Mikhail Krug: biography and interesting facts from life. Famous chanson performer

Mikhail Yurievich Vorobyov

Born in the old district of the city of Kalinin (now Tver), which was called "Morozovsky town", now has the name "Proletarka Yard" about which the song "My dear city" was written.
Mikhail wrote his first poems at the age of 14, which he dedicated to his classmate. At that time, Mikhail's idol was V.S. Vysotsky. After the army, Mikhail, impressed by his songs, began to play the guitar and sing in his style.
Mikhail graduated from school No. 39 on Sominka in the city of Tver by profession as an auto repairman. Coming from the army, Mikhail got married, his wife's parents insisted that he go to college, as their daughter graduated with honors from the institute of light industry, and his education did not correspond to their principles. In 1987, Mikhail successfully enters the institute, where he learns about the author's song contest, takes part in it and takes first place. After that, he is seriously engaged in songwriting, but E.I. played a significant role in this. Klyachkin, who was the chairman of the jury at the 8th author's song festival, where he saw the hidden talent in Mikhail, and said: "Misha, you need to work ...".
Mikhail recorded his first album "Tver Streets" at the Tver studio, then the second album "Katya" was recorded, and the third album without a name, all of them had no release, but were stolen and pirated. Almost all the songs from these albums were rewritten and sung in the albums: "Green Prosecutor", "Madam", "Rose", "Mouse". In 1994, the first official album "Zhigan-Lemon" was released.
The ring with three diamonds, which he always wore, was given to him by the thief in law Hobot.
Mikhail takes thieves' expressions for his songs from a 1924 dictionary for internal use by the NKVD, which he acquired by accident.
On March 27, 1998, at the Cosmos Hotel, Mikhail participated in the Ovation Award and received it in the Russian Chanson nomination.

On the night of June 30 to July 1, 2002, an attack was made on Krug's house in Tver. The criminals shot several times at the singer, mortally wounding him. The singer's wife, mother-in-law and child, who were in the house, were not injured. Mikhail Krug died the same night after an operation in a hospital in Tver.

If we talk about chanson, then one of its favorite and popular representatives to this day is Mikhail Krug. The biography, personal life and creative path of the star are replete with many interesting facts.

Childhood, youth and activities before show business

The future idol of millions was born in the city of Kalinin on 04/07/1962 in the family of a civil engineer and accountant, where a daughter was already growing up. His real name is Vorobyov. As a child, he was distinguished by an obstinate, hooligan disposition. He did not like to study, he often skipped classes. The music school, where Mikhail studied accordion, was abandoned by him.

Even at the age of six, the boy became seriously interested in Vysotsky, and later performed his songs with the guitar. Once this caused a loud scandal at school. He began writing poetry at the age of 14.

Having received a certificate, Mikhail studied at the Kalinin vocational school as a repairman. Then there was the army, and after it - work as a driver. He tried to study at the Polytechnic Institute, but dropped out.

creative path

Vorobyov's first success dates back to 1987, when he won an author's song contest. Around the same time he became the Circle, taking a pseudonym. The debut albums "Tverskaya Streets" and "Katya" were not legally issued, so most of the songs became the property of plagiarists. Later, Krug recorded them again and included them on new discs.

Fame came to the bard after the release of the album "Zhigan-Lemon" in the 94th. In addition to the prison chanson, there were many beautiful lyrical things here. In the same year, a documentary film was made about Mikhail, and since 1997 his performances abroad (Germany, USA, Israel, etc.) began. The singer began to perform not only his own things, but also other composers. He also got a soloist.

For his most popular song, Vladimirsky Central, Krug was awarded the 1998 Ovation Prize. He was killed in his house in Tver in 2002 by unknown persons. The crime remains unsolved.

Personal life

Like many stars, Mikhail Krug did not advertise his biography, personal life, children too much. But now it is already known that the singer's first love was a girl named Marina, with whom he did not work out - she did not wait for a guy from the army.

