2007 - a solo concert at the UN, in which Grebenshchikov was accompanied by Sri Chinmoy's students.

Sometimes he visits Orthodox churches and participates in Orthodox services. For a long time he was engaged in compiling a list miraculous icons Russia. Studied Indian and Chinese philosophy. Translated from of English language several Buddhist and Hindu texts. Since 2009, he has been working on the translation of the Bhagavad Gita into Russian. The musician claims that this “most ingenious book of mankind” has been translated into Russian “in such a way that it is impossible to read it. I'm trying to make it clear to everyone."

Among Russian classics, Grebenshchikov likes the work of Pushkin, Pasternak, Mandelstam, Bulgakov and Akhmatova; from contemporary writers- Boris Akunin and Viktor Pelevin.

Favorite movies - "Sherlock Holmes" by Guy Ritchie, " White sun desert" by Vladimir Motyl and "Island" by Pavel Lungin, as well as popular series Poirot and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

Boris Grebenshchikov is a big fan The Beatles which significantly influenced his work and attitude.

Filmography of Boris Grebenshchikov:

1981 - Tbilisi-80 | Soviet rock(Finland, documentary)
1981 - ... Ivanov (short) - Borya, musician
1986 - Dialogues (documentary) - guitarist "Pop Mechanics"
1986 - Ya-ha! (short)
1988 - Sickle and guitar (From Russia with rock / Sirppi ja kitara) (documentary)
1988 - Rock (documentary)
1990 - City - Boris Grebenshchikov
1991 - Clone (documentary)
1991 - BG 1991 (documentary)
1992 - Over dark water - episode
1993 - Two captains - 2
2000 - Tender age - Boris Grebenshchikov
2005 - Alexander Bashlachev. Death Flight (documentary)
2005 - Cultural layer. Rock 70s-80s: All Brothers and Sisters (documentary)
2005 - Cultural layer. Rock-80s: Tsoi is alive (documentary)
2006 - 40:0 in favor of BG (documentary)
2008 - Poetry and time. Andrei Voznesensky (documentary)
2008 - Living history. Russian rock (documentary)
2009 - Rockers
2010 - Cultural layer. Rock samizdat (documentary)
2010 - Tatyana Okunevskaya. Swing of fate (documentary)
2010 - The Last Rock and Roll (documentary)
2011 - Petr Mamonov. Black on white (documentary)
2011 - Heat. Fire and water (documentary)
2011 - Alexander Kaidanovsky. Stalker Mysteries (documentary)

Boris Grebenshchikov's vocals in the cinema:

1984 - Dear, dear, beloved, the only ... - the song "Knocking on the door of the grass"
1985 - Strangers don't go here - song "City"
1987 - Assa
1988 - Rock Tragedy
1989 - Black rose - the emblem of sadness, red rose - the emblem of love
1991 - House under the starry sky
1991 - Afghan
2000 - Tender age
2008 - 2-Assa-2
2011 - How to get to the library? (used songs "Promised Day", "Day of Joy")

Boris Grebenshchikov's works in cinema as a composer:

1981 - ... Ivanov (short)
1985-1991 - Patience labor (documentary)
1986 - The Art of Being Humble (short)
1988 - Rock (documentary)
1988 - Thirst (documentary)
1989 - You calm me down (documentary)
1990 - Yoly-Paly, or Mitki in Europe (documentary)
1990 - City - music of the ensemble "Aquarium", conductor
1991 - The Adventures of Stingray (short)
1992 - Grass and water (short)
1992 - Mitki do not want to defeat anyone, or Mitkimayer (animated)
1993 - Two captains - 2
2006 - Connection
2010 - Golden Ratio
2012 - Delhi Dance

"Prehistoric" albums by Boris Grebenshchikov and "Aquarium":

1973 - Temptation of the Holy Aquarium (BG + George)
1973 - Minuet to the farmer
1974 - Parables of Count Diffuser
1976 - On the other side of the mirror glass
1978 - All brothers - sisters (BG + Mike).

