What can unite the chansonnier Mikhail Shufutinsky, the soloist of the group "Lube" Nikolai Rastorguev and one of the founding fathers of the group "Aria" Valeria Kipelova? In the minds of the modern generation, these diverse artists are not connected by anything other than their love of music. But Soviet music lovers know that the stellar "trinity" was once part of the "Leisya, song" ensemble.
Creation of the group "Leisya, song"
The Leisya Song ensemble appeared on the professional stage in 1975. However, the band members consider September 1, 1974 to be the date of the band's creation. It was then that one of the group's compositions was first heard on the radio. If you follow the history of the ensemble from the moment of its inception, you will have to go back another 5 years.
In the early 1970s, two promising musicians Yuri Zakharov and Valery Seleznev first crossed paths as part of the Typhoon ensemble. For some time, the guys played for the public at dances, but then they moved to the Silver Guitars VIA. Having changed several more ensembles, Valery Seleznev returned to his old friend already in the status of the head of the VIA Vityazi, who performed on the big stage from the Kemerovo Philharmonic.
It was on the basis of VIA "Vityazi" that the first line-up of the group "Leysya, song" was formed. The name was also not chosen by chance. The creators of the ensemble associated it with the famous hit by Tikhon Khrennikov "The song is pouring in the open air."
The first members of the new ensemble under the direction of Seleznev were Moscow vocalist Igor Ivanov, Rostov musician Vladislav Andrianov and Yuri Zakharov. Administrative work fell on the shoulders of Mikhail Plotkin, who came to the team from the Gems group.
The Leisya Song group first appeared on television as part of the program I Serve the Soviet Union in 1975. Some time later, the Melodiya company released the first record of VIA. In modern show business, such a premiere would be called the laconic abbreviation "EP". The album had only three songs: "I love you", "Farewell" and "Last Letter". Nevertheless, each composition instantly became a national hit.
The collapse of the group "Leisya, song"
The second album "Leisya, song" was released almost immediately after the first one and consolidated the band's popularity on the domestic stage. However, the ensemble did not have time to exist even a year, when the first disintegration occurred in it.
At the end of 1975, Mikhail Plotkin and several other VIA musicians, including Igor Ivanov, left the band. The name "Leysya, song" (according to the decision of the Kemerovo Philharmonic) remained with the composition of Seleznev. The new ensemble received the sonorous name "Hope".
In 1976, the Leysya Song group released two more EPs. And also participated in the recordings of several famous Russian composers. This year was remembered by the "fans" of the band as the time of one of the strongest instrumental compositions of the VIA. The list of ensemble members then was full of the names of the most promising Soviet musicians of their time: Evgeny Pozdyshev, Georgy Garanyan, Evgeny Smyslov, Lyudmila Ponomareva, and others.
"Double life
The founder of the group "Leysya, song", Vladimir Seleznev, left the band shortly after the release of the fourth disc. The reins of the VIA passed into the hands of Mikhail Shufutinsky. With his arrival, a new stage in the history of the development of the legendary ensemble began. Seleznev organized another group of the same name at the Donetsk Philharmonic.
The second composition of the VIA received the comic name "bird" because of the names of its main leaders (Seleznev, Vorobyov, Kukushkin). The group existed for a relatively short time, but managed to give a large-scale concert tour in Central Asia. This case was the only incident with a "double" on the Soviet stage.
"Leysya, song" under the direction of M. Shufutinsky
The "original" ensemble of the Kemerovo Philharmonic was gaining strength under the strict supervision of a new mentor. At that time, Shufutinsky did not yet perform solo, but often wrote arrangements and accompanied musicians on various instruments. Most of the VIA participants recalled the time spent under the leadership of Mikhail Zakharovich as a school of pop professionalism - the strict and responsible head of the ensemble put things in order in the team and received recognition from the composition.
With the arrival of vocalist Marina Shkolnik to VIA, the ensemble began to literally collect stadiums on tour. Later, Shufutinsky recalled how a cordon of one and a half hundred policemen barely held back the onslaught of a crowd of thousands of fans who were trying to break into the stage. At the same time, the team was not released on foreign tours and almost never broadcast on television. And critics in the press wrote one derogatory article after another, convicting VIA of the monotony of the repertoire and scolding for inconsequential literary turns.
Major hit and failed program
In 1980, Vitaly Kretov became the head of the ensemble. Under his leadership, “Leysya, song” recorded the main hit “Engagement Ring” to the music of M. Shufutinsky. The popularity of the team increased once again, but its style gradually changed. According to Kretov, the ensemble began to work in the "new wave" genre.
In 1985, the group "Leysya, song" was disbanded according to the order of the Ministry of Culture of the RSFSR for not submitting a program to the artistic council. According to Valery Kipelov (he was part of the team), the participants tried to keep the VIA. And they wanted to make art new and relevant in a new style, but the artistic councils rejected this idea.
Between 1990 and 2000 several collectives "Leisya, song" were created. But neither the authors nor the performers of most hits were included in their composition. Now the original ensemble can be heard only in the format of old live and studio recordings.