In 1987, Krug got married. His wife Svetlana became the musician's first producer and gave him a son, Dmitry, in 1988. But when the boy was one year old, the marriage broke up. Svetlana could not stand the constant betrayal of her husband and his alcohol abuse. Krug sued his son from his wife; Mikhail's mother was mainly involved in his upbringing.

The second wife of the Circle was the waitress Irina, whom the musician met in one of the restaurants. The girl was 14 years younger than him, but already had a broken marriage and a little daughter behind her. In the summer of 2002, the couple had a son, Alexander, and a month later, Mikhail Krug was killed.

The firstborn of the star graduated from the cadet corps and the University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in St. Petersburg. Today Dmitry works in the police. Lives with his grandmother who raised him. The youngest son Alexander is brought up by his mother. After the death of Mikhail, Irina took his pseudonym and performs the songs of her deceased husband. Largely thanks to her, the work of the bard has not yet lost its popularity.

Mikhail Krug, the famous chansonnier and songwriter, was killed on July 1, 2002 in his home in Tver. Five more people were with him at that moment: his wife, mother-in-law, daughter and two sons, one of whom was barely a month old. Before the tragic events, the Circle rested in one of the Tver entertainment venues. Returned home shortly before the attack.

Robbery

One of the versions for what reason Mikhail Vladimirovich could have been killed is a banal robbery. This version is official. Krug, shortly before his death, finished the album "Confession". Just the other day he expected to receive a large fee for this work. Probably, someone was aware of this, and this "someone" decided to take advantage of the situation.

He led the bandits to the house of Mikhail Vladimirovich, but at the same time did not guess exactly with the most successful time of the robbery. The thieves were supposed to rob the Krug's dwelling when he was not at home. But the famous chansonnier returned earlier than expected and found himself right in the center of events.

The murder took place on the night of June 30, approximately after 23:00. The first to suffer was his mother-in-law, who at that time was closest to the door. Then his wife Irina was wounded. Krug ran out to the screams of women and the sound of gunfire. He received 2 bullets, from which he died already in the morning in the Tver hospital.

The version of the robbery is supported not only by the official authorities, but also by people who respected Mikhail Vladimirovich and believed that he could not be treated badly in criminal circles. In their opinion, only a fatal combination of circumstances caused the death of the man who wrote the song "Vladimirsky Central".

contract killing

A different opinion is shared by those who knew a little more about Mikhail Krug and his contacts with the Tver criminals. One eloquent fact testifies to the fact that the murder of the Circle could have been a custom-made discharge. Krug's wife Irina later identified one of the attackers that night. It turned out to be someone A. Ageev, a member of the Tver criminal group "Tver Wolves".

The members of this gang were widely known in Tver precisely as executors of contract killings. This was their profile. The fact that, under the guise of a robbery, Krug was shot in his own house by a man who traded in contract killings, speaks volumes. Despite suspicions, it was not possible to find out the motives and details of the crime in 2002 (or it was not profitable for someone).

Details 10 years after the crime

A decade later, some details of this case began to emerge. One of the criminals, sentenced to life imprisonment, testified. He said for the first time directly about what many suspected back in 2002: Mikhail Krug was destroyed by order.

Some details of the case reopened in September 2012 became known to the press. It turned out that in the spring of 2003, a “showdown” took place between the members of the gangster group. Someone A. Osipov, a killer nicknamed “Volkov”, shot dead another bandit, D. Veselov, nicknamed “Vesel”, in the wilderness outside the city.

Osipov received from the future victim compromising information on some major authority that stood in the way of another gang. But the killer had another reason to shoot Veselov. He wanted to avenge Krug, who was killed in 2002. It turned out that Veselov knew the "customer". They were the crime boss Kostenko.

Didn't want to pay

At the time of the heyday of his popularity, the Circle received very good fees. Kostenko demanded that the singer pay him a "share" from each concert. Mikhail Vladimirovich refused to pay tribute. For this, Kostenko brought thieves-killers to his house. The goal was not a robbery, but to intimidate the singer so that he would become more accommodating. Racket - the cause of many murders in the 90s - put an end to the life of Mikhail Vladimirovich Krug.

