Gradsky: a life full of love. Alexander Gradsky: biography, personal life, family, children Alexander Gradsky and his biography
Alexander Gradsky is a famous personality with versatile talents in the field of poetry, music and vocals.
The founder of rock in Russia, People's Artist of the Russian Federation and winner of a number of state awards that were awarded for outstanding achievements in the field of theatrical, musical and pop arts.
Childhood and youth
Alexander Borisovich Gradsky was born on November 3, 1949 in the city of Kopeisk, Chelyabinsk region. He was the only child of his parents - mechanical engineer Boris Abramovich Fradkin and actress Tamara Pavlovna Gradskaya. The future artist spent his childhood beyond the Urals, but in 1957 his family moved to Moscow, where he entered a music school at the age of 9.
![](https://i1.wp.com/24smi.org/public/media/resize/800x-/2018/9/27/1-mgedegs.jpg)
Training in music school young Gradsky perceived it through force - he was exhausted and oppressed by daily classes, but they did not discourage young Sasha’s passion for music. Alexander Borisovich was no different in his achievements in secondary school. As a child, he was more interested in the humanities and literature, which allowed Gradsky to write his first poem at the age of 14. At the same age, the future artist became interested in Western music - his favorites were the musicians of the group.
At the age of 16, Alexander Borisovich had already firmly decided that he would become a singer and musician. Then he took his mother’s surname, under which the artist’s first performances took place as part of the Polish student group “Cockroaches”. Alexander Gradsky’s first song, “The Best City on Earth,” was then performed at many regional concerts.
![](https://i2.wp.com/24smi.org/public/media/resize/800x-/2018/9/27/ad7h414v_P780oDz.jpg)
In 1969, Alexander entered the faculty of academic singing at the Russian Academy of Music. Gnesins. In 1974, he graduated from the university, during which he received his first experience of solo performances. Gradsky later attended the Moscow Conservatory, where he studied with the Soviet composer.
Music
After graduating from GMPI music career Alexandra Gradsky quickly began to gain momentum. He became one of the first musicians in the country who boldly experimented with Russian-language lyrics in rock. Also in student years created the group “Skomorokhi”, whose repertoire consisted of Gradsky’s songs.
With “Skomorokhs” Alexander Gradsky toured the country, gathering full houses of fans. His popularity at that time simply went off scale - the musician gave several solo concerts every day lasting 2 hours. In 1971, the group also took part in the prestigious All-Union Festival “Silver Strings”, where in 20 minutes of performance they created a sensation and received 6 out of 8 prizes.
![](https://i1.wp.com/24smi.org/public/media/resize/800x-/2018/9/27/8afb599e11d251f780087e0590422d24_azSlfQ2.jpg)
During the same period, Alexander Gradsky created the legendary songs “How beautiful this world is” and “How young we were,” which the musician did not perform at any of his concerts until 1990, despite the expectations of the audience.
Alexander Gradsky's solo songs were not his only direction in his work - the musician simultaneously worked on creating musical accompaniment for a number of films. "Romance of Lovers", written and performed personally by Alexander Borisovich in the film of the same name, became a breakthrough in creative biography Gradsky.
Alexander Gradsky - "Romance of Lovers"For this composition in 1974, he was recognized as “Star of the Year” according to the music magazine Billboard, whose experts rated creative activity Alexander Borisovich as “an outstanding contribution to world music.”
According to the musician, at that time he earned more than others famous people who could be seen on TV. He jokingly called his relationships with other music stars “neutrality.”
Alexander Borisovich wrote the musical accompaniment for almost fifty feature films, as well as several dozen cartoons and documentaries. He also participated in some films as an actor.
![](https://i2.wp.com/24smi.org/public/media/resize/800x-/2018/9/27/2-q6sr1tu.jpg)
In 1972, Alexander Gradsky played in “A Courtesy Visit”, in 1979 he made a cameo in the 2-part film “Tuning Fork”, and in 1991 in the film “Genius”. The musician performed vocal parts in another 20 films. Also appeared in 5 documentaries and 2 video clips.
Alexander Gradsky also proved himself in the fundamental format of stage productions. In 1967-1969 he participated in the work on the rock opera “The Fly-Tsokotukha”.
His next creation, also a rock opera, “Stadium” (1973-1985), became much more famous. The plot of this production was based on real events: the military coup in Chile in 1973. The general who came to power began massive repressions that led to thousands of deaths. One of the victims of this regime was singer Victor Jara, whose fate formed the basis of the rock opera.