"Historical" albums by Boris Grebenshchikov and "Aquarium":

1981 - Blue Album
1981 - Triangle
1981 - Electricity
1982 - Acoustics
1982 - Taboo
1983 - Radio Africa
1984 - Ichthyology
1984 - Silver Day
1986 - Children of December
1986 - Ten Arrows
1987 - Equinox
1989 - Radio Silence (BG)
1991 - Aquarium History Volume 3 - Archive
1992 - Russian album (BG)
1993 - Favorite songs of Ramses IV
1993 - Letters from Captain Voronin
1994 - Sands of St. Petersburg
1994 - Songs of Alexander Vertinsky
1994 - Kostroma mon amour
1994 - Sincere Songs (BG + Anna Karenina Quartet)
1995 - Navigator
1996 - Snow Lion
1996 - Chubchik (BG)
1997 - Hyperborea
1997 - Lilith (BG)
1998 - Refuge (English "Refuge"; BG + Gabrielle Roth & "The Mirrors")
1998 - Prayer and fasting (internet-only album) - first released on CD in 2001
1998 - Boris Grebenshchikov and Deadushki (BG + Deadushki)

1999 - Ψ
2000 - Territory
2002 - Crossing ("Bardo"; BG + Gabrielle Roth & "The Mirrors")
2002 - Sister Chaos
2003 - Songs of the fisherman

2005 - ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM
2006 - Careless Russian tramp
2007 - Feudalism (recorded in 1990)
2008 - White horse
2009 - Pushkinskaya, 10
2009 - BG + Zombies (recorded in 1998)
2010 - Oracle of the Divine Bottle (recorded in 1998)
2010 - Day of Joy
2010 - Our life in terms of trees (recorded in 1988)
2010 - Notes on Flora and Fauna (1982 entry)
2011 - Arkhangelsk
2012 - Dates and prices (recorded in 1983)
2012 - 21st century
2012 - Aeronautics in the company of sphinxes
2012 - The Secret History of Beekeeping
2013 - Aquarium +
2014 - Salt (BG)
2016 - Songs of the Unloved EP
2017 - Grass Doors EP.

Solo discography Boris Grebenshchikov:

1989 - Radio Silence (BG)
1992 - Russian album (BG)
1996 - Chubchik (BG)
1997 - Lilith (BG)
1999 - Songs of Bulat Okudzhava (BG)
2004 - Without words - did not go on sale, distributed only at group concerts (BG)
2014 - Salt (BG)
2018 - Time N.

The legendary Grebenshchikov is deservedly considered the founding father of Russian rock. Thanks to his talent, listeners enjoyed amazing compositions and got acquainted with a completely unusual genre in music.

Biography

Boris Borisovich - a hereditary Leningrader, was born into an intelligent family on November 27, 1953. Father, Boris Aleksandrovich, is a researcher at the university, mother is a teacher of mathematics. The family lived near the Moskovskaya metro station. Here the childhood of the future legend of the Russian rock movement passed. He studied at first in a regular school, in the middle classes he moved to a school with a mathematical bias. The boy successfully passed the exams and entered the university, chose a mathematical specialty. In parallel, he organizes the first in his life musical ensemble, his friend Anatoly Gunitsky becomes his assistant. Starting rehearsals were held in the assembly building of the university. In his younger years, Boris Grebenshchikov, Gunitsky, like all young people, listened to Western music. The idols of millions were the Beatles, Rolling Stones», « Deep Purple", etc. The genre chosen by young performers was influenced by the work of Morrison, Dylan, Marley. Fluent in English, Grebenshchikov could easily translate any composition. In 1973, the first vinyl "The Temptation of the Holy Aquarium" was released. The audience heard something unusual, not like the compositions of the Soviet stage - familiar and of the same type.

