The writer Ilya Voitovetsky recalled the people's artist:
- I nursed Sasha at the time when we were housemates with his parents. His dad worked late, and his mom was in a drama club and ran away to classes in the evenings. And they asked me to sit with Sasha. Years passed, and he, a recognized artist, came on tour to Israel, where I already lived. And I just published the story Maestro, where I kindly remembered Gradsky's parents. And I called Sasha, reminded of myself. He talked about the book and suggested reading it. He refused, and rather rudely: “I can’t read everything that various graphomaniacs write!” “Alexander Borisovich,” I answered, “but I nursed you little, and you wrote very warmly on my knees.” “Since then, I have managed to justify all of Russia,” the singer replied unkindly. I apologized and hung up.
And here is what a Muscovite, now a well-known astrologer Vadim Levin, told ZHG.
In the distant 70s, he and Gradsky were part of a musical get-together.
The group "Skomorokhi", which was created by the singer, thundered throughout the country.
“The halls were packed, there were a lot of girls,” Levin told us. - As soon as Gradsky began to sing, the girls began to take off their bras and, with a squeal, threw them at his feet. Gradsky played the guitar with his teeth, on his knees. Many girls caught him after concerts and were ready to give themselves up. But he rebuffed them very unkindly.
Could, for example, say that the girl has crooked teeth or legs. Colleagues in the group called him a charming impudent. By the way, they sometimes got girls whom Alexander had previously rejected.
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First wife ran away to best friend
It is known that Alexander Gradsky had three wives. In the party they chatted, as if he was leaving each to young fans. But it's not.
- The first wife, Natasha Smirnova, was able to withstand his extremely difficult character just three days after the wedding. And then she ran away, ”Vladimir Mikhailovich Polonsky, who worked at Skomorokh, admitted in an interview. -
Subsequently, she married Gleb May, also from Skomorokhov. And happy with him to this day.
May was Gradsky's best friend. Now he lives in the Moscow region, teaches vocals at a music school, writes classical music. Gleb Borisovich told us that they had not communicated with Gradsky for many years. But Gleb Borisovich flatly refused to remember the past!
The second wife of the maestro, the famous actress Anastasia Vertinskaya, still calls the ex-believer nothing more than Gadsky. Together they lived only 4 months.
The marriage with the third wife was a guest - they lived in different apartments. Apparently, this was the secret of a relationship that lasted as much as 20 years.
From the third wife, the singer has a son and a daughter. Daughter Maria was seen by the audience of the show "Voice". The son is an economist, he is fond of extrasensory perception. According to the stories of friends, he is a fan ... of the star of the "Battle of Psychics-13" American Vita Mano and even enters his fan club.
The fourth, civil, wife of the 63-year-old maestro Marina managed to stay close for almost 10 years. Even though they live together. The artist himself voices the secret of a long relationship as follows: according to the horoscope of Scorpio, we both “bite” and understand each other without words.
Gossips, on the other hand, talk as if a native of Kyiv is simply comfortable next to the famous and wealthy. Marina works in one of the modeling agencies in Moscow. She graduated from VGIK, but played only small roles in passing films. And as a model, she is not so in demand - after all, she is already 30. It is highly likely that her wife will head the Gradsky Theater, which the maestro plans to create this year.
Reference
Alexander Gradsky - People's Artist, owner of a unique voice, worked with Western stars: Liza Minnelli, Charles Aznavour and others. The maestro is also known for harsh negative statements about his colleagues and show business in general.
So, he called the stage "well ... in business", and the artists - "gov ... o-stars." Many artists do not like Gradsky. For example, the Presnyakov family. Somehow Gradsky spoke unflatteringly about the vocal data of the wife of Vladimir Presnyakov Jr. Natalia Podolskaya. “Yes, I heard something squeaking,” he commented on her Eurovision number. But in Golos we saw a completely different Gradsky: not aggressive and even a little sentimental. Getting old?