Alexander Gradsky - rock opera "Stadium"The work does not mention the name of the hero or the location of the action, but the entire outline of the narrative ambiguously points to Chilean events. The role of the Singer was performed by Gradsky himself. The main characters were presented by popular Soviet artists -, and.
At the end of the 70s, Alexander Gradsky released several records and began teaching at his native institute. Gnesins and at GITIS, where he headed the vocal department.
Since 1985, Alexander Borisovich has been working on the music for the first Russian rock ballet “Man,” based on the novel.
Ballet by Alexander Gradsky "Rasputin"Afterwards, the musician works on two more ballets: “Rasputin” and “Jewish Ballad”. As a performer, Gradsky performs in 1988 Bolshoi Theater with the part of the Astrologer in the production of the opera “The Golden Cockerel” under the direction of conductor Evgeny Svetlanov.
In the early 90s, when Gradsky had the opportunity to perform abroad, he decided to reduce his touring activities, becoming carried away by the development of the Theater modern music. However, even with a “shortened” concert program, he managed to gain popularity abroad - he participated in joint musical projects with John Denver, Diana Warwick, Kris Kristofferson and other world-famous artists.
Alexander Gradsky - "How young we were"Behind musical activity Alexander Gradsky was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Russia in 1997, and in 2000 received the highest honorary title of People's Artist of Russia. The President of the Russian Federation personally congratulated the rock musician on this award.
Alexander Gradsky continues to be active in music to this day. 15 discs were released under his authorship. Among the latest works, one cannot fail to note the opera “The Master and Margarita” with a unique cast of participants, on which Alexander Borisovich worked for more than 13 years.
![](https://i2.wp.com/24smi.org/public/media/resize/800x-/2018/9/27/300px-vladimir-putin-28-april-2000-3.jpg)
The composer began working on the rock musical “The Master and Margarita” back in the 90s. The libretto, written by Pavel Grushko, lay idle for several years, Gradsky worked on the musical for another 7 years, and by 2009 the production was ready - but was never shown on stage.
“The Master and Margarita” exists only in the form of a recording, where the roles are played by Alexander Borisovich’s star friends, and he himself performed 4 parts central characters. Other parts went to musicians such as Joseph Kobzon and others.
Alexander Gradsky - opera "The Master and Margarita"As Alexander Borisovich later claimed, he manages to finish works on time only if there is a customer, and the author is ready to redo his works for years.
From 2012 to 2015, Alexander Gradsky participated in the show “” as a mentor. He became a representative of the golden jury, which also included, and. On the show, the maestro worked together with his daughter - he invited Masha as an adviser when a decisive choice had to be made.
![](https://i0.wp.com/24smi.org/public/media/resize/800x-/2018/9/27/detailed-picture_BWhqzCe.jpg)
The legend of Soviet and Russian rock music for several seasons in a row led his players to victory in the country's main vocal project. Among them are , and . According to some reports, it was Alexander Borisovich who was considered the highest paid judge of the project. Reporters voiced the figure of $7 thousand per day, while other mentors had the amount half that. The musicians did not comment on whether this is actually true.
Daniil Gradsky - "Tears In Heaven"In addition, Alexander Borisovich was remembered by the participants and spectators for the fact that he determined their age based on the performers’ voice data. The musician made a mistake only twice: he did not recognize Daniil’s son in the 3rd season of “The Voice” and did not understand who was behind the screen when Dima Bilan performed the song in the 4th season.
In 2013, publicist and television journalist Evgeny Dodolev published the book “Alexander Gradsky. The Voice". According to the author, he collected material for the publication for 20 years; it included interviews with the maestro and statements from his loved ones.
Alexander Gradsky - "The pendulum will swing"Alexander Borisovich became the founder musical theater"Gradsky Hall". The best members of the mentor’s team from the “Voice” project, including Busha Goman and others, become the actors of the theater group. His eldest son Daniil also works with his father. The young man is engaged in PR and promoting the official website of the theater.
Personal life
The personal life of Alexander Gradsky is quite bright. The founder of Russian rock was married three times. The first marriage took place in the early youth of the musician. His chosen one was Natalya Smirnova, with whom the man lived in official relations for only 3 months.