All photos 7

In 1974, the ensemble was replenished with Feinstein and Romanov. In parallel with the creation of the group, the guys organized at the institute theater Club and take part in performances. Gunitsky becomes the author of plays, Grebenshchikov and Romanov tried on the roles of actors. But the constant employment on the stage has a negative effect on the rehearsals of the "Aquarium", and the group is on the verge of disintegration. At the same time, the leadership of the faculty forbids the guys to speak, and Grebenshchikov comes into conflict with the dean's office. The composition of the ensemble is reduced to one person. A few months later, Grebenshchikov met Seva Gakkel, a talented cellist. Without hesitation, he invites him to perform together and writes compositions that are included in the Aquarium's golden hit list. The performances of the group are completely prohibited by the leadership of the university, and the guys begin to perform underground. For a certain period, Boris Grebenshchikov and his colleagues played in apartments where fans of Russian rock gathered. To prevent the neighbors from calling the law enforcement officers, it was necessary to sing and play instruments very quietly. But for the "closed" musicians in those years, there was another problem: they could not record their songs, they did not work with them. recording studios. I had to look for illegal ways in samizdat, and in 1976 the album "Mirror Glass" was recorded, two years later - "All Brothers and Sisters". Despite the fact that the last disc had a circulation of 10 copies, listeners began to pass the disc from hand to hand and rewrite the hit at home. Thanks to the growth in popularity, the guys had useful connections and already worked semi-legally in the studio. Boris began to cooperate with Andrey Tropillo. With his help, the albums "Triangle", "Day of Silver" and several others were released. For the first time, the Aquarium group announced itself openly at a rock festival in Tbilisi. The audience accepted the performance with a bang, but the nomenklatura jury was dissatisfied with the success of the guys. During the concert, Grebenshchikov met Viktor Tsoi and said flattering words about his work. The management was also outraged by the fact that the "Aquarium" performed the wrong song, which was announced earlier. Instead of an acoustic performance, the musicians performed the songs "Heroes", "Piece of Life" and "Minus 30". The jury left the concert, the rehearsal hall in Leningrad was sealed. Boris Grebenshchikov was expelled from the Komsomol, the family broke up. To an educated person I had to get a job as an ordinary watchman. In order to engage in creativity, he agreed to join the trade union committee of playwrights and continued to work at the Aquarium. Sergei Kuryokhin, who has repeatedly come to the aid of underground performers, begins to promote Aquarium. Soon the group was invited to air the program "Jolly Guys". Then they become members of the popular " Musical ring". This is how it started television career legendary Aquarium.

In the late 80s, Aquarium completely came out of the underground. Guys with enviable constancy give concerts on the best venues countries. Popularity has become the key to crowded stadiums and halls, compositions are heard in the cult films "ACCA", "Black Rose - the emblem of sadness, red rose - the emblem of love", "City", etc. Listeners can safely enjoy the songs "Equinox", " City of gold”, “Ten arrows”. Boris Grebenshchikov travels around the world, in the 90s adjoins the legendary British group"U-Rhythmics" and solo with the unsurpassed Ann Lennox. In 1986, the band's single was released in the USA, followed by two discs "Radio London" and "Radio Silence". In 2003, the talented musician was awarded the Order of the 4th degree "For Merit to the Fatherland", as well as the "Triumph" award for his contribution to art.

Personal life

The leader of the "Aquarium" has repeatedly been officially married. The first wife of the musician was Natalya Kozlovskaya. Young people met while still very young, Natasha had just graduated from the institute. The wedding celebrations were magnificent, they walked in the legendary Astoria restaurant, friends and relatives were invited. The family idyll did not last long. After the birth of his daughter Alice, Boris left the family. He never stopped communicating with his daughter, helped in everything, including supporting her when she announced that she wanted to become an actress. After leaving the family, the leader of the "Aquarium" asked to live with a friend Gakkel. His wife, Lyudmila Shurygina, was a woman of dazzling beauty. Grebenshchikov got so carried away that he not only took useful meters, but also recaptured his wife from a close friend. Surprisingly, Seva calmly reacted to such news and did not enter into conflict with a friend. Friends maintain excellent relations until now. The young people left Leningrad for a small village on Valdai and settled in former home culture. There's a newly minted married couple rented a plot of land, took up farming. At first, the artist liked the silence and tranquility. So they lived for nine years, the boy Gleb was born. O country house the musician dreamed for a long time, but the son of intellectuals, accustomed to urban life, soon got tired of village life. Soon he left his wife and child and went to St. Petersburg. The second wife stayed in the village and began to flood her loneliness with alcohol. In 1991, our hero met with the wife of the soloist of the group "Earthlings" Alexander Titov, Irina. Boris fell in love at first sight, felt a kindred spirit in a woman and took her away from her lawful husband. In the same year, a wedding was played. Irina has a son Mark from her first marriage, a little later she gave birth to the performer of the "City of Gold" daughter Vasilisa. The couple is still together and, apparently, is not going to leave.

