Egor Letov is a Soviet and Russian musician, singer, poet, sound engineer and collage artist. He is rightly called the legend of rock music. Egor is a key person in the Siberian underground.
Fans remember the rocker as the founder and leader of the Civil Defense team. The presented group is not the only project in which the talented rocker showed himself.
Childhood and youth of Igor Letov
The artist's date of birth is September 10, 1964. He was born on the territory of the provincial Omsk. At birth, the boy received the name Igor. He was brought up in an ordinary Soviet family. Mom realized herself in medicine, and her father was first a military man, and then acted as secretary of the city district committee.
Igor was surrounded by music at its best. The fact is that Letov's older brother, Sergey, skillfully played several musical instruments. He worked in different styles, thanks to which Igor, like a "sponge", absorbed the peculiarities of the sound of various musical instruments.
The love for music was instilled in both sons by the head of the family. In his youth, he was a member of the choir of the Soviet army. The guys had good hearing. They effortlessly reproduced the recently heard melody.
In the 80s, Igor received his high school diploma. By the way, at school he was on good terms for knowledge, but on bad terms for behavior. He had his own opinion on everything, for which the guy repeatedly received remarks in the diary.
After finishing school, the young man moved to the Moscow region. He submitted his documents to a construction vocational school. During this period, the guy was actively interested in music, so his studies faded into the background. A year later, due to poor academic performance, he was expelled from the educational institution.
He had no choice but to return to his hometown. Upon returning to Omsk, he came to grips with the musical project "Sowing". From that moment on, he develops as a singer and musician without turning the other way.
He changes his style and hairstyle, and also takes a creative pseudonym. At first, he asked to call himself Yegor Dokhly, but after a while he realizes that the name sounds vulgar and trite. Letov comes to replace Dokhloma.
During this period of time, he tirelessly works at the tire and engine-building plants of his native town. As an artist, he painted portraits of Vladimir Lenin and propaganda posters for communist rallies and meetings.
Egor Letov: creative way
The team of Yegor Letov recorded the first musical works simply on magnetic albums. The creative process took place at the musicians' apartment. There was no question of any sound quality in this position, but the rocker did not give up and even made the "garage sound" the band's signature style. Even when he had the opportunity to record songs within the walls of a recording studio, he refused this offer.
Letov's early and late tracks are characterized by a unique artisanal sound. This was largely due to the musical preferences of the leader of the group. In a later interview, the musician will say that the formation of his musical tastes was influenced by the work of American bands of the 60s, which worked in the spirit of experimental, punk and psychedelic rock.
The Posev group lasted only a few years. Then Yegor dissolved the composition. He was not going to put an end to his musical career. Letov founded another project. He continued to work in the "garage" style. Gradually, the musician's affairs improved, and he even became the "father" of the recording studio "Grob-records".
The team released several chic LPs that were not allowed to the masses due to experiments with style and sound. The musicians "made" music that was on the verge of noise, psychedelic, punk and rock.
The peak of the popularity of Yegor Letov
Over time, the situation has changed radically, because "civil defense" burst out. Released compilations, underground concerts, records distributed by hand, as well as the inimitable and unique style of presenting musical material - brought the rockers stunning popularity among the youth of the USSR. From the mid-80s until his death, as part of "Grazhdanskaya Oborona", he recorded more than 15 studio albums.
The musician's first LPs deserve special attention. We are talking about the records "Mousetrap" and "Everything goes according to plan." He was a key member of the Civil Defense group. Egor took on the responsibility of a musician, performer and sound engineer.
At the end of the 80s, the album "Russian Field of Experiments" was presented to the attention of music lovers. The collection was "stuffed" with hits. During this period of time, he shared with fans solo albums - "Tops and Roots" and "Everything Like People".
Around the same period of time, the musician began to develop another project - the "Communism" collective. As part of the group, he released several bright, philosophical collections. He worked closely with Yanka Diaghileva. In the 90s, when the singer's life was cut short, Yegor released her last album, Shame and Shame.
In the 90s, he dissolved the Civil Defense. He explained his action quite simply. According to Letov, the team began to “make” pop music. The creativity of the group has completely outlived its usefulness. Egor put a fat cross on the development of Civil Defense, and he himself became interested in psychedelic rock.
Egor Letov plunged headlong into the development of the project "Egor and O ... resurrected." The band's discography has been replenished with two cool LPs. In 1993, he revived the "Civil Defense". Thus, Yegor was listed as a participant in both projects at once.
In subsequent years, he released records, some of which were composed of old songs in a "new way". "Civil Defense" actively toured. The band's last concert took place in 2008.
Egor Letov: details of his personal life
The personal life of Yegor Letov was as rich as the creative one. The artist definitely enjoyed success with the fairer sex. Girls fell in love with him not only due to musical talent. Many have described the rocker as highly intelligent and versatile.
He adored animals. Several cats lived in his house. He picked them up just in the yard. The rocker spent his free time from rehearsals and concerts as calmly as possible. He loved to read and "toned" bought interesting books.
The artist was officially married once, and several times he was in the so-called civil union. Alas, the talented musician left no heirs.
At the end of the 80s, he was in a relationship with a girl of a creative profession - Yanka Dyagileva. They got along well and interacted with each other. If not for the tragic death of the girl, it is quite possible that she would have become his wife. Together with Yanka, he recorded several worthy longplays.
Then he was in a serious relationship with Diaghileva's girlfriend, Anna Volkova. In his later interviews, Letov spoke of Anna as the love of his life. However, he never proposed to her. Several years of relationship ended in expense.
In 1997, Natalya Chumakova became his wife. They felt good about each other. The woman also realized herself in the creative profession. She played the bass guitar.
Death of Yegor Letov
He passed away on February 19, 2008. As a result of the examination, it became known that he died as a result of cardiac arrest. Somewhat later, information appeared that he died due to acute respiratory failure due to ethanol poisoning. Letov was buried at home. He rests near his mother's grave.
In September 2019, the tribute LP "Without Me" was released. The disc was released specifically for the birthday of the artist.