![](https://i2.wp.com/24smi.org/public/media/resize/800x-/2018/9/27/1452020970-pervaya-zhena-gradskogo-min_7TDQsUf.jpg)
Gradsky himself calls this marriage a “youth act.”
In 1976, Alexander Borisovich married for the second time. The actress became his wife, but the rock musician could not find family happiness with her either.
![](https://i0.wp.com/24smi.org/public/media/resize/800x-/2018/9/27/proldzh_3lqPI7d.jpg)
Gradsky lived in an official marriage with his third wife Olga for 23 years. In this union, the musician had two children - in 1981, a son, Daniel, was born, and in 1986, the wife gave her husband a daughter, Maria. In 2003, this marriage also ceased to exist.
![](https://i2.wp.com/24smi.org/public/media/resize/800x-/2018/9/27/s11-01-04_fkpY96N.jpg)
Since 2004, Alexander Gradsky has been living in a civil marriage with a Ukrainian model who is 30 years younger than the musician. He was always distinguished by humor and high self-esteem, so he met a girl right on the street, inviting her to “touch history.” Kotashenko did not recognize the star of Soviet and Russian rock, but called back two weeks later. Already on the first date, it became clear that Alexander Borisovich charmed the young lady. With Gradsky, Marina felt calm and at ease.
![](https://i0.wp.com/24smi.org/public/media/resize/800x-/2018/9/27/g-65f3b1c5b929fa8b6cc76f94af2e3e52-mid-2-700x600_iYi5Tao.jpg)
Gradsky’s young wife gave him a child in 2014, who was named Alexander. The birth of his son Alexander Alexandrovich took place in New York in one of the prestigious clinics. Gradsky’s wife maintains an even relationship with the other children. Gradsky's daughter Maria, who now lives in Miami, even accompanied Marina on her trip to America, where the baby was given birth. It is interesting that Alexander Gradsky Jr. was born on the birthday of his grandfather, Boris Fradkin, September 1.
![](https://i1.wp.com/24smi.org/public/media/resize/800x-/2018/9/27/g-31beef09a2942db9fdf7d9c1fe956172-2-1400x1100-715x477.jpg)
Sasha grows up under the close attention of her mother - the girl refuses offers from film directors for the sake of her family, despite the fact that she graduated from the acting department of VGIK in the mid-2000s. They bought the boy a real guitar, but for now a child's size, and Alexander Alexandrovich has already mastered the song repertoire from his favorite cartoons and children's programs. In the future, the parents plan to send the young musician to the appropriate studio.
In the summer of 2016, photos of Gradsky and his wife on the beach spread around the Internet. Evil tongues called the couple “beauty and the beast,” and even the musician himself admitted that he was lucky that Marina chose him and did not find a younger couple.
![](https://i0.wp.com/24smi.org/public/media/resize/800x-/2018/9/27/4-hqoynb2.jpg)
Kotashenko herself never became a reason for gossip and gave no reason to doubt her attitude towards her husband. Now Alexander Gradsky lives with his family in the Moscow region in the village of Novoglagolevo, where he built a house with an area of 400 square meters. m, writes classical music and teaches vocals. Despite his popularity and active life position, the musician considers himself a marginal and apolitical person.
Gradsky does not like representatives of the press. Because of their annoyingness, he nicknamed the reporters “journalists.” The word took root in the musician’s vocabulary and went “to the people.” The composer has a personal website, where he introduces fans to the latest releases of his work, but the musician does not have an account on Instagram.
Alexander Gradsky now
In September 2017, after a break, Alexander Gradsky returned to the “Voice” project and again led his charge to victory. The winner of the first place in the 6th season of the television competition was.
![](https://i0.wp.com/24smi.org/public/media/resize/800x-/2018/9/27/8927a1a696f0a601408d2095af9fac37.jpg)
Many fans of the show expected to see the maestro in the next season. But a year later, the name of Alexander Borisovich did not appear in any of the judges’ lists of three launched projects, including “Voice 60+” and “Voice. Children". The musician himself did not comment on the news.
In November 2018, it became known that Marina Kotashenko. Son Ivan became the girl’s second child and Gradsky’s fourth. The musician and his wife do not comment on the information.
