Vladimir Shakhrin is a Soviet, Russian singer, musician, composer, and also the soloist of the Chaif musical group. Most of the group's songs are written by Vladimir Shakhrin.
Even at the beginning of Shakhrin's creative career, Andrey Matveev (a journalist and a big fan of rock and roll), having heard the musical compositions of the band, compared Vladimir Shakhrin with Bob Dylan.
Childhood and youth of Vladimir Shakhrin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Shakhrin was born on June 22, 1959 in Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg). The boy was brought up in an intelligent family.
Parents worked as teachers at a local technical school. In addition to little Volodya, mom and dad raised their youngest daughter Anna.
Vladimir from school years was fond of music. The first instrument that Shakhrin mastered was the guitar. The father, who saw his son's penchant for music, gave him a tape recorder and a couple of cassettes with songs from foreign artists.
Later, when in the 10th grade the future guitarist of the group Vladimir Begunov was transferred to the same school where Vladimir studied, the young people organized what is considered to be an icon of Russian rock music. Yes, yes, we are talking about the Chaif team. While studying at school, a group of guys was nicknamed "an ensemble of 10" B "".
Even before they finished school, young people created something like a rock opera. Although Vladimir himself said that this is a musical, in which there is a story about a poor king who dreamed of marrying off his beautiful daughter to a rich man in order to pay off all his debts.
The children presented the musical at a school evening. Not all viewers were delighted with what they saw. Some accused the guys of disrupting the official entertainment program. After the performance, the young people were asked to leave the hall.
After receiving a diploma of secondary education, all members of the musical group became students of the architectural and construction technical school.
It was important for the soloists of the group to stick together in order to maintain the “right” climate. In addition, Vladimir's parents worked at the technical school. Applicants were accepted "by pull".
In 1978, Shakhrin was drafted into the army. There, the young man's talent was quickly learned, and the commander appointed the serviceman to the local ensemble. After Vladimir served in the army, he returned to his homeland and took the position of an installer at the Sverdlovsk house-building plant.
Creative path and music of the artist
Vladimir says that the founding day of the musical group falls on 1976. It was in this year that Vladimir Begunov transferred to the school where Shakhrin studied.
But, according to verified data, the first team gathered only in the mid-1980s. In the same period, the musicians gave their group the name "Chayf".
Vadim Kukushkin, who played the trumpet, called the word "chai-f" a strong drink, which was obtained by brewing in Soviet-made coffee makers "Cheerfulness".
Under the name "Chayf", the musical group first performed on stage in 1985. This date is considered to be the group's birthday.
For many years, it was Vladimir Shakhrin who remained the "leader", the main vocalist and the author of most of the texts.
In 1985, the musicians presented their debut album, Life in Pink Smoke, although it was preceded by the Verkh-Isetsky Pond magnetic album, which the Chaif group presented in 1984. The musicians did not present this collection due to the fact that the quality of the songs left much to be desired.
Since 1985, the discography of the musical group has replenished with more than 30 albums. In addition, the musicians took care of the videography. The group had dozens of "thought out" clips.
The main feature that is inherent in the group's rock and roll is meaningful and "deep" texts. This style is typical for Russian rock bands of the late 1980s. The Chaif group can undoubtedly be called the fathers of "meaningful rock and roll".
In the work of the musical group there are compositions of different styles and philosophical content. Most of the works are semi-humorous tracks, something like "Argentina - Jamaica 5: 0", "Orange Mood" and "My Apartment".
The repertoire of the Chaif group includes tracks with social and overtly political overtones. They are especially popular among fans of the musical group.
But the so-called “crying songs”, which are still very popular, are obligatory for listening. The songs of the group can be safely called: “No one will hear” (“Oh-yo”), “From the war”, “Not with me”.
And, of course, for dessert, we left a tidbit of the repertoire of the Chaif group - this is light and kind rock and roll, where the classic design for the genre interacts with humorous, and sometimes completely romantic texts, for example, "17 years", "Blues night janitor”, “Yesterday was love”.
