Chaif is a Soviet, and later Russian group, originally from the provincial Yekaterinburg. At the origins of the team are Vladimir Shakhrin, Vladimir Begunov and Oleg Reshetnikov.
Chaif is a rock band that is recognized by millions of music lovers. It is noteworthy that the musicians still delight fans with performances, new songs and collections.
The history of the creation and composition of the Chaif group
For the name "Chayf" "fans" of the team should thank Vadim Kukushkin. Vadim is a poet and musician from the first composition, who came up with a neologism.
Kukushkin recalled that some residents of the North keep warm by brewing a strong tea drink. He combined the words "tea" and "high", and, thus, the name of the rock band "Chayf" was obtained.
As the musicians say, since the creation of the group, the team has its own “tea traditions”. The guys relax in their circle with a cup of warm drink. This is a ritual that musicians have carefully preserved for several decades.
The logo for the Chaif team was designed by the talented artist Ildar Ziganshin in the late 1980s. This artist, by the way, created the cover for the record "It's not a problem."
In 1994, the band presented the first acoustic album "Orange Mood" to music lovers. Soon this color became a "signature" and special for the musicians.
Fans of the Chaif group wore orange T-shirts, and even during the design of the stage, the workers used orange shades.
Chaif group №1
The fact that the Chaif group is No. 1 in popularity is evidenced by the fact that unscrupulous producers have repeatedly encroached on the name of the group.
In the early 2000s, Rospatent took away the Chaif trademark from Caravan. The group was 15 years old at the time the mark was registered.
The history of the team began in the distant 1970s. It was then that four friends who literally lived for music decided to create their own musical group, Pyatna.
Soon Vladimir Shakhrin, Sergey Denisov, Andrey Khalturin and Alexander Liskonog were joined by another participant - Vladimir Begunov.
Musicians began to perform at local events and school parties. Initially, the guys “re-sang” the tracks of foreign hits, and only later, having founded the Chaif group, the guys acquired an individual style.
And although the young people had plans to conquer the Russian stage, they had to conquer the construction technical school, and after the presentation of diplomas, the guys were assigned to the army.
The creative activity of the Pyatna group has remained in the distant, but pleasant past. In the early 1980s, Vladimir Shakhrin returned from the army.
He managed to get a job at a construction site. There, in fact, there was an acquaintance with Vadim Kukushkin and Oleg Reshetnikov.
At that time, Shakhrin fell in love with the work of the rock bands Aquarium and Zoo. He persuaded new acquaintances to create a new group. Soon Begunov, who had just served in the army, also joined the guys.
In 1984, the musicians released their debut album. But music lovers did not appreciate the efforts of newcomers. To many, it seemed "insipid" due to the poor quality of the recording. Soon the other members of the Pyatna group joined the new team.
In the mid-1980s, the band released several acoustic albums at once. Soon the records were combined into a single collection, called "Life in pink smoke."
In 1985, the musicians performed their tracks at the House of Culture. Many remembered the name of the group and their bright performance.
September 25, 1985 - the date of the founding of the legendary rock band Chaif.
Composition and changes in it
Of course, the line-up has changed over the course of more than 30 years of the group's life. However, Vladimir Shakhrin, guitarist Vladimir Begunov and drummer Valery Severin have been in the group since its inception.
In the mid-1990s, Vyacheslav Dvinin joined the Chaif group. He still plays with other musicians today.
Vadim Kukushkin, who got the place of vocalist and guitarist, left the group because he received a summons to the army.
After serving, Vadim created his own project, which was called "Kukushkin Orchestra", and in the 1990s he created the project "Naughty on the Moon".
In 1987, Oleg Reshetnikov, who was listed in the original line-up, decided to leave the group. Soon the talented bass player Anton Nifantiev left. Anton focused on other projects.
Drummer Vladimir Nazimov also left the band. He decided to try his luck in the Butusov group. He was replaced by Igor Zlobin.
Music by Chaif
Interestingly, the journalist and writer Andrei Matveev, who adored heavy music, visited the first professional concert of the Chaif group.
The impressions that Andrei received from the performance of young musicians were remembered for a long time. He even recorded one of them in writing, calling Shakhrin the Ural Bob Dylan.