Discography
- 1972 – “How wonderful this world is”
- 1974 – “A Romance of Lovers”
- 1979 – “Only you believe me”
- 1987 – “Let’s get started”
- 1989 – “Monte Cristo”
- 1994 – “Untimely Songs”
- 1996 – “LIVE in Russia”
- 2003 – “Reader”
- 2009 – “The Master and Margarita”
- 2011 – “Unformat”
- 2014 – “Romances”
Gradsky and his wife, the beautiful Marina Kotashenko, became parents on October 31, 2018, and three days later the artist turned 69 years old. This is Marina’s second child, and Alexander became a father for the fourth time. He has an adult daughter and son born in a previous marriage.
Gradsky and his wife are happy together
For the first time, Gradsky married Natalya Smirnova, but lived with her for only three months. Three years passed and he married Anastasia Vertinskaya. This marriage also did not last long - they separated after two years, although the divorce was not filed immediately. But in his third marriage, with Olga Fartysheva, Gradsky lived for 23 years, and their separation came as a surprise to those around him. This marriage produced a son, Daniel, and a daughter, Maria.
Now Alexander lives with Marina Kotashenko, who is 31 years younger than him. Gradsky and his wife have been living together for 14 years, although they have not formalized their marriage. In 2014, on September 1, their son Sasha was born, and on the last day of October 2018, another boy, Ivan, was born.
About meeting his fourth wife, Gradsky said that on his part it was love at first sight. Alexander saw Marina walking along the sidewalk as he passed by in a car. The beauty of the girl struck him so much that he could not help but stop. Soon Marina felt that next to her there was a man of extraordinary attractiveness, with whom she felt calm and comfortable. And communication with HIM brings joy.
Marina is proud that their eldest son is very similar to his father. Gradsky and his wife had already noticed the boy’s remarkable musical abilities. The baby already has a real guitar, he plays it and sings songs. Sasha enjoys reciting poetry and learning to read.
Gradsky repeatedly talked about how lucky he was that such a beauty fell in love with him, although she could have chosen someone more profitable. He is not at all offended by the fact that sometimes phrases like “beauty and the beast” are addressed to them; he does not at all doubt the reciprocity of their feelings.
Gradsky and his wife settled in the Moscow region, in the village of Novoglagolevo, and live there very happily. Alexander still writes music and teaches vocals.
Creative paths of Gradsky and his wife
Alexander's parents sent him to a music school, where he learned to play the violin when he was 9 years old. The boy did not really like to study at home much, although he loved music.
At school he preferred the humanities and read a lot. At the age of 14, Alexander wrote his first poem. His uncle repeatedly went on tours abroad and thanks to this, records appeared in their house, thanks to which Sasha learned about modern Western music. The teenager became seriously interested in the work of the Beatles, and this played a role in his decision to continue studying music.
While still a fourteen-year-old schoolboy, Alexander took part in performances by the Polish student group “Cockroaches”. Then “Slavs”, “Skomorokhs”, “Scythians”, “Los Panchos”, “Electron”, he played in these groups, but did not sing. Gradsky simply set himself the goal of saving money to purchase decent equipment, and only then show himself and Russian rock and roll in Moscow.
At the age of 20, Alexander entered Gnesinka. Then he began giving solo concerts and singing with a guitar. After graduating from the Gnessin Institute, Gradsky became very popular and began giving many concerts, in which most of his songs were played.
In 1975, Alexander entered the conservatory, but did not stop touring. At the same time, he worked a lot on music for films and released several records. Soon he began teaching, first at Gnesinka, and then at GITIS.
Gradsky's wife, Marina Kotashenko, was a model in a Moscow agency at the time they met. Now, after graduating from VGIK, he plays in the theater studio of his master, Vsevolod Shilovsky. In addition, she can sometimes be seen in some TV series. Marina also received her legal education by correspondence. Marina motivates this by the fact that she relies only on her own strength, so that her influential husband does not have to provide her with protection.
The future star was born in the small town of Kopeisk, near Chelyabinsk, in November 1949. Since childhood, the boy felt a craving for creativity, and his parents gave him the opportunity to develop in this direction. Dad Boris Fradkin was an ordinary factory engineer, but mother Tamara Gradskaya graduated from GITIS and was a director and actress. To develop the boy’s talents, after moving to Moscow, little Sasha was immediately sent to a music school.
In the capital, they, their parents and grandmother, huddled in an 8-meter basement on Frunzenskaya Embankment with nine other families. But this only strengthened the young talent and gave a goal - to arrange life so that loved ones would not need anything. And in 1964 he managed to move into a normal, comfortable apartment.
