Arkady Severny: biography, nationality, photo, cause of death

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

There must be some understatement in the public life of an artist. Episodes hidden from prying eyes. Personal memories, not intended for fans. And vice versa - stories invented especially for the public, emphasizing individuality and possessing the properties of perfect plausibility. Sometimes it's hard to tell fiction from truth. This fully applies to the fate of the performer, whose name became a legend during his lifetime. This artist is Arkady Severny.

The inconsistency of his personality shows up even after a long time. Legends and fictions inseparably coexist with true life facts. And it is difficult to separate - where is the truth, and where is the legend accompanying the underground musician. One thing is absolutely certain: Arkady Zvezdin, who later became famous under the pseudonym Arkady Severny, was born in the city of Ivanovo on March 12, 1939.

Parents: at the beginning of the journey

The usual life for Soviet people in the late 30s - dad, mom, two older brothers, Lyova and Valik, sister Luda. After the war, the younger brother Misha was born. Information about parents - this is where some controversy begins. Some argue that Dmitry Ivanovich Zvezdin worked on the Ivanovo railway. According to other sources, his name was Dmitry Iosifovich. All sources agree on one thing - the elder Zvezdin held a leadership position.

Information about the singer's mother also varies. It is alleged that her name is Elena Makarovna. She was a housewife. They say that the head of the family, who held responsible positions, earned enough so that his wife could devote herself to raising four children. Others testify that they called her Galina Davidovna. By profession, he is a radiologist. There is a certain purpose in this. After all, subsequently Arkady Severny, whose biography, whose nationality and habits during his lifetime will never become known to his admirers, will publish his songs in thousands of illegal copies on the "ribs". This was the name given to flexible X-ray records that the first Soviet underground recording studios were able to adapt to cut the sound track.

The way of life in the family changed after the start of the war. The father, who was commissioned from the army after the Civil War, nevertheless managed to be sent to the front. Apparently, he was a man of courage and uncompromising. After all, he could have avoided the front due to illness, but he did not use his privileges. And this qualitydecisiveness - the growing son took over from him. Dmitry Ivanovich returned home in 1946. Just in time for Arkady to enter the first grade of 39 Primary Boys School.

Parents could not imagine that Arkady Severny, the performer of the Russian urban romance, famous throughout the country, whose discography will be studied many decades after his death, will grow out of a thin first-grader.

School: first guitar chords

Maybe today not many people know that elementary school in the Soviet Union was separate. Boys studied separately from girls. It was in such a male team that the first 4 years of study were completed. And then there was already a general school, which Arkady graduated in 1956. During his studies, he did not stand out in any way, and his peers remembered him as a slightly shy and shy guy.

There is another noteworthy detail told by his cousin, Boris Solovyov, who was a year older. According to him, Arkady's clothes were poor, and his shoes were so worn out that Boris had to carry him through puddles. Apparently, Dmitry Ivanovich's "leading" salary was not enough for the whole family.

However, it was during his school years that the boy mastered the guitar. Already at the age of 7 he learned to play quite decently for his age. There is nothing surprising in this - there was someone to take an example from. The head of the family loved music and often played music in the home circle. The guitar became a true friend and companion of the young man. Everyone who knew himin his youth, they recall that, starting to sing, Arkady was transformed. The repertoire was unpretentious. Some of the songs heard on the radio - courtyard, thieves, front-line. At an older age, camp and prison compositions appeared. This was not surprising - a lot of people passed through the barracks and transfers behind barbed wire, and the “Zonovsky” folklore confidently registered in the doorways and wastelands, which became the scene of the first courtyard concerts of Arkady Zvezdin. But there was another person who spurred his interest in banned songs.

Sister

At that time, handwritten songbooks flourished. There were also military compositions that were collected by boys who grew up on the stories of their fathers and older brothers about the war, and romantic poems carefully copied into a notebook in an even girlish handwriting. A completely different songbook was presented to Arkady by his elder sister Lyudmila. She, who had served time under a household article, brought with her a collection of unpretentious camp songs. They became the basis of the yard repertoire of the beginning musician. He did not know in those years that this folklore would make him famous throughout the country. And with the rapture of a real artist, accompanied by guitar accompaniment, he selflessly sang songs that were born in prisons and camps.

There is a story that instead of lessons, Arkady sang songs in nearby pubs, from where he was taken out by teachers led by the director of the school. It hardly happened. Because the times were strict, and for such "pranks" they could well be expelled from school. But Zvezdin received a certificate of secondary education on time, in 1956. In 1958 (according toother sources in 1957) he became a student at the Forestry Academy in Leningrad, better known as the Sawmill. Quite an odd choice for a guy who has never been attracted to forestry.