Filming for the sixth season has just begun. show "Voice", which means that the program management has already decided on the composition of the mentors this year. Fans of the program remember how viewers and many music experts reacted negatively to last year's appointment of the show's management. After all, then Polina Gagarina, Grigory Leps and rapper Basta became members of the jury. Such a composition of mentors seemed incompetent to many - the stars were accused of not professionally selecting participants in blind auditions.
Apparently, this year the management of the show decided to listen to the wishes and comments of viewers and fans of the program. So, it became known that in the sixth season, the participants will be judged and their teams will be recruited by the “golden” jury, which included Alexander Gradsky, Leonid Agutin, Dima Bilan and Pelageya. This was announced by the General Producer of the United Directorate of Music and Entertainment Broadcasting of Channel One Yuri Aksyuta. A video announcing the names of the mentors was posted on the channel's website.
Fans of the program enthusiastically received the news about the return of the "golden" jury. However, many were alarmed by the news that Gradsky was coming to the set of the show in a wheelchair. According to eyewitnesses, the organizers of Golos even had to install a special ramp so that Alexander could sit in the mentor's red chair.
As it turned out, the artist broke his leg shortly before the start of filming. However, despite the accident, he decided not to give up work and accepted the offer of Channel One to participate in the sixth season of The Voice. Gradsky missed the fifth season of the program, from which, according to rumors, he refused due to disagreements with the management regarding his fee. However, there is another version - gossips claim that Alexander was very disappointed with the results of the fourth season, when not his ward became the winner and therefore refused to shoot in the fifth season. Neither the musician himself, nor his representatives confirmed these conjectures in any way.
Alexander Gradsky gained fame back in the 70s of the last century. Then he, together with Mikhail Turkov, created the rock group "Slavs". But even today, many people know this talented musician, poet. He is also known as a public figure. Alexander has the honorary title of People's Artist of Russia. In the article, we will pay attention to Gradsky's personal life and other interesting details from his biography.
Alexander Borisovich Gradsky, whose biography and personal life are so interesting to us, was born in the Chelyabinsk region. In a town called Kopeysk. It was November 3, 1949. The musician's mother was a professional actress. She played in the theater. And perhaps it was from her that the boy inherited artistry and love of art.
Pope Alexander had a more "mundane" profession. He worked as a mechanical engineer. In 1957, the family moved to the capital of the USSR, the city of Moscow. Dad still worked at the factory, and mom worked as a teacher in children's theater studios. In addition, she was one of the authors of a well-known literary magazine at that time. It is interesting that for a long time the boy lived for a long time with his grandmother in Rastorguevo near Moscow (Butovo district). There he studied at a music school, learned to play the violin. This gave the child great interest. But at home he did not want to play the violin for a long time.
At school, the boy also gravitated toward the humanities. He was very fond of history and literature. He was especially fond of poetry. And at the age of thirteen, he wrote his first poem for the first time.
Gradsky recalls that instead of playing the violin, he spent all his free time on sports. The artist played football, was fond of volleyball and wrestling. In addition, he went to chess. He graduated from the music school in the violin class. But the Beatles that appeared at that time changed the boy's worldview so much that he had no chance of becoming a violinist.
In addition, Gradsky liked to listen to modern music - both domestic and foreign performers. He adored Elvis Presley, Louis Armstrong, Mark Bernes, Claudia Shulzhenko, Lidia Ruslanova.
A. Gradsky in his youth
His uncle from abroad brought him vinyl records with modern hits. And the boy was amazed by the amazing music. In high school, he began performing as a performer at school events. He sang and played along on the guitar or piano. In addition, as an actor, he tried his hand at the school theater.
As a child, Alexander bore the surname Fradkin, which is the surname of his father. However, everything changed when his mother, Tamara Pavlovna Gradskaya, passed away in 1963. The boy missed her very much and decided to change his last name.