Boris Grebenshchikov (“BG” is a pseudonym) is a talented guitarist, composer and performer of popular music, the founder of the famous Russian rock band organized back in the Soviet Union.

Until now, the musician enjoys phenomenal popularity and unprecedented recognition among domestic and foreign pop stars. And all thanks to their incredible abilities and bright unforgettable charisma.

What is remarkable about the biography of Boris Grebenshchikov? What is the story of his rise and what is the secret of genius? This article provides answers to these and many other questions. And also posted photos of Boris Grebenshchikov in his youth, in his mature years and at the moment.

Comes from childhood

Little Borya was born in the late autumn of 1953, in the big and beautiful city of Leningrad. The parents of the future rock singer were educated and intelligent people. Boris Grebenshchikov's mother, Lyudmila Kharitonovna, held a responsible position at the research institute, his father, Boris Aleksandrovich, worked as a scientific engineer.

Subsequently, the famous guitarist repeatedly claimed that he owes much in his life to his mother. It was she who introduced him to the theater, music and literature, it was she who instilled in him a love of art and self-expression.

Lyudmila Kharitonovna taught her son to appreciate the beautiful, in whatever new, extraordinary form it may be. She introduced the boy to rock music, encouraged him not to be afraid to follow his talent, defended himself in front of his father and believed in his lucky star.

Talented mathematician

Young Boris did not immediately realize his musical vocation. At first, he wanted to choose a different path in life - the path of a gifted hardworking scientist.

At school, the biography of Boris Grebenshchikov was associated with mathematics. The first years he studied at an elite city school. Then he moved to a secondary educational institution specializing in the deep study of mathematical sciences. The guy's progress has been amazing.

The young Grebenshchikov decided to get a higher education at a reputable university, choosing the specialty “applied mathematics”. It would seem that his whole fate is scheduled for several decades ahead: a red diploma, scientific activity, academic titles ...

But life decreed otherwise.

The birth of talent

in higher educational institution a talented mathematician became interested in music. And not the usual classics, but Western rock and roll. He knew English perfectly, so he could freely reproduce foreign compositions, imitating foreign musicians in the manner and style of performance.

Passion for music turned out to be serious - the young Grebenshchikov created his own team, the systematic rehearsals of which were constantly held in the university assembly hall.

Together with Anatoly Gunitsky (a school friend and creative ally), young Boris plunged into the creative search for his direction. At first, the guys wrote poetry in English, composing music in a Western style. A little later, young people decided on own style- they wanted to perform the repertoire only in their native language.

What was the name of the rock band created by Boris Grebenshchikov? "Aquarium". It was a modern ensemble, which had to carry out semi-underground activities for about ten years, winning the hearts of hundreds and even thousands of listeners.

First record

Since the activity of the Aquarium was illegal, Boris Grebenshchikov and the guys in his group performed rarely and secretly, and the records were recorded underground, with their own efforts and skills, without the necessary equipment and equipment.

The band's first track was the Temptation of the Holy Aquarium album, which the musicians released in 1973. This record was original and unlike the popular Russian rock Soviet period. The leader of the ensemble, putting his whole soul into this work, confidently declared himself as an exemplary and talented representative of world rock, harmoniously combined with Russian traditions and values.

Around this period, new faces appeared in the group: Romanov, Feinstein, Groshevsky. They write and stage grotesque productions on the student stage, more and more delving into artistic art. Against this background, a split occurred in the young rock band, and Grebenshchikov was almost alone.

