Iosif Kobzon: Biography of the artist

The vital energy of the Soviet and Russian artist Iosif Kobzon was envied by millions of viewers.

He was active in civil and political activities.

But, of course, Kobzon's work deserves special attention. The singer spent most of his life on stage.

Kobzon's biography is no less interesting than his political statements. Until the last days of his life, he was in the center of attention of journalists.

Journalists analyzed his statements for quotes. Kobzon is a real storehouse of comments for reviewers.

Childhood and youth of Joseph Kobzon

Iosif Davydovich Kobzon was born in 1937 in the small provincial town of Chasov Yar, which is located in the Donetsk region.

In adolescence, Joseph was left without a father.

The breadwinner left his family and went to another woman.

Kobzon's mother, Ida, was left alone with the child. And in order to somehow feed her family, Ida begins to grow tobacco and make money on it.

Shortly before the birth of Joseph, Ida was chosen as a people's judge. Repeatedly, the artist said that his mother was a real authority and life adviser for him.

He is grateful to his mother for a happy childhood and the formation of a strong character.

The childhood of the future artist was quite eventful. He was born a little earlier than the Great Patriotic War began.

The Kobzon family repeatedly changed their place of residence. The father was called to the war. He was seriously injured.

After being wounded, Kobzon's father was sent for rehabilitation to a military hospital. There he met another woman, for whom he left his wife and children.

In addition to Joseph himself, three more children were growing up in the family. In 1944, the family, who lived in Lvov, again moved to the Donetsk region, to the city of Kramatorsk.

It was in Kramatorsk that Joseph went to first grade. Mom remarried during this period. Joseph warmly remembered his stepfather, who was able to replace his own father.

This marriage brought the future People's Artist of the USSR two more half-brothers.

The Kobzon family spent some time in Kramatorsk. Then they changed their place of residence to Dnepropetrovsk.

Here, young Joseph graduated from high school with honors and became a student at the Dnepropetrovsk Mining College. In college, Joseph became very interested in boxing.

He played this sport until he got seriously injured. Then Kobzon changed the arena to the stage. The listeners were able to get acquainted with the beautiful baritone of the young singer.

The beginning of the creative career of Joseph Kobzon

In 1956, Joseph was called to repay his debt to the Motherland. Surprisingly, it was here that the creative potential of Kobzon began to unfold.

Until the end of the 50s, young Joseph was listed in the song and dance ensemble of the Transcaucasian military circle.

After serving in the army, Kobzon returned to a family that lived on the territory of Dnepropetrovsk. In the local Palace of Students, Joseph met his first mentor.

We are talking about Leonid Tereshchenko, who at that time held the position of head of the choir. Leonid understood that Joseph was a real nugget, whose talent he had to discover.

Leonid began to prepare Kobzon according to his own program for admission to the conservatory.

Leonid also made sure that his student did not starve, because he understood that Joseph came from an ordinary family.

Tereshchenko attached Kobzon to the Institute of Chemical Technology. Here, a young man earned extra money by wiping gas masks in a bomb shelter with a special substance.

Tereshchenko guessed that Joseph would make a good singer, but he had no idea that his student would soon become a real Soviet star.

In 1959, Iosif Kobzon was the soloist of the All-Union Radio. The young singer held this position for four years.

Work on the All-Union Radio allowed Kobzon to form a unique manner of performance, thanks to which the singer will be recognized without seeing his face.

This is a harmonious combination of bel canto technique and ease.

Since the mid-60s, performing on stage, attending music festivals and competitions have become an integral part of the artist's life.

The young singer is sent to the international competition "Friendship". The competition was held on the territory of socialist countries.

In Warsaw, Budapest and Berlin, Kobzon breaks the first places, and, accordingly, a standing ovation.

Already in 1986, the singer became the People's Artist of the USSR. Perhaps, at that time in the USSR there was not a single person who was not familiar with the name of Joseph Kobzon.

Since that time, the popularity of the Soviet singer begins to grow exponentially.

Since 1985, Joseph Kobzon has mastered the profession of a teacher. Now he teaches for students of the Gnesinka. The artist had a lot of talented students, among which the brightest Valentina Legkostupova, Irina Otieva, Valeria.