Chansonnier suffered only because he was at home at the wrong time. The killers were forced to shoot him. Soon, the killer of the Circle himself was in the grave. His bones were found only 10 years later, on a tip from one "life-sentenced" member of the Tver Wolves gang. In the criminal environment, Mikhail Krug was respected, and therefore they avenged his murder, without waiting for proceedings from the authorities. That's the way it is in this environment.

Mikhail Krug, whose biography, unfortunately, is too short, did not dream of a great career as a musician. He just loved music very much and could not imagine his life without it. From a young age, he began to play the guitar and sing songs of his own composition.

Mikhail Krug: biography

A detailed history of his life has already been described by many admirers of his talent, but today we will try to consider the main points of his work and The future artist was born in Tver in 1962 on April 7th. His song "My dear city" was written about these native places. The real name of the famous artist is Vorobyov. From the age of six, Mikhail was very fond of listening to the songs of Vladimir Vysotsky, and at eleven, having learned to play the guitar, he successfully sang them. At the age of fourteen, he wrote his first poems for a classmate, for whom he had warm feelings. As his relatives and childhood friends recall, Mikhail studied very poorly at school, often ran away from classes and was a real bully. For some time he studied at the music school to play the button accordion, but when he got bored, he dropped out. After eight classes of a comprehensive school, the future artist was educated as a repairman at the Tver School No. 39. Then he served in the army, worked as a driving instructor at a military school.

Mikhail Krug: biography - the beginning of a musical career

After the army, Mikhail decided to get married. But the bride's parents set a condition for him - to get a higher education, since their daughter is educated, and in their husbands they are ready to see only a person equal to her. Mikhail enters the institute, where in 1987 he participates in the competition of the author's song and wins. This was the first impetus for serious work in the field of music. Soon Mikhail quits his job as an instructor and institute and devotes all his energy and time to creativity. So a new star of Russian chanson appeared - Mikhail Krug. The artist's biography contains information that by 1996, when his first concert took place, he had already released four albums. Almost all of the songs from them were dedicated to a girl named Marina, whom he loved with his first pure youthful love.

Mikhail Krug: biography - personal life

The artist was married twice: the first time in 1986, the second - in 2000. His wife Svetlana convinced him to make his work available to everyone and thus pushed him to success. She helped him in every possible way - she became the first producer of her husband and sewed costumes for concerts by hand. In 1988, she gave birth to his son, Dmitry, and the next they parted because of Mikhail's wild life. In 2000, the artist married for the second time to Irina, who later took her husband's pseudonym - Krug - and performed with him. In 2002, she gave birth to his son Alexander.

Mikhail Krug: biography - a tragic end

For the entire short period of his work, Mikhail Krug visited many countries of Europe and the former USSR with performances, starred in several films. In 1998 he received the Ovation Award, earned the unspoken title of "King of Russian Chanson". But it was abruptly and tragically ended - Mikhail Krug was killed. It happened on the night of the first of July in 2002 in his own house. One of the versions of his murder was a robbery. The fact is that he was loved not only by ordinary citizens, but also by the so-called thieves in law, one of whom gave him an expensive ring with three diamonds. According to the investigators, it was behind him on that fateful night that the thieves made their way into his house. The artist's mother-in-law was wounded, his wife was frightened, while Mikhail, having received several, died on the morning of July 1 in the hospital. In 2008, a gang called the Tver Wolves, which, according to investigators, was related to the death of the Circle, was arrested. In one of the members of the group, Mikhail's wife, Irina, identified the killer, who was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Mikhail Krug (real name Vorobyov) is a Russian bard, chanson performer and, according to fans, "the king of Russian chanson." The author of the most popular composition in this genre is the song "Vladimirsky Central". His life was cut short by a bullet fired at him in his own house by robbers. For many years, the murder of Krug and its customer were unknown, but in 2019 new details appeared in the case that helped to identify the killers.

Childhood and youth

Mikhail Vladimirovich Vorobyov was born in the city of Kalinin (now Tver) on April 7, 1962. His father, Vladimir Mikhailov, worked as an engineer at a carriage building plant, and his mother, Zoya Petrovna, worked at a cotton mill. Mikhail became the second child in the Vorobyov family, whose daughter Olga was already growing up.