Path to fame
1963 was a landmark year for the boy. He lost a loved one, changed his last name and took the first steps in his musical career. He first started playing in the rock band "Cockroaches", which included students from Poland. And in 1965, at sixteen, he organized the Slavs collective. This group became very popular in the USSR, young guys won the hearts of many fans. They sang songs of popular bands - Rolling Stones and The Beatles.
In 1966, Alexander Gradsky, in whose biography and personal life there are many interesting moments, created another group - "Skomorokhi". He himself was a songwriter, composing them in his native language. And in the company of old friends from the "Slavs" - Vyacheslav Dontsov and Viktor Degtyarev - he travels around the cities with tours. Soon they earn money to buy high-quality expensive equipment. But he does not abandon the "Skomorokhi" team either. Together with him, he continues to go on tour in Soviet cities. And Gradsky personally receives honorary awards for his work - "For Vocal", "For Guitar" and "For Composition".
Once Alexander was noticed by director Andrei Konchalovsky and invited him to take part in the filming of his film "Romance of Lovers". Initially, Gradsky was invited simply as a talented singer. And then he became the author of all the poems, songs and music that sounded in this film.
Then Gradsky receives even greater fame and the Star of the Year award (1974). The career of a young musician is rapidly going uphill. Gradsky is very fond of the audience, they are happy to come to his concerts.
But Gradsky, despite the resounding success, is not arrogant - he continues to study. In 1974 he became a student at the Moscow Conservatory. His teacher was the famous composer Tikhon Khrennikov. In 1988, Gradsky wrote compositions for films, which soon became popular.
In the late 70s, Gradsky wrote many songs in support of rock music. As you know, such compositions were not very encouraged in the USSR. They were considered a negative trend of the West. Because of such activity of Gradsky, he has many ill-wishers.
However, the musician remains true to his views and continues to work actively. For several years he taught at the Gnessin School, and after that at the institute. He worked as the head of the vocal department.
From 1976 to 1980 he wrote the suite "Russian Songs" in two parts. He also publishes a collection of compositions “Reflections of a Jester”, where he presents himself as an artist capable of singing and playing music in various genres. In addition, Gradsky composes the opera "Stadium", music for the ballet "Man". And after the death of the poet and composer Vladimir Vysotsky, Gradsky changed the vector of creativity to tragic and dramatic.
Worldwide popularity
It is interesting that Gradsky is popular not only in his homeland, but also abroad. Under his leadership, various creative projects are being created. Concerts are held in the capital of the USSR with the participation of various orchestras, rock bands and choir soloists. Gradsky also has fifteen CDs with his compositions. Abroad, Gradsky works with such celebrities as Liza Minnelli, John Denver, Diana Warwick and others.
A. Gradsky with John Denver
Today, Gradsky is still popular, continues to tour Russia and works abroad. In addition, for a long time he was a jury member of the Voice project on central television. Young talents under his leadership have become the winners of this high-profile project more than once.
For many years, Gradsky has been friends with Alexandra Pakhmutova. They met at work. Gradsky was supposed to record a composition for the film "My Love in the Third Year". And Pakhmutova wrote the music for this film. This acquaintance grew into a long friendship. And it was Pakhmutova who wrote for Alexander Borisovich his famous song "How young we were." It has been a hit for many years now.
Gradsky admitted in an interview that he gained popularity precisely thanks to the composition “How Young We Were” and the popular film “Romance of Lovers”, to which he wrote the musical accompaniment. The artist does not hide - he was offered a lot of money for concerts - like no one else in the USSR. The fact is that everywhere he could gather full halls. Not every tour operator succeeds in this.
Productions by Gradsky
Alexander Gradsky, whose biography and personal life we are discussing today, is widely known as the author of numerous stage productions. For example, his work - the rock opera "Stadium" became very famous and popular. She talks about the military coup in Chile in 1973. Then Augusto Pinochet subjected the country to terrible repressions. Many people died. The hero of the opera is the musician Victor Hara, who also became a victim of the bloody regime. Although Gradsky does not indicate the name of the protagonist and the place of events, it is clear that this story is the basis. It is interesting that the role of the singer with a tragic fate was played by the artist himself.