Creation
He is a graduate of the Musical Pedagogical Institute named after. Gnesins. Then there was the Conservatory. There were also performances as part of the Polish ensemble “Cockroaches”. After which his own rock band “Slavs” was born. In 1966, the ensemble “Skomorokhi” began to ring throughout the country, and it was he who received the Grand Prix of the All-Union Festival.
Gradsky and the group were talked about on Moscow Radio and the Voice of America. Fame thundered throughout the world. Songs began to be included in radio charts, and he began to tour cities of the Soviet Union with concerts.
An amazing feature: being the author of compositions and poems, the musician also recorded his performances by overdubbing several voices. For example, the work “Only You Believe Me” was born from beginning to end by him alone in multiple persons - Alexander Borisovich performed all the parts, both voice and instrumental.
Andrei Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky invited the singer to help in the filming of the film “Romance of Lovers,” and he wrote and performed several songs for him and created the entire arrangement for the film.
Then a solo record was recorded with melodies from the film - this is how Gradsky became “Star of the Year,” wrote the editors of the Billboard publication, making a colossal contribution to global musical history.
The singer and musician's discography includes more than 40 albums with rock music, film music and songs. In 2003, a unique record “Chrestomatiya” was released, which contains melodies of popular instrumentalists.
Gradsky was invited to write music for many dozens of films. Among them are the classic “The Investigation is Conducted by Experts” and the animated films “The Pass”. He personally recorded songs for many films. There was also a live musical film - the famous “Anti-Perestroika Blues” and “Live in Russia”.
Popular recognition
At the beginning of the third millennium, Gradsky received the People's Artist of Russia and was awarded the title of laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation.
He is so versatile and talented that he even staged his own opera, “The Master and Margarita,” personally performing the arias of four characters. His original opera featured Andrei Makarevich, Oleg Tabakov, Valery Zolotukhin, Gennady Khazanov, Alexander Rosenbaum and other very famous musicians and actors. The opera is published in the format of an old book, inside of which four discs with musical recordings are luxuriously decorated.
Alexander Gradsky can boast of performances with Liza Minnelli, Cindy Peters, Charles Aznavour, Kris Kristofferson, Diana Warwick and others.
Now he runs his own theater in Moscow, Gradsky Hall, which is unofficially called the Gradsky Theater. Musical evenings, award ceremonies and various concerts are held here.
Personal life
The musician does not like to talk publicly about his life. But it is known from his biography that he started a family three times. Gradsky’s second wife was actress Anastasia Vertinskaya. In his third marriage, in 1981 and 1986, he had a son, Daniel, and a daughter, Maria.
Despite his age, he fell in love again. This time, the young attractive model Marina Kotashenko. The master's beloved is 31 years younger than him. It was she who gave birth to his son Alexander in 2014.
This blue-eyed, slender blonde immediately won the heart of the music guru. At the time we met, she worked in one of the modeling agencies capital and fully provided for itself. During the 10 years of their marriage, Marina graduated from VGIK, began acting in TV series, and studied to be a lawyer.
Their marriage is not registered, but they tell journalists that they live in perfect harmony. Gradsky became a father for the third time at the age of 64.
Alexander Gradsky's wife's name is Marina Kotashenko. The girl was born in Kyiv on November 22, 1984 and since childhood she dreamed of popularity. In her senior year, Marina combined study and work as a model, and then moved to the capital and began acting for magazines. In 2003, Marina entered VGIK and already as a student received several episodic roles in TV series, and after studying she continued her career as an actress.
Today Kotashenko paused filming for a while and devoted herself to raising her son Sasha. But soon the girl plans to return to creativity. There is no talk of modeling, but offers to appear in films are already coming in.
Alexander Gradsky: biography, personal life
The Russian composer, songwriter and singer was born on November 3, 1949 in the Chelyabinsk region in the family of a mechanical engineer and an artist. Alexander Borisovich Gradsky (nationality – Russian) was educated at the State Medical Pedagogical Institute named after. Gnessins, studied at the Moscow Conservatory. His parents were not against their son’s creative career and even before he came of age, the guy founded the groups “Slavs” and “Skomorokhi”, which brought him fame.
The artist wrote music for artistic and documentaries, released over 18 discs, was a mentor in the television project “The Voice”. Gradsky received the titles National artist and Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, became a state prize laureate. The musician was married three times and now lives in a civil marriage.