Iosif Kobzon led an active tour. But most importantly, the singer did not ignore communication with ordinary workers.

So, he spoke at almost all Soviet construction sites, before the military contingent in Afghanistan and the liquidators at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

Joseph said that communication with ordinary workers gives him the strength to move on and charges him with the “right” life energy.

The singer's repertoire includes more than 3000 songs. Among them are many top compositions of the 30s, which were previously performed by Claudia Shulzhenko, Isabella Yuryeva, Vadim Kozin and Konstantin Sokolsky.

Despite the fact that in 2017 the singer turned 80 years old, he was an active guest of various music shows. We are talking about the programs "Song of the Year" and "Blue Light".

From time to time Joseph appeared in unexpected duets with young performers.

So, in 2016, at the Blue Light, he performed with one of the most enviable grooms in Russia - Yegor Creed. His joint compositions with the Republic group became interesting and unusual.

Many admirers of the work of Joseph Kobzon like the musical composition "Daughter". The composition literally permeates the listener with its lyrics.

The song "Evening Table", which Joseph performed in a duet with Alexander Rosenbaum and Leps, remains one of the favorites for many.

However, the visiting card of the artist, despite the fact that he is no longer with us, remains "Moment". The musical composition sounded in the film "Seventeen Moments of Spring".

It is difficult to find another singer who could perform the song so sensually and soulfully.

Personal life of Joseph Kobzon

In the personal life of Joseph Kobzon, not everything was as good as in his creative career.

There were three women in the life of the great artist. And yes, they were incredibly beautiful, talented and charismatic.

The first wife of the master was Veronika Kruglova.

They got married in 1965. Veronica, like her husband, was an incredibly popular singer of the time. Her songs “Top-top, the baby is stomping”, as well as “I don’t see anything, I don’t hear anything”, the whole country sang.

Glory, popularity, tours ... There was no time left for only one thing - for the arrangement of everyday life and family life.

The couple broke up without building a real family. Neither for Kobzon, nor for Kruglovoy divorce was a reason for despondency.

The mother of Joseph Kobzon, Ida, said that nothing good would come of this marriage. And she seems to have foreseen the situation.

The marriage of Joseph and Veronica lasted only two years.

Kruglova quickly got married after the divorce. This time, singer Vladimir Mulerman became her husband. Later, Kruglova will become a citizen of the United States of America.

The second wife of Kobzon was Lyudmila Gurchenko. This marriage again did not please Joseph's mother, who understood that her son needed a home woman who was not close to creativity.

Later, Lyudmila Gurchenko, in one of her interviews, will say that marriage to Kobzon was her biggest mistake.

Gurchenko naively believed that she could change a man. Kobzon and Gurchenko had strong characters, they often cursed and did not want to give in to each other.

Gurchenko wrote in her memoirs that Kobzon did not support her in moments of despair. But this is so important for a creative person.

Once, in the so-called creative crisis, Joseph approached Gurchenko and said: “What, everyone is filming, but no one is calling you to shoot?” This was the final boiling point. Gurchenko realized that she did not want to remain under the same roof with this man.

After the divorce, Kobzon and Gurchenko tried not to intersect. They avoided parties, and joint celebrations.

The artists preferred not to discuss this marriage with journalists. Ida said that the divorce brought her happiness. She was glad that Gurchenko would never again become a guest of her house.

Iosif Kobzon grew up. Now he has firmly decided that he wants to connect his life with a woman who has nothing to do with show business and stage.

Kobzon dreamed of family comfort, a submissive and economic wife. And his dream came true.

Kobzon met his true love in the early 1970s. The beauty Ninel Mikhailovna Drizina became the chosen one of the artist. Modest Ninel was able to win the heart of Kobzon.

The girl was 13 years younger than Joseph. She had Jewish roots, was a good cook and was smart. Mother Ida immediately liked Ninel, who appreciated her and saw the future daughter-in-law in the girl.

Kobzon and Ninel have lived together since the beginning of 1971. The woman gave birth to Kobzon two wonderful children - Andrei and Natalya.