New coil

However, this situation did not affect his enthusiasm. The young man was full of energy and enthusiasm. He intensively searched for new like-minded people, who turned out to be Alexandrov and Gakkel.

Together with them, the novice musician begins to purposefully pursue his vocation. The guys actively conduct concert activities, performing wherever there are people: in squares, parks, institutes. Of all the acoustic musical instruments and they had only a guitar, a cello, a flute and ... youthful enthusiasm.

In 1976, Boris Grebenshchikov's "Aquarium" boldly declares itself at a pop festival in Tallinn, where it is bold and uninvited. However, such an act pleased those present - the group was awarded a prize for the most interesting performance. Since then, the team began to travel frequently on tour, and record companies began to allow semi-legal musicians to record records with them.

Takeoff and collection

Thanks to this, such bright and unforgettable albums as “From the Other Side of the Mirror Glass”, “All Brothers and Sisters”, “Triangle”, “Children of December” and “Silver Day” saw the light of day, which differed from the previous ones in better sound recording.

At the spring rhythms in Tbilisi in 1980, the performances of Grebenshchikov and his company were marked by a huge scandal. Being representatives of Russian rock, the guys gave so much effort on stage that they stunned the audience with their shocking and eccentricity. They were accused of promoting homosexuality, incest and obscenity. And when the soloist, enthusiastically playing the guitar, lay down on the stage, the panel of judges defiantly left their seats.

The rumor about this speech caused a lot of talk. Rock fans took notice of the talented, growing band, and the critical authorities decided to punish the rock leader. He was fired from his job (at that time Grebenshchikov had been working at the research institute for several years).

In order to earn money and continue the concert activity, talented musician got a job as a janitor. At this time, for his concerts, he began to use the new kind premises.

apartments

In those days, the guys were often invited to the audience at the apartment, where they performed very quietly and carefully.

Since the group was banned throughout the USSR, visiting such musical evenings It was very dangerous not only for the performers, but also for the audience. However, illegal music was in unprecedented demand, so "Aquarium" often went on "apartment" tours.

In one of these sorties, the enterprising soloist met with Since then, the biography of Boris Grebenshchikov has changed dramatically.

TV

Thanks to the patronage of Kuryokhin, Aquarium was invited to the air of Cheerful Fellows, where the musicians sang a song about two tractor drivers that was popular in those years.

After that, the team received more invitations to participate in television programs and programs, which increased its all-Union popularity.

1980s

During this period, Grebenshchikov, together with his group, began to conduct open concert activities. He performed mainly in the capital and Leningrad, simultaneously publishing English-language records, recording music for popular films, producing Viktor Tsoi and working on his own projects.

In the late 1980s, Grebenshchikov performed several times with concerts in the West (both his own and with the group).

Searching for yourself

The restless mood of the 1990s also affected Grebenshchikov's rock group. March 1991 marked last month collective, but after a few weeks it was announced the creation of a new group, where already familiar faces flashed - “BG-Band”.

The newly created group continued the idea of ​​Russian rock, marked by an unusual repertoire. Religious images began to appear in the group's performances Orthodox Church which was considered relevant and topical for the era of that time.

"BG-Band" was active in field activities. Having visited the largest cities of Russia and Ukraine, he held about two hundred bright and unforgettable concerts.

However, the ensemble did not last long. It was replaced by another group with the old name - "Aquarium", which after that changed its composition and repertoire several times.