Gradsky's first wife - Natalya
Even during his student years, Alexander touchingly and romantically courted Natalya Smirnova. The young people spent a lot of time together, but gradually the passion went away, the spice disappeared from the relationship and the decision was made to get married. At that time, the lovers believed that this was the ideal option that would save the situation.
Relatives and friends did not suggest that such a marriage would quickly fall apart. As a result, the family lasted only 3 months, after which the young couple realized that it was useless to try to revive feelings and separated. Subsequently, Natalya married Alexander’s colleague, Gleb May from “Skomorokh” and was able to create a happy union with him.
Second wife - Anastasia Vertinskaya
The composer’s next lover was the beautiful actress Anastasia Vertinskaya, who gained fame after the film “Amphibian Man.” The couple said that they were both too independent and bright to get along together, so two years later they decided to file for divorce. The separation was peaceful and without mutual claims.
Nastya later said that this act was short-sighted and the relationship should not have gone beyond a short-lived hobby. The girl was raised in the family of the famous pop singer Alexander Vertinsky, and Gradsky grew up in a completely different environment. A beautiful novel collided with real life and a break occurred.
Olga Fartysheva - Gradsky's third wife
The next marriage lasted much longer than the previous ones; the composer lived with his beloved for more than 20 years. Gradsky met Olga Semyonovna even before his divorce from Anastasia Vertinskaya. The 18-year-old girl captivated the musician, he fell in love and was in euphoria until Olya announced her pregnancy.
Doctors forbade abortion, so Alexander did the decent thing and married again. The first child was a boy, Daniil, and 5 years later Masha was born, but even they could not save the family. The couple divorced, but today they try to maintain friendly communication.
Alexander Gradsky and his wife - model and actress Marina Kotashenko
The composer has been living with Marina Kotashenko for 14 years, but there are no photos of the wedding yet, since he is in no hurry to make his chosen one his new official wife. Gradsky met a girl on the street and gave her his business card. Marina didn’t know anything about the man, but she was intrigued, so she still called him 2 weeks later, and the first date took place.
The age difference between them is a little more than 30 years, but there are no problems with mutual understanding. Gradsky’s young lover settled at his house soon after they met and quickly found a common language with the children, although she was almost the same age as his eldest son. The couple is comfortable and calm with each other, and there can be no talk of a breakup yet, although this is often discussed in the party.
Children
In his third marriage, Gradsky had Daniil (1981) and Maria (1986). The son has his own business, and the daughter is making a career in television and works as an art manager.
On September 1, 2014, Marina Kotashenko gave birth to a son, Sasha. The child is only 4 years old, but he is already trying to play cartoon songs on the guitar. Alexander plans to develop the child’s talent and send him to a music school when he is a little older.
Gradsky with his wife: family photos at sea
Fans constantly discuss the relationship between Sasha and Marina, and intimate photos on vacation caused a particularly strong wave of negativity. The common-law spouses are photographed on the beach, where an almost naked Marina in a swimsuit hugs a man. Commentators left unflattering reviews about the composer’s figure and wrote that the musician’s last chosen one is only a gold digger and there is no love in the relationship.
SHARES
- Alexander was born on November 3, 1949, in the small town of Kopeisk, which is located in the Chelyabinsk region. His mother was an actress, and his father was a mechanical engineer. He was the only child in the family, so little Sasha bathed in the love of his parents.
- In 1957, the family had to move from a quiet town to noisy Moscow. There, a boy at the age of nine enters a music school. It was very difficult for Sasha at music school; at school they demanded a lot from him, so every day they exhausted him with various activities.
- At the age of fourteen, he wrote his first poem. His favorite group was “The Beatles”. As he got older, he realized that he wanted to connect his life with music. Therefore, he exhausted himself with work every day, he wanted to develop himself and spent all his time on music to find his own special style.
Youth
- when he turned sixteen, he already knew that he wanted to be a singer. And then he decides to take his mother’s surname, and becomes a member of a little-known Polish group - “Cockroaches”. The songs of this group were often heard at many events;
- After graduating from school in 1969, he entered the Academy of Music. Gnesins. Five years later, he graduated from the university with honors, where he received his first experience in solo performances. At the university, he spent all his time improving and searching for himself;
- he listened to many famous performers, Alexander drew his inspiration from playing the guitar; he could easily come up with a verse within a few seconds, and within a few minutes he could come up with a good song. Music was in his blood.