And it is not known what he did after graduation. It was not customary at that time to sit back. Most likely, the parents were tired of courtyard concerts, and they sent Arkady away from their native Ivanovo. And the choice of an educational institution is explained easily. Dmitry Ivanovich Zvezdin for some time served as director of the Forest College in the Gorky region. It is possible that he took advantage of old acquaintances. In the same 1958, Arkady's father died. And the son began a new life stage. Leningrad became his hometown for a long time.

"Sawmill": study and more

The student period in the life of Arkady Zvezdin can be described very briefly - he was not at all interested in studying. He attended classes, passed tests and exams, but the young man's field of interest was far from the professional activity of the future forestry engineer.

Free, and even anti-Soviet sentiments of part of the students at the turn of the 60s could not pass by the visiting provincial. He meets students from other universities. The guitar opens the way for him to any company. Arkady reads books with interest, for which they could get a prison term under a very unpleasant article. But fate kept him for other purposes. Yes, and politics was not too interested in the young man. Although many of hisstudent acquaintances still went through the stage for their free-thinking.

Music is another matter. Leningrad streets were saturated with a wide variety of rhythms. The sounds of jazz and incendiary rock and roll reigned everywhere. Of course, in Ivanovo they knew about such music. But knowing and listening are not the same thing. In a city full of sailors and foreigners, there was an opportunity to get acquainted with real music that came "from there", right from abroad. Arkady makes acquaintances with people involved in collecting and reselling records. It was at this time that the meeting took place, which influenced his entire future biography.

Rudolf Fuchs

Despite his youth, he was something of a celebrity. A student at the Shipbuilding Institute, Fuchs became famous as a successful collector, speculator and dude. His area of interest was varied: from new foreign records to old, pre-revolutionary Russian book publications. It was interest in the works of I. S. Barkov, a poet of the pre-Pushkin era, that led Arkady Zvezdin to Fuchs' apartment.

The guests who were with Rudolf at that time did not allow him to devote much time to his new acquaintance. Handing Arkady the book and leaving him alone in the room, Fuchs returned to the company of other guests. A random visitor did not interest him. Of course, this was the end of their fleeting acquaintance, but chance intervened. More precisely, the guitar that was in the room, and Arkady could not resist picking it up.

The plucking of the strings did not immediately penetrate the thick partitions of the old Leningrad apartment. The first impression is that someone is playing a tape recorder. But the words of the song were unfamiliar, and the sounds of the guitar were very close. Through the loosely closed door, Rudolf Fuchs saw his random guest - he absentmindedly plucked the strings and sang. He sang not for the public and not for Fuchs. He sang to himself. Entrepreneurial and experienced Rudolph immediately realized that you can make money out of this singing. The impromptu concert lasted several hours. The slightly cracked, silvery voice of Arkady did not leave indifferent among the first listeners - the guests of Rudolf Fuchs and his neighbors. Since that day, the paths of Arkady and Rudolph have been closely intertwined for a long time.

First recording (1963)

No sooner said than done. Without delay, Rudolf Fuchs prepared everything necessary for recording the first tape album. A small team of like-minded people, an accordion, a guitar, ten bottles of vodka and a head of cabbage. There was also a pianist and saxophonist, the only professional musician in the audience.

Drank, ate, and the underground recording session began. In fact, it was a simple home music making. Yes, and Arkady's repertoire was small - only a few dozen songs that fit on a couple of tape reels. But the process of recording and gatherings "under the cabbage" lasted all day. The output turned out to be a little more than two hours of phonogram. The name of the concert was given by the first words on the recording, which Arkady said through the noise of a homemade reverb: “Oh, I lovethieves life, but I'm afraid to steal!”

There was not even a thought about releasing the recorded songs "to the people" under the real name of the artist. I needed an alias. Someone suggested - Arkady Severny. The biography of the legend has begun. Even Arkady himself did not take what was happening seriously - it all looked more like a game. But the recording was made, and the process, as they say, began.

A completely “commodity” soundtrack was made by a professional editor at the Leningrad radio. Through acquaintances, Rudolf Fuchs begins to distribute it - first in Leningrad, and then in other cities. At the same time, the recording is replicated in the old proven way - on x-ray film. And everywhere a new name is indicated - Arkady Severny. And so it was remembered by lovers of the underground "Russian chanson".

Arkady and Rudolf (1963–1971)

It's 1965. Arkady Zvezdin (Severny) finally graduated from Sawmill and started working. Then there was military service. A university graduate, Zvezdin ended up serving in a helicopter regiment near Leningrad. This was followed by marriage and the birth of a daughter (1971). Life was on a roll. But there was a problem - there was always not enough money. In search of additional income, I had to revive old acquaintances.