In 1986, the Russian team could be seen on the stage of the Sverdlovsk rock club. The performance of the group was out of competition. The work of the band was appreciated by both ordinary listeners and professional musicians.
It is impossible to deny the fact that the band's popularity was largely due to the bass player Anton Nifantiev. The electric sound he created was perfect.
In the same 1986, the musicians added a second studio album to the group's discography.
Tours to the Soviet Union
A year later, the Chaif group for the first time gave a concert not in their hometown, but throughout the Soviet Union. The band was first heard live at the Riga Music Festival. It is noteworthy that in Riga the musicians received an award from the audience.
In the same year, the musicians released several records at once, thanks to which the group gained popular love. In support of two albums, the musicians went on a big tour.
In 1988, Igor Zlobin (drummer) and Pavel Ustyugov (guitarist) joined the band. Now the band's music has acquired a completely different "hue" - it has become "heavier".
To confirm this statement, it is enough to listen to the musical composition "The Best City in Europe".
In the 1990s, the discography of the Chaif group already included 7 studio and several acoustic albums. The rock band was out of competition.
The guys have gained a multimillion-dollar army of fans. They participated in the music festival "Rock Against Terror", organized by the management of the TV company "VID".
In 1992, the musicians became almost the main "decoration" of the Rock of Pure Water festival. In addition, the group performed at the Luzhniki complex at a concert in memory of Viktor Tsoi, who died in 1990.
In the same year, the group's discography was replenished with the disc "Let's Get Back" with the hit "From the War". A little time passed, and the Chaif group released its calling card. We are talking about the song "No one will hear" ("Oh-yo").
In the early 2000s, the musicians did not rest. The Chaif group released the Sympathy album, which included author's arrangements of popular tracks by Soviet bards and rock musicians. The hit of the collection was the composition "Don't sleep, Seryoga!".
How did you celebrate the band's 15th anniversary?
In 2000, the team celebrated its third major anniversary - 15 years since the creation of the group. About 20 thousand fans came to congratulate their favorite musicians. This year, the musicians presented a new album, "Time Doesn't Wait".
In 2003, the band's soloists invited a string group and ten colleagues from other bands to record the disc "48". This musical experiment was very successful.
In 2005, the Chaif group celebrated another anniversary - 20 years since the creation of the legendary group. In honor of the significant event, the musicians released the disc "Emerald". The musicians celebrated their anniversary at the Olimpiysky sports complex.
In 2006, the band's discography expanded the discography with the album "From Myself", and in 2009 the band presented the second album of arrangements, "Friend / Alien".
The release of collections, as always, was accompanied by concerts. Musicians released video clips for some songs.
In 2013, the Chaif group released the album Cinema, Wine and Dominoes. And a year later, the team announced that for the time being they were suspending tours and concerts. The musicians were preparing for the meeting of the next anniversary.
Interestingly, the soloists of the legendary group sacredly honor the place where they began their creative career. The guys started from Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg).
In November 2016, the soloists of the Chaif group visited their native Yekaterinburg. On the day of the city, the musicians performed the composition "Living Water" on the square. A song based on the verses of the literary critic and poet Ilya Kormiltsev.
The audience of the Chaif group is intelligent and adult people who continue to be interested in the work of their favorite group. "Shanghai Blues", "Upside Down House", "Heavenly DJ" - these songs do not have an expiration date.
These and other musical compositions are hummed with pleasure by fans of the rock band at live performances of musicians.
Chaif group today
The rock band is not going to "lose ground". In 2018, it became known that the musicians were preparing a new album. Vladimir Shakhrin announced this good news to his fans.
By the end of spring, the musicians completed the work, presenting to the fans a collection called "A Bit Like the Blues".
In 2019, the 19th studio album "Words on Paper" appeared. The collection includes 9 songs, including those previously released as singles and videos: "Whose tea is hot", "Everything is a Bond girl", "What we did last year" and "Halloween".
In 2020, the group turned 35 years old. The Chaif group decided to celebrate this event pompously. For their fans, the musicians will hold an anniversary tour "War, Peace and ...".
In 2021, the musicians of the Russian rock band presented the third part of the Orange Mood LP. The new collection "Orange Mood-III" topped 10 tracks. Some of the works were written during the quarantine period.