This work was released on discs, so fans of Gradsky's work can get to know him. The roles in the work are played by the author's friends - Alexander Rosenbaum, Iosif Kobzon, Lolita, Andrey Makarevich, Grigory Leps and others.
Gradsky Alexander with his wife: photo
It so happened that the popular musician was married several times. His first wife is Natalya Gradskaya. The artist met her in his youth and, without thinking twice, got married. The second wife of the master was the famous Soviet actress Anastasia Vertinskaya.
For the third time, the artist married Olga Gradskaya. They lived together for 23 years. Olga gave birth to two children to the musician. The son of Alexander Gradsky, whose personal life and biography is still of interest to fans, is called Daniil. He was born in 1981. And his daughter's name is Maria. She was born in 1985. The son is a successful businessman, which does not prevent him from seriously studying music. The daughter works as a TV presenter.
And in 2004, Alexander married again. His chosen one was the beauty and model Marina Kotashenko, who is thirty years younger than him. They met on the street, where the charming Gradsky was able to attract the attention of a girl. Marina later admitted in an interview that she was happily married. The musician treats her with love, takes care of her. In addition, he is interesting to her as a person. Marina is currently filming in TV series.
And in 2014, she gave Alexander Borisovich a son. A happy event took place in the capital of the States. The child was named Sasha in honor of his father, but it is too early to say whether the boy will become the same famous musician.
In 2016, the paparazzi caught Gradsky and his young wife on vacation and posted photos of Alexander and Marina on the Web. After that, a lot of malicious comments fell upon the family. Alexander, unlike his young wife, cannot boast of an excellent shape. Therefore, many called their union nothing more than "Beauty and the Beast." Alexander admits that he does not have complexes, but on the contrary, he is very glad that Marina chose him, and not someone younger and more athletic.
It should be noted that the beauty was never seen in an attempt to change her husband and did not give anyone a reason to doubt her love for her husband. However, it is not surprising that Gradsky does not like journalists very much. It was he who introduced the word "journalist", reflecting his negative attitude towards the representatives of this profession.
Now Alexander Gradsky, whose biography and personal life has become the subject of today's article, lives with his family in the Moscow region. He writes music, teaches vocals.
Childhood and family of Alexander Gradsky
When Alexander was born, the family lived beyond the Urals in the Chelyabinsk region. Dad was an engineer, where he was assigned after graduating from the institute. Mom was an actress, but having gone to Kopeysk for her husband, she was forced to abandon the stage and career at the Moscow Art Theater, where she, as a young actress, was invited after the theater. In Kopeysk, she directed an amateur theater at the local Palace of Culture.Only in 1957 did the family from Kopeysk move back to the capital. For some time I had to live with my grandmother near Moscow, and later my parents moved to the city in a small room in the basement, Sasha stayed with his grandmother. Only when it was necessary to go to school, he moved to his parents. At the age of nine, mother and father took their son to a music school, where he studied without much desire, learning to play the violin. He liked music, but the fact that at home it was necessary to play every day for several hours depressed him.
Alexander Gradsky - How young we were
At school, he preferred the humanities, while the exact ones were of little interest to him. The boy read a lot and already at fourteen he wrote his first poem. My mother's brother, together with the Moiseev Theater, often toured abroad, including the United States. Thanks to these trips, my uncle got records with modern Western music, which Alexander also listened to.
As a schoolboy, Gradsky began to try his hand at school parties, where he sang to the guitar or piano. He also attended the theater club.
The first songs of Alexander Gradsky
At fourteen, a teenager with the Polish student group "Cockroaches" took part in a number of concerts. "The Best City on Earth" is the first song performed by Gradsky as part of this group.When Alexander was fifteen, the family moved into a nice apartment. At this age, the teenager decided that he would become a musician and singer with a name - Alexander Gradsky. He himself says that the serious passion for The Beatles prompted him to decide to continue his musical education.