For Rudolf, this period was also eventful. Admittedly, it's a bit different. His underground music commerce still attracted the attention of the police. So far, Arkady Severny, created by him, whose biography flowed in line withSoviet life, finishing his studies, he received a prison term in 1965 for forging documents. After his release, he began working at Lenproekt, but he did not give up his old passions and was in an endless search for any opportunities to earn money.

Under such circumstances, the revival of acquaintance promised benefits for both of them. Fuchs's business pressure and the name of Severny, which remains well-known among fans, gave good prospects for a new joint musical project.

Program for State Concert (1972)

The idea was not new. Fuchs decided to use a theme that had already been tested many times - Odessa humor and songs. Arkady Severny was supposed to play the role of an old Odessa citizen. The director and screenwriter of the new program, Rudolf, launched a vigorous activity - his idea was wider than a simple vocal performance of songs with a guitar. Fuchs needed the figurative, catchy humor of old Odessa. He wanted to do something that had not yet been released in the underground Magizdat. He reworked old and well-known Odessa anecdotes, invented new stories. In a word, Fuchs plunged into the creative process with his head, and in order to achieve his goal, he awakened his literary abilities.

The performer liked the finished script. Arkady Severny, whose biography was never connected with the Black Sea, had an innate artistry. He was quickly able to imagine himself in the proposed Odessa flavor. It is even difficult to characterize in what scenario this musical project was implemented. Small sketches from Jewish-Odessa life interspersed with songs or, conversely, songs betweenwhich sounded like small stylized miniatures.

The success was truly overwhelming. In a short time, the album was distributed throughout the Soviet Union. Not stopping there, the enterprising Rudolph quickly prepares a second program. This time the barrage of Odessa humor is dressed up in the form of an on-demand concert. The second entry secured the success. It is not known for certain how many copies of these two albums were made, but since that time Arkady Severny has become a real star of the underground music industry.

Star of Banned Music

It is clear that the all-Union glory that fell on Arkady did not make his face recognizable. But the voice of the North was known from Sakhalin to Brest. Enterprising shadow businessmen, who, ironically in Soviet reality, were called collectors, continued to make money on a popular performer. Gained musical experience and Arkady Severny. The biography of the heroes of his songs grew into something personal and dear.

The period from 1973 to 1978 was filled with recordings in some hastily organized studios and illegal concerts. By 1975, Luka Mudishchev, The First Odessa Concert, Oh, Mommy! were recorded.

The banned music industry has already outgrown the level of performing Odessa songs with a guitar. Professional musicians began to be involved in the recording. Most often, such groups were found in restaurants. Under uncomplicated names, they participated in the recording of songs. The artist performed to the accompaniment"Brothers of Pearl" and "Black Sea Gull". “Four Brothers and a Spade”, “Godfathers” and “Traffic Light” – all this motley kaleidoscope of fantasies at different stages musically accompanied the main star with a memorable surname – Severny. Arkady Dmitrievich got used to fame quickly.

Final chord

There is nothing surprising in the fact that a cheerful artistic life broke the simple human fate of Arkady. In 1975, he left his wife and daughter. Since that time, the singer Arkady Severny has practically become a homeless person. Life with friends and casual acquaintances, recording, moving - all this hectic and stressful life left a heavy imprint on Arkady's habits. He started drinking. Several attempts to get rid of the addiction did not give a stable positive result. Although after treatment in 1977, a sober life lasted a whole year.

From 1977 to 1979 Arkady Severny travels a lot. He records in Kyiv and Odessa. Next were Narva, Feodosia, Moscow, Tikhoretsk and Rostov-on-Don. One can only be surprised at how a person moved around the country, who by that time had already lost all his documents. In fact, any police outfit could interrupt Arkady's career at the first check. But fate kept the talented musician.

In early April 1980, the singer arrives in Leningrad - all the Zvezdin brothers gathered here to honor the date of the death of their father. Arkady Severny experienced the death of his father all his life and simply could not help coming. Stopped, as always, with friends. Here the misfortune happened - a severe stroke. Brigade on callthe ambulance was powerless. April 12, 1980 in the hospital. Mechnikov, a truly people's artist, Arkady Severny, died. The cause of death was a stroke with extensive cerebral hemorrhage. Exactly one month before this day, he turned 41 years old.

It is impossible to say with accuracy what kind of creative legacy was left after this bright performer. More than 100 tape albums are known. Unfortunately, the current generation hardly remembers who Arkady Severny is. Biography, photos, memories of friends and eyewitnesses - that's all that remains of this talented person. It seems that everything is already known and found. But new collectors do not stop searching. From time to time, lost records are found, and the voice of Arkady, already from electronic media, again utters the words that have become legendary: “Do you want songs? I have them!”

And at the cemetery of the Leningrad crematorium, where Arkady Severny is buried, people bring flowers to this day.