Misha Vorobyov spent his childhood and youth in the old proletarian district of Morozovskiy Gorodok, about which he later wrote the song “My Dear City”. These were old barracks, heated with peat. They lived in poverty, but together. Little Misha was different from the dejected life of the inhabitants of the microdistrict: he constantly joked, amused adults, he was still a tomboy. Later, my father was given an apartment on Ordzhonikidze Street, but memories of childhood in the Morozov barracks remained with Mikhail for life.

At the music school, the boy learned to play the button accordion, but he completed his education. In a secondary school, Vorobyov studied poorly, and, as his relatives and friends recall, he constantly skipped classes.

The teachers bombarded the student Vorobyov with remarks: his classmates could have one, maximum two remarks, and he once accumulated as many as 47: either he didn’t say hello to the teacher, or he didn’t bring the shift. When my mother wanted to know the reason for this behavior, Misha took a pose: “I don’t greet her, because she is unfair!”

Michael always took the side of truth and justice. Although he was considered the first bully in the class, at the same time he was the most sympathetic and caring student. He was the first to go out on subbotniks, and many years after graduation from school he was the only one who visited his first teacher.

At the age of six, Mikhail first heard the songs of Vladimir Vysotsky and immediately fell in love with the work of this poet and musician. This passion helped Misha fall in love with music lessons. At the age of 11, the boy had already mastered the guitar, and when he was 14, he wrote his first poems, which he dedicated to a classmate. Once at school, Mikhail sang the song of his idol Vysotsky, after which a scandal erupted.

Having received a certificate of maturity, the future musician went to the Kalinin School and received the profession of a car mechanic there, and then was called up for military service in the Sumy region of Ukraine.

Upon returning from the army, Mikhail continued to sing songs, imitating Vysotsky. From 1986 to 1993, Vorobyov worked as a driver at various enterprises. From one of his jobs, at a dairy plant, he was fired: he lost his temper when he learned that fat milk for party officials was poured into some cans, and water was poured into those that were intended for ordinary residents of Tver. He changed the cans, but the deceit was revealed.

Then, for a short time, Mikhail was the head of the city motorcade. Office work quickly bored him, and he returned to the driver's seat, where he worked until 1996. By that time, he could already earn a living exclusively by music.

creative path

In 1987, Mikhail was sent from work to study at the Polytechnic University, which, however, he soon abandoned. In the same year, he decided to take part in the author's song contest, where he performed his composition "About Afghanistan" and won first place.

The first victory gave him more confidence, and he took up songwriting seriously. The bard Sergei Klyachkin, who was the chairman of the festival, also pushed him to work. The musician appreciated Vorobyov's talent and said to the debutant: "Misha, you need to work ...". The novice bard chose the pseudonym Mikhail Krug.

Why Krug? We do not know the exact answer to this question, but we will quote the words of his mother:

He liked this figure. He told me: "If you stand in the center of the circle, then you will be equally removed from any point." And thirdly, as in fairy tales: "If there is any trouble, draw a circle around you - and you are safe."

However, there is an opinion that Mikhail Krug named himself after the hero from his favorite Soviet TV series "Resident's Mistake".

In 1989, Krug released his first album, Tver Streets. A year later, the second album appeared under the name "Katya" and the third - without a name at all. However, none of these records was released officially - all dispersed throughout Russia in a pirated way. Later, Krug himself re-recorded almost all the compositions from the albums on his next records.

Mikhail Krug - "Zhigan-lemon"

In 1994, a new album of the artist appeared - "Zhigan-Lemon", which became a turning point in the fate of the musician. Despite the fact that the name of the disc refers to the criminal theme, not only thieves, but also lyrical compositions were recorded on it. "Zhigan-Lemon" was subsequently reissued several times, and it was this album that became Mikhail Krug's symbolic invasion of Russian musical and poetic culture.

