Leonid Utyosov
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Leonid Osipovich Utyosov (Леонид Осипович Утёсов in Russian; real name - Leyzer (Lazar) Vaysbeyn, or Weissbein, Russian: Лазарь (Лейзер) Иосифович Ва(й)сбейн) (21 March [O.S. March 9] 1895 in , Odessa - 9 March 1982, Moscow) was a famous Soviet jazz singer and comic actor, who became the first pop singer to be awarded the prestigious title of People's Artist of the USSR (1965).
Utyosov started his theatrical career in 1911 and set up one of the first Soviet jazz bands in 1929. His popularity was on the rise in the 1930s when he co-starred with Lyubov Orlova in the comedy Jolly Fellows and performed such hits as Me and My Masha at the Samovar and Tired by the Sun (revived by Nikita Mikhalkov as a theme for his eponymous Oscar-winning movie). On the Victory Day (May 9, 1945) he performed on Sverdlov Square. In many of his songs Utyosov alluded to his native town of Odessa, where a monument to him was opened in 2000.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
  |
This article about a Russian musician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
