The Soviet stage of the 1980s could be proud of a galaxy of talented performers. Among the most popular was the name Jaak Yoala.
Originally from childhood
Who would have thought of such a dizzying success when, in 1950, a boy was born in the provincial town of Viljandi. His father and mother named him Jaak. This melodious name seemed to predetermine the fate of the future star performer.
His mother was an art critic in the Philharmonic of the Republic of Estonia, his father was a musician. Yes, and Jaak himself began to learn the basics of musical science from the age of 5. At the local music school, the boy studied piano and flute.
The youth of the artist Jaak Yoala
The Baltic republics that were part of the USSR have always been more open to the influence of Western culture. It is not surprising that the Estonian guy became interested in rock and roll. The dizzying success of The Beatles and the Rolling Stones prompted Jaak Joal to create his own ensemble and start performing rock. He is not even stopped by the fact that for this he himself had to master two more instruments - bass guitar and drums.
By the time he left school and entered the Tallinn Music College, Jaak was already a very experienced musician with his own views on modern music. His demonstrative love of rock and roll, regular participation in rock concerts and absenteeism outraged the administration of the school. The hearts of teachers were not softened even by his debut successful recordings on Estonian radio. Jaak was expelled from the music school. In the same year he left for the army.
The bosses of the talented private determined him to serve in the army ensemble. Many young people came to the concerts. A handsome singer was known among the youth. Charming, smiling, with a special manner of performance, he was liked by his peers.
Youth dreams of glory
After the army, Jaak Yoala returned to his beloved rock and roll, which he missed in the service. With the same enthusiastic guys, he created the group Lainer. And plunged headlong into the music. His young strength was also enough to go to the competitions of pop performers "Tallin-Tartu", "Tipmelody", "Vilnius Towers".
The singer's manner of performance became softer. In his repertoire, he included songs that allowed him to take part in the Komsomol song contest and win it. In the 1970s, competitive victories became regular. Jaak Yoala has performed as a member of the rock bands Radar and Lainer, as well as solo.
In 1975, the young performer was very popular. He performed at a competition in the Polish city of Sopot. British producers offered him a career abroad. But the singer realized that the iron curtain separating the USSR would not allow him to become successful in Europe.
And yet the victory in Poland made him famous in the pop world. Popular composers worked with him. Real hits sounded in his performance.
Fame throughout the Union
In the late 1970s, the singer performed songs by D. Tukhmanov, R. Pauls, A. Zatsepin. And thanks to this, the singer became not only successful, but also famous. The singer became famous after the premiere of the film "June 31". The songs in the film were almost all performed by an Estonian singer. They were repeatedly heard on the radio and on TV screens.
Yoala gradually developed into one of the most sought after singers. He toured successfully. Recorded albums "Photos of loved ones". His numbers were included in holiday concerts. Lively, fresh style of performance, barely noticeable Western accent was very popular with the audience. All-Union glory did not prevent the singer from performing in his native Estonia. He enthusiastically worked in the musicals "West Side Story" and "Summer Residents".
Jaak Yoala and personal life
A successful Estonian performer attracted women. And he was married twice. He met Doris while filming the film Duet Duel. It was a big and bright love. The young people had a son, Yanar. By the age of 30, Jaak's feelings had passed. He rarely saw his family.
Maire's passion became so strong that the singer entered into a second marriage at the age of 31. They spent many years together. But towards the end of his life, the musician chose to live in his beloved Tallinn, and Maire moved to live on a farm.
With the collapse of the USSR, the work of a talented singer also collapsed. For some time, Jaak Yoala continued to tour the Baltics in the late 1980s, but disappeared from the central television screens. The audience is left with the famous song "Lavender", which the singer performed with Sofia Rotaru.
He moved permanently to Estonia. He worked as a teacher at the same music school, from where he was once expelled. In the early 2000s, he became interested in producing work, composing songs for talented youth. For several years he led the work of the Estonian Union of Performers. But then health problems began, and he did not work.
According to the principle of irreversibility
In 2005, the singer felt that his heart began to disturb. According to experts, the singer was addicted to alcohol. The musician had a heart attack. The efforts of doctors saved his life. And Jaak Yoala realized that he needed to change his lifestyle. He took care of his health. It seemed that the trouble receded. But in the spring of 2011, two serious attacks occurred one after the other. The singer could not recover completely after them.
He lived for 64 years. On September 25, 2014, the singer died. There are always fresh flowers on the musician's grave at the Forest Cemetery in Tallinn. The modest tombstone bears only the name Jaak Yoala and the dates 1950-2014.