In 1994, a documentary film "Bard Mikhail Krug" was filmed about the musician, which was shown on the Kultura TV channel only in 1999. For some time, Krug was simply not allowed on television - the musician's videos began to be broadcast only in 1996. The first viewers saw the video for the song "It was yesterday."

“It was yesterday” - the first clip of Mikhail Krug

Mikhail Krug performed abroad for the first time in 1997 - at the Russian Chanson in Germany festival, he sang with the Zhemchuzhny brothers. At that concert, Krug performed four songs, one of them - "Madame" - in a guitar version. In the same year, a new soloist Svetlana Ternova began working with Mikhail Krug.

In 1998, Russian migrants in American cities got acquainted with the work of the Russian performer, and in 2000 the musician went on a tour of Israel. Mikhail Krug very often gave charity concerts, performed for free in prisons.

It is worth noting that the artist himself has never sat in places not so remote.

Usually Krug sang songs of his own authorship, but Alexander Belolebedinsky wrote a number of compositions for him. These are “I went through Siberia”, “The process is over”, “Hello, mother”, “Sparks in the fireplace”, “Cry, violin (In every city)”, “Khaim” and “Student”. These songs were previously performed by Arkady Severny. But "Svetochka" was written by Leonid Efremov - the Circle only slightly changed the text of the original.

The most popular and beloved among fans was Mikhail's song "Vladimirsky Central", which became one of the most famous compositions of Russian chanson in general. For the first time the song sounded in the album "Madame" (1998). There is an assumption that it is dedicated to the kingpin Sasha Severny.

Mikhail Krug - "Vladimir Central" (concert at Luzhniki, 2000)

In March 1998, Mikhail Krug received the Ovation Award in the Russian Chanson nomination. And in the fall of 1999, the musician entered the "Musical Ring" together with Sergei Trofimov and defeated his colleague in a friendly duel. In the same year, the singer took second place in the Russian Chanson competition. At that time, he became one of the most popular artists in the country, although the attitude towards his work among different circles of society was ambiguous - the creative intelligentsia called the success of the Circle a symbol of the crisis of Russian culture in a difficult time for the country.

Personal life of Mikhail Krug

The first love of Mikhail Krug was called Marina. The young man spent all the pennies he earned on her. She promised to wait for him from the army, but did not keep her word. For the first time, Mikhail married after serving in the army. The wife's name was Svetlana. She was a seamstress, and they met through a mutual friend. But family life was short-lived: the wife did not like that her husband often came home drunk, and her intelligent parents did not tire of reminding her that a graduate of a vocational school was not a match for her. In 1988, Mikhail Krug divorced his wife and sued her son Dmitry - he decided to raise the child on his own.

In 2000, Krug married a second time. His chosen one was a waitress from Chelyabinsk, Irina, with whom he, a client of the restaurant, fell in love at first sight. To constantly be close to this beautiful woman, the musician offered her a job as a dresser, but at first the girl refused. But, having weighed all the pros and cons, Irina later accepted a job offer and for a year simply fulfilled her tasks and toured with the Circle. The musician rented her a one-room apartment in Moscow and helped her financially in every possible way.

Finally, in 2001, Irina married Mikhail. She already had a daughter from another marriage, Marina, whom Krug took under his care and began to raise as his own. In 2002, a common child appeared in the family - son Alexander.

By the way, the musician was an adherent of monarchist political beliefs, a conservative and a homophobe, he supported the Domostroevsky way of life in the family and was disgusted with feminism. He considered the Russian stage "the dominance of people of non-traditional sexual orientation." Krug was a member of the LDPR and one of the assistants to its leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky.

Death

On the night of June 30 to July 1, 2002, in the Tver village of Mamulino, the artist's house was attacked. At that moment, in addition to the singer, his wife, mother-in-law and children were in the house. Two unknown people entered the third floor of the house, attacked the artist's mother-in-law and began to inflict bodily harm on her. Krug himself and his wife Irina came running to the screams of the woman. Then the criminals opened fire on them. Irina was able to escape, and Mikhail, who covered her from bullets, received two severe wounds and lost consciousness. In the confusion, the attackers managed to escape, finally shooting the dog.