Album list

The following is Boris Grebenshchikov's most prominent discography at the time:

• 1983 - "Radio Africa".
• 1984 - "Silver Day".
• 1986 - "Children of December".
• 1988 - Equinox.
• 1990 - "Black Rose".
• 1992 - "Archive".
• 1993 - "Babylon Library".
• 1994 - "Sands of Petersburg".
• 1995 - "Navigator".
• 1996 - "Snow Lion".
• 1997 - "Hyperborea".
• 2000 - "Territory".
• 2002 - "Sister Chaos".
• 2003 - "Songs of the fisherman".
• 2005 - "ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM".
• 2006 - "Careless Russian Tramp".
• 2007 — "Feudalism".
• 2008 - "White Horse".
• 2009 - "Pushkinskaya, 10".
• 2010 - "Day of Joy".
• 2010 - "Our life from the point of view of trees."
• 2010 — "Notes on Flora and Fauna".
• 2011 - "Arkhangelsk".
• 2012 — "The Secret History of Beekeeping".
• 2012 - "Aeronautics in the company of sphinxes".
• 2013 - "Aquarium +".
• 2016 - "Songs of the Unloved EP".

In addition, the singer has published several solo albums, impressing with their extraordinariness, courage and straightforwardness.

What is now remarkable about the biography of Boris Grebenshchikov?

Modern activities

At present, the outstanding musician is actively life position regarding the musical life of the country. He often gives concerts, appears on television and radio programs, writes books and acts in films.

A lot is known about the past and present personal life of Boris Grebenshchikov.

Personal life

The rock musician has been married several times. His first wife was Natalya Kozlovskaya, an engineer-economist by profession. The daughter of Boris Grebenshchikov from his first marriage, Alice, is now a famous film actress.

The second marriage was with an artist by education. From this union, the couple had a son, Gleb, who this moment works with his father in his famous band.

The third wife of Grebenshchikov, with whom he has been living for more than twenty years, is Irina Titova. Her children from her first marriage became the adopted children of a rock musician.

As you can see, each member of this large family is united by a love for music and art. And this is not surprising, because the father of the family is the famous and talented Boris Grebenshchikov!

Greetings to my dear readers! In the article "Boris Grebenshchikov: biography, Interesting Facts”- about the main stages of the life of a famous rock musician, composer and poet. For you interesting video.

Biography of Boris Grebenshchikov

His biography begins in the city of Leningrad. Borya was born on November 27, 1953. He can be called the founder of Russian rock music.

He grew up in a Soviet family of intellectuals. Mom worked at a research institute in the department of sociological research. His father was an engineer by profession scientific research, was subsequently appointed director of the plant in the Baltic Shipping Company.

All the childhood of the future musician was spent in the legendary city on the Neva. He studied at the prestigious city school number 421. After the 8th grade, he moved to a school with a mathematical bias. Back in his school years, the guy became interested in music, this hobby became

After graduating from school, the young man enters the University of Leningrad, choosing the faculty of applied mathematics. He continues to pursue his favorite hobby - music.

Together with Anatoly Gunitsky, who was his friend from school years, created musical group called Aquarium. Everything free time dedicate to what you love. The guys wrote songs mostly at home, and the tours were carried out very rarely.

The beginning of the creative path

In 1977, Boris graduated from the university and went to work at the research institute. Along the way with work, he continues to write songs, and sometimes organize concerts. Even though the USSR was closed country from many influences, including musical ones, after all, records with records foreign performers appeared here too.

Boris had them among the first. Thanks to his excellent knowledge of English, he knew the meaning of all the new songs well. The songs of Western artists were his guide in the world of music. In 1973, his team released their first album, Temptation of the Holy Aquarium.

The music performed by the group had no analogues in the musical field of that time. This was especially true of such a direction as rock. It was a completely new direction in music. Revolution of views and established stereotypes.

In 1978, together with Mark Naumenko and Mikhail Feinstein, they released the album All Brothers and Sisters. And 2 years later, the group performed at a rock festival held in Tbilisi.

For which later Grebenshchikov was expelled from the Komsomol. In addition, he was also deprived of his position, at that time he was a junior research fellow. And the existence of his group was in jeopardy. Formally, the Aquarium group was considered banned.

In 1981, Aquarium released the first real album, called the Blue Album. "Aquarium" was officially accepted into the rock club of the city of Leningrad.

Since that time, the group has been taking an active part in the ongoing rock festivals. A year later, Boris becomes the producer of the Kino group, working on the release of the first album, 45.