Another feature of the Russian musical group "Chayf" is a responsible approach to organizing concerts. For Shakhrin, first of all, quality is important.
Despite the fact that the group is still at the top of the musical Olympus, it does not often give concerts. Vladimir believes that most modern bands hold concerts for the purpose of financial "profit".
The group releases new albums and videos with the same productivity. Soloists record collections both solo and with other performers.
The Chaif group does not change the established traditions. Vladimir still writes meaningful and kind songs for the group. Shakhrin believes that in creativity it is important to give good, to remain yourself and "not put a crown on your head."
In an interview, Vladimir said: “Rock and roll is me. I listen to my work every day. I draw inspiration from my idols… and I create, I create, I create.”
Personal life of Vladimir Shakhrin
Vladimir Shakhrin remains faithful not only to the Chaif musical group, but also to his only and beloved wife, Elena Nikolaevna Shlenchak.
Vladimir met his future wife at a technical school. Elena Nikolaevna struck him with her beautiful appearance and modesty. The novel of young people proceeded rapidly and brightly. During one of the quarrels, Vladimir even wanted to shoot himself with his father's gun, because Elena wanted to end the relationship.
The union of Vladimir and Elena is a happy love story. Two daughters were born in the family, who recently gave their parents beautiful grandchildren. Shakhrin says that when his daughter told him that he had become a grandfather, he could not get used to the new status for a long time.
Shakhrin says that during the height of his creative career, he could not pay much attention to his family. Now he is making up for lost time by raising his grandchildren.
The singer is registered in social networks. There you can get acquainted not only with the creative, but also with the personal life of Shakhrin. Judging by the photos, the lead singer of the Chaif group enjoys spending time with his family.
Journalists say that, despite his popularity, Shakhrin does not suffer from star disease. The man is very easy to communicate with. The "fans" of the performer could be convinced of this thanks to Vladimir's performance in 2017 on the Evening Urgant program.
Vladimir Shakhrin loves to travel. The vocalist of the group does not bother himself with physical activity. Sport is his way, so you need to keep up a good physical activity by walking.
A few little-known facts about the Chaif group and Vladimir Shakhrin
- When Vladimir Shakhrin wrote the musical composition “Cry about him”, which he addressed to himself. The original refrain was: "Cry for me while I'm alive. Love me just the way I am." However, upon reflection, he realized that the text sounded strange and changed it.
- The famous track “No one will hear” was written by Vladimir during a two-week fishing trip on the lake. Balkhash in Kazakhstan.
- Vladimir Shakhrin was a member of the district council. The lead singer of the Chaif group got there quite by accident - according to the order. Vladimir admits that he agreed to take the position only because of being able to use public transport for free.
- The musical composition "Argentina - Jamaica 5 : 0" was created when the Shekogali record, which included the composition, had already been recorded. Vladimir Shakhrin was just in Paris. At the same time, the World Cup was held in France. Upon returning to his homeland, Shakhrin updated the text and music.
- The discography of the musical group "Chayf" began with the disc "Dermontin" (1987). Although before that the musicians had already released albums, Vladimir Shakhrin considers them "nothing".
Vladimir Shakhrin today
Today the Chaif group is one of the most popular rock bands in Russia. The musicians continue to delight fans with quality music and concerts, albeit rare ones.
In addition, the musicians do not forget to pamper their fans with video clips. In 2019, the group presented a video for the musical composition "All the Bond Girls".
Vladimir Shakhrin says that today he is happy with two things - music and family. Not so long ago, he bought a plot in Yekaterinburg, on which a luxurious house was built. Thanks to his education, Vladimir also took part in construction.
In 2020, the Chaif group, led by Vladimir Shakhrin, toured Russia. The nearest concerts of the musicians will be held in Khabarovsk, Alma-Ata, Khabarovsk and Vladivostok. In 2020, the team celebrated its 35th anniversary.