The circle came to its senses and was able to get to the neighbor Vadim Rusakov, where Irina fled. The man took the musician to the Tver city hospital. At this time, the police were already working at the scene, and the doctors were helping the musician's mother-in-law. Fortunately, the children were not hurt.

A farewell memorial service was held on July 3. On the last journey, the musician was seen off by the whole world. Not only colleagues came to say goodbye, but also representatives of the authorities. The funeral ceremony stretched for several kilometers. Mikhail Krug was buried at the Dmitrovo-Cherkassky cemetery.

Consequences and memory

After the death of her husband, Irina began performing under the pseudonym Irina Krug. Most of her repertoire is songs dedicated to the memory of her late husband.

Irina Krug - To you, my last love.

Mikhail's eldest son, Dmitry Vorobyov, was barely 14 when the bard was killed. Relatives were worried that the loss of his father would have a negative impact on the teenager and decided to transfer him to the cadet corps. Of course, at first the boy did not understand - what was the punishment for a man who had just lost his father? But he quickly got involved and even fell in love with the cadet life. Subsequently, he graduated with honors from the St. Petersburg University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and became a policeman.

Dmitry looks like his father in appearance, but not in character: he is a very reserved person, does not play the guitar, does not sing, and avoids communicating with the press. However, relatives say that in the circle of loved ones he changes: he jokes, smiles, and is always ready to help.

The youngest son of Mikhail Krug, Alexander, does not remember his father, like that ill-fated night. According to the press, the boy officially took the surname Krug, as his mother Irina wanted. Unlike his brother, Sasha loves attention: he leads Instagram, which is subscribed to by several thousand people, sometimes participates in talk shows. Outwardly, he clearly went to his mother.

In 2007, a bronze monument was erected to Mikhail Krug on Radishchev Boulevard in Tver. A Russian bard and chansonnier sits on a bench and rests his hands on a guitar, next to him is a free place where everyone can sit down and take a picture. Funds for the installation of the monument were collected by the Mikhail Krug Foundation, which was headed by his older sister, Olga Medvedeva.

Krug murder investigation

The most different versions of the murder appeared one after another. Producer Vadim Tsyganov suggested that it was a banal robbery attempt. On the eve of the murder, the musician, together with Vika Tsyganova, Vadim's wife, recorded the disc "Vladimirsky Central-2" and was supposed to receive a large fee. According to another version, the artist became a victim of a planned and, possibly, even contract killing.

The case of the murder of the musician moved forward only in 2008: in Tver, the Tver Wolves gang was arrested, possibly related to the murder of the Circle. In one of its participants - Alexander Ageev - the widow of the musician Irina identified the killer of her husband. However, his involvement could not be proven. Ageev received a life sentence, but for other crimes. The case was suspended out of desperation.

Mikhail Krug: murder solved?

2019 brought new leads. An investigative experiment was conducted in the Krug's house. Two members of the Tver Wolves gang, Dmitry Veselov and the same Ageev, testified. It turned out that one of the local crime bosses, nicknamed Scrap, gave them the order to rob Mikhail Krug. He believed that the modest house of the chansonnier was stuffed with antiques and jewelry.

The bandits thought that there was no one at home, but in the midst of the search for valuables, Mikhail's family returned home. The criminals hid on the top floor and were taken by surprise by Mikhail's mother-in-law. The men hit her with the butt of a pistol and tried to escape, but on the way out they ran into Krug. Fleeing, Veselov shot the musician twice. The wound turned out to be fatal.

Veselov is no longer alive. A year later, he was shot by another native of the Tver Wolves, an admirer of the work of Mikhail Krug Alexei Osinov. Now he is serving a life sentence. Since Ageev is already serving a life sentence, and also because of the statute of limitations for the attempted theft (his offense was included in this article), his punishment has not changed. The criminal case has been closed. Mikhail's mother never found out the names of her son's killers - she died of a heart attack in January 2018. Irina Krug thanked the staff of the Investigative Committee for solving the case.