Musical compositions
- as soon as the young and aspiring singer graduated from the University of Academic Singing in Russian Academy them. Gnesins. His musical career slowly but rapidly gained momentum;
- He was not afraid that he might be judged for his very unusual style, but he boldly experimented with music, making it the greatest masterpiece. IN teenage years, he creates his own group, which he calls “Buffoons”. The group toured throughout the country, and the popularity of Gradsky himself grew at an unprecedented speed;
- and in 1971 the group performed at the Silver Strings festival, where the young people were able to surprise the audience with their unusual music and style, it is not surprising that the Buffoons later received six prestigious awards;
- At the same time, he composed two legendary songs: “How beautiful this world is” and “How young we were.” These songs managed to create a sensation, and the artist himself became the most respected and recognizable performer.
Subsequent years
- In addition to writing musical compositions and performing at concerts, Alexander was actively involved in writing songs for films. So, he wrote a song for the film “Romance of Lovers.” The songs written became a real breakthrough in the composer's career. The music magazine Billboard named him Star of the Year for his film soundtracks.
- In the early 80s, his popularity grew, but Alexander himself decided to take up teaching at GITIS. And later he fulfills his dream, the singer became the author of the rock opera “Stadium”.
- In the early 90s, he went abroad and began to develop there. And he did it very well; he managed to gain popularity abroad. He collaborated with world famous performers.
Participation in the Voice program
In 2012, he became a mentor for the “Voice” program. For about three years, he mentored beginning performers on the right path, including Dina Garipova, Sergei Volkov and Alexander Vorobyov.
When he had to make a decisive choice, he invited his daughter Maria, who helped her father in the decision. Also, thanks to his many years of experience, he could easily determine the age of the young people who performed the songs.
Theater productions
Alexander Gradsky is a multifaceted personality; in addition to composing songs, he was also involved in theatrical productions. At the end of the 60s, he took part in the rock opera “Fly-Tsokotukha”. But Alexander gained great popularity after he became the author of the legendary rock opera “Stadium”.
In 1985, he had the opportunity to write music for the first Russian rock ballet “Man”. After the successful premiere of the rock ballet, he worked on two other productions. In 2009, after a long preparation for the rock musical, Alexander finished writing the musical “The Master and Margarita”, but, unfortunately, it was never presented to theater audiences. There is only an audio recording that is kept by Gradsky himself.
Film roles
Alexander Gradsky wrote music for many films that managed to become cult. But besides this, he actively took part in some famous films as an actor. His film debut was the film “A Courtesy Visit,” and in 1979 he played in two parts of the film “Tuning Fork.” In 1991, he was invited to play in the film “Genius”. In total, Alexander Gradsky played in more than twenty films.
Filmography
- “Courtesy Visit” - 1972.
- “How beautiful this world is” - 1972.
- “A Romance of Lovers” - 1974.
- “Concerto for two violins” - 1975.
- “Only you trust me” - 1979.
- “My life is in a song” - 1979.
- “Let's get started” - 1987.
- "Monte Cristo" - 1989.
- "Genius" - 1991.
- “Untimely Songs” - 1994.
- “LIVE in Russia” - 1996.
- “Gangster Petersburg” - 2000.
- "Chrestomathy" - 2003.
- “The Master and Margarita” - 2009.
- "Neformat" - 2011.
- "Romances" - 2014.
Personal life
Gradsky’s personal life had its ups and downs. He has three marriages around the corner. The first marriage took place when Gradsky was young and married his girlfriend Natalya Smirnova, however, this marriage did not last long and three months later the couple separated.
- in 1976, Alexander married again and found happiness in the person of the famous Russian actress Anastasia Vertinskaya, and yet Gradsky did not find real happiness with her, and the couple filed for divorce;
- but the musician found his real happiness a little later. His wife was an ordinary woman, with whom he had been married for twenty-three years. In this marriage they had two children, son Daniel and daughter Maria. But, unfortunately, the marriage came to an end in 2003;
- in 2004, he remarried model Marina Kotashenko, who is thirty years younger than him. In 2014, the couple had their first common son, Alexander. Marina maintains good relations with Alexander's other children.
How do you feel about Alexander Gradsky? We are waiting for your answers!