Joseph admitted to reporters that now he knows what true love is, and what real family comfort is.

Kobzon's eldest son Andrey first decided to follow in his father's footsteps. Andrei was the drummer and soloist of the Resurrection musical group - together with Alexei Romanov and Andrei Sapunov.

However, he soon realized that it was not him and went into business. The young man was the founder of the famous metropolitan nightclub Giusto. Then he moved into real estate business.

The youngest daughter Natalya worked for the famous fashion designer Valentin Yudashkin. She later married an Australian.

The children gave Ninel and Joseph seven grandchildren. Grandparents doted on their grandchildren.

Interesting facts about Kobzon

1. As a very young Joseph Kobzon, he spoke to Stalin himself. Although the singer himself did not really like to remember this.
2. In 1988, Iosif Kobzon led the first acting landing in Armenia after the devastating earthquake.
3. The artist knew many languages. He tried to sing at least one song in his native language for his audience at his performances.
4. 12 concerts per day - this is Joseph Kobzon's personal record, which he is proud of.
5. The longest concert of the people's artist lasted more than a day. How he endured it remains a mystery to many. After all, no one did this before Kobzon. Moreover, the concert was solo.
6. He is listed in the Russian "Book of Records" as the most titled singer.
7. Joseph Kobzon's favorite dish was stewed duck and potatoes. This dish was prepared for the artist by his mother. But Ninel's wife cooked excellent cakes. It was confectionery that Joseph remembered.
8. Once Vladimir Vysotsky offered to buy Kobzon his own album. Kobzon refused to do this, but gave Vysotsky 25 rubles for nothing. By the way, Joseph Davydovich participated in the funeral of Vysotsky. Since in the last days of his life next to Vysotsky there were practically no relatives and friends left.
9. The singer claims that the text of the biography is “As before God. Memories and reflections, which journalist Nikolai Dobryukha released on behalf of Kobzon, was not agreed with him.
10. Few people know that Kobzon started smoking at the age of 14. However, at the age of 66, he promised to end this bad habit. Joseph kept his promise.

Iosif Kobzon's illness

Interestingly, Kobzon put on a wig at the age of 35. The artist began to go bald very early.

Mom Ida believes that her son's baldness was due to the fact that in childhood it was impossible to force him to wear hats.

In 2005, information was leaked to the press that the singer underwent a complex operation to remove a malignant tumor. The artist was diagnosed with bladder cancer.

The surgery was performed in Germany. The operation performed greatly reduced Kobzon's immunity.

Inflammation of the lungs and kidneys was added to the disease. However, the artist was able to overcome all difficulties, and soon he entered the big stage.

In 2009, Kobzon was again operated on in Germany. Joseph did not want to stay in the clinic for a minute.

That is why a week later the artist was seen on stage in Jurmala. Surprisingly, the singer sang live. It cost a lot.

In 2010, at his concert, which took place in the city of Astana, Iosif Davydovich fainted right on the stage. Cancer and surgery caused anemia.

Kobzon knew that he had anemia of the last degree. According to the artist, he did not want to stay at home for a minute. At home, without a stage, he literally went crazy.

Death of Joseph Kobzon

In the summer of 2018, information was published that Joseph was urgently hospitalized in one of the hospitals in the capital.

The artist was assigned to the Department of Neurosurgery. He was connected to an artificial respiration apparatus. Doctors reported that the condition of the artist is assessed as extremely serious.

On August 30, 2018, Joseph's relatives reported that the singer had died. Kobzon is 80 years old.

For fans of his work, this information was a big blow. It seems that the whole country was crying for Joseph Davydovich.

In honor of Kobzon's memory, Russian federal channels broadcast biographical films about the great artist.

Joseph Kobzon, during his lifetime, said that he wanted to be buried at the Vostryakovskoye cemetery next to his mother.

Farewell to the performer took place in Moscow on September 2, 2018.

Fans will remember Joseph Kobzon forever smiling, with a good sense of humor and an angelic baritone.

His songs will never leave the stage. They are sung, they are remembered, they are eternal.