Alexander Gradsky and musical groups
In 1965, the group "Slavs" appeared, which was organized by Alexander together with Mikhail Turkov, later the rest of the guys who became members of the musical group joined them. A year later, the ensemble "Skomorokhi" appeared, which performed songs in their native language, mostly Gradsky's own songs. The hallmark of the novice singer was his song "Blue Forest". In parallel, Alexander performed with the Scythians group, and then with Los Panchos.There was never enough money for equipment, so the musician and his comrades began working at the Philharmonic. Having accepted the offer of David Tukhmanov, he went on tour around the country. Performances with Los Panchos continued, in addition, for some time he played solo guitar in VIA Electron. During these few years, speaking, Alexander never sang, being afraid to light up. The idea was to collect the necessary amount for decent equipment over several years of performances, and then perform in Moscow with Russian rock and roll.
Alexander Gradsky - Song about the Olympics in Sochi 2014
In 1969, Gradsky became a student at the Gnesinka solo singing department. His teacher was L. Kotelnikova. During his studies, he performed with solo concerts, where he sang with the guitar. Gradsky was among the first singers and musicians who experimented in rock with Russian-language lyrics. Around that time, the first sound recording experience appeared. The songs of "Skomorokhov" began to sound throughout the country.
The best songs of Alexander Gradsky
After graduating from the Gnessin Institute, Alexander began touring, his career quickly went up. During Gradsky's concerts there were always full houses. It happened that he gave four solo concerts a day, each of which lasted at least two hours.In 1975, Alexander entered the conservatory, while working on several films in parallel. In 1976, the musician began working on the first part of the Russian Songs suite, and in 1978, on the second. The album with the same name was released in 1980. At the time, it was a significant work in rock music. The musician continued to tour, performing mainly with songs of his own composition. Soon he began teaching, first teaching at the Gnessin School, after a while at the Gnessin Institute, and then at GITIS, where he headed the vocal department.
The year 1980 was a turning point for Alexander's work, he moved into the category of "Protestants", his rock music contained both tragic satire and dramatic lyrics. His talent and voice were always taken into account, so if there were any troubles, they were small, but for the first time he went abroad only in 1988. It was a conference attended by people from cinema, politics and the arts.
Soon the musician reduced the number of tours and concerts. His desire was to create a Theater of Contemporary Music, for which he was given a building in the center of the capital, which required reconstruction. Gradsky often traveled abroad and worked on joint projects with Chris Christophersson, Sammy Davis, Liza Minnelli and others. He released a number of CDs in Russia and two CDs were released in Japan.
On Channel One, the show "Voice" was released, where Gradsky was one of the mentors. In both 2012 and 2013, a member of his team won. The wards of the musician were such contestants as Sharip Umkhanov, Sergey Volchkov, Yazilya Mukhametova and others.
Personal life of Alexander Gradsky
Alexander was left without a mother early. She died when he was only fourteen years old. In memory of her, he took his mother's surname and became Alexander Gradsky.Gradsky's first marriage lasted only three months. Natalya Smirnova became his chosen one. The second official wife was Anastasia Vertinskaya. The wedding took place three years after the first marriage. Together they lived for only two years, although the divorce was issued only after four years. Immediately after the divorce, a third marriage followed. Alexander married Olga Fartysheva. The marriage lasted twenty-three years. They had a son and a daughter.
Alexander Gradsky at present
Now Gradsky has been living in a civil marriage for more than ten years with model Marina Kotashenko, who is more than thirty years younger than him. The relationship of today's wife Gradsky with his adult children can be called even.In 1964, Gradsky, having learned that for the movie "The Elusive Avengers" they were looking for a guy who was good at playing the guitar, went to audition. They didn't take him.
There he met Misha Turkov, who also unsuccessfully participated in the tests. They talked and after some time decided to create a group "Slavs".
It is known that after graduating from school, Gradsky worked for some time at Mosfilm as a loader, then worked in the same position at a cardboard factory and even worked as a laboratory assistant, where his father arranged him.