• 1987 - the first record went on sale in the USSR legendary band"Aquarium".
• 1991 - the group ceased to exist. A year later, Boris is gaining new composition groups.
• 2003 - Grebenshchikov was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree
• 2005 - work on the radio. Almost an hour on the air, Boris hosts an author's program called "Aerostat".

Boris Grebenshchikov has published several books, his music is used in many films and performances. He is fond of photography (several of his photo exhibitions were organized). talented person!

Personal life

The first time the musician married in 1976, Natalya Kozlovskaya. The marriage lasted 4 years. In marriage, a daughter, Alice, was born, who later became an actress

The second marriage was civil, with Lyudmila Shurygina. Family relationships lasted 9 years. In marriage, the son Gleb was born. Subsequently, he became a famous DJ.

The third marriage was with Irina Titova. The daughter Vasilisa appeared in the marriage, and the couple also raised their son Mark from Irina's first marriage. Now Mark has become a musician, Vasilisa an artist.

The musician has undergone two operations since 2006, one for vision correction, the second for heart bypass surgery. But he continues to actively engage in the business of his life - music. His height is 1.76 m, his zodiac sign is Sagittarius.

Boris Grebenshchikov and the 14th Dalai Lama

Grebenshchikov is a believer, but is not an adherent of any particular religion. At one time he became interested Studied Chinese and Indian philosophy. This was reflected in his music album"Refuge". It turned out great!

Boris Grebenshchikov: biography (video)

“God is light, and there is no darkness in him,” so sings Boris Grebenshchikov in the song "Day of Joy". Singer-intellectual, founder and permanent leader rock band "Aquarium", a spiritual practitioner and philosopher who chose Christian as a pseudonym abbreviation G-d, celebrates his birthday today, and we remember his work, loved by more than one generation of those who were born to the sounds of marches.

BG is a cult musician. Fans know that, despite the seeming simplicity, his work is multilayered and multifaceted. Writing like BG is not difficult at first glance, but feeling and living like him is not an easy task.

"Aquarium" was founded by Boris Grebenshchikov and poet Anatoly Gunitsky in 1972 (according to Gunitsky, the name of the group was given by analogy with the name of the beer bar "Aquarium", Grebenshchikov rejects this version, saying that the symbolic word flashed among a dozen other options by accident) , and the first years the group existed semi-basement, one could only dream of concerts and performances. The debut acoustic album was recorded in 1978, and two years later, Aquarium is on the list of banned groups (in fact, BG became the first Soviet punk), Grebenshchikov was expelled from the Komsomol and fired from his job. In a word, the musicians live through a history typical of the Soviet era.

Then there were years of underground work, forbidden concerts, apartment houses. In 1988, the group manages to travel to Montreal, where the musicians speak at a conference against nuclear war. The public likes their songs, but the band members do not receive a fee, the organizers compensate for travel expenses, although this was enough by the standards of that time. The following year, in America, Grebenshchikov manages to publish the first English-language album.

The composition of the Aquarium group changed several times, various musicians were involved in the studio work. BG is an experimenter in matters of form and content. In addition to collective and solo musical projects, he is busy with literature, filming a movie and playing in the theater, organizing personal photo exhibitions. A special place in his life is occupied by spiritual practices and translations of Buddhist books. By the way, about translations. AT Soviet years Grebenshchikov became famous for making the first translation of Tolkien's immortal saga "The Lord of the Rings".

Today, the Aquarium's piggy bank contains dozens of wonderful songs, some of which were written under the impression of real events that took place in the life of a musician. So, the song "This city is on fire" appeared in 1987. The musician composed it on the train, when, during a tour of the USSR, he saw oil rigs blazing outside the window like torches.

The versions of the creation of the song "212-85-06" are also interesting. So, according to one of them, this number really belonged to BG. True, the musician himself says that he came up with it arbitrarily, since the numbers fit well into the rhythm. The song quickly gained popularity, but the apartment in which this number was held was besieged by fans with calls. Someone constantly tried to call the number, and six months later the phone was simply forced to turn off.

But the history of the creation of the song is a separate mystery, which researchers have been arguing about for a long time.