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.
Childhood photo of Alexander Gradsky
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.
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.
Gradsky in his youth
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 on tour. 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.
Gradsky and Kanchalovsky
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.
Vinyl record by A. Gradsky
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.
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.
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.
During the release
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.
With I. Kobzon during a speech
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.
This marriage also did not bring happiness to the artist. Together, the actress and musician stayed only four years and broke up in 1980.
With Anastasia Vertinskaya and with her son
For the third time, the artist married Olga Gradskaya, the site reports. 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.
A. Gradsky with Marina Kotashenko
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 - he does not complex, but on the contrary - he is very glad that Marina chose him, and not someone younger and more athletic.
Alexander and Marina
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.
The photographs, which are replicated at breakneck speed on the popular social network Instagram and assembled into various collages, depict the famous performer, mentor of the Voice show, Alexander Gradsky. Moreover, the artist was filmed in only black wide shorts. In the photo, the master gently kisses and hugs his young wife, model and actress Marina Kotashenko.
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By the way, the pretty blonde herself is captured without clothes. All strategically important places are covered with a light swimsuit. "Alexander Gradsky and his wife 💑 How do you like this couple? 😉 (Hereinafter, the spelling and punctuation of the authors are preserved. - Note ed.)", one of the photo distributors asked in the caption to the collage. The reaction was overwhelming.
Netizens were horrified by what they saw. "Fu damn it. What a nightmare!! I hope they love it ...", "One hundred percent she loves him because he is such a beautiful fat pig", "Hospidya, you have to love money like that ((", "I yell 😂", "Everything is written on her face, what kind of love is there", "In the photo where he hugs her, it feels like he is unpleasant to her and she tolerates him", "Horror 😨", "Tin ...!", "I want unsee it ..”, “Ugh, how to sleep with him. And what will she do with him in 10 years, with such excess weight, PPC,” Netizens expressed their opinion.
Note that the wife is 31 years younger than Alexander Gradsky. The singer said more than once in an interview: he was incredibly lucky that such a beautiful girl chose him, because with her data she could find a party for herself and more profitable.
Gradsky and Kotashenko have been together for more than ten years. Marina received an acting education and now plays in the theater, she also has small roles in serials. She also trained as a lawyer. Kotashenko explained that she did not want to rely on the influence of Gradsky and wanted to achieve everything herself.
Alexander Gradsky is a rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, People's Artist of Russia, a singer with a range of three octaves, a permanent jury member of the Voice show - the titles and incarnations of this unique artist can be listed for a long time.
During his almost seventy years of life, Alexander was officially married three times, but he found real happiness already in adulthood.
First experience
For the first time Gradsky married in 1973 a student Natalia Smirnova. The young people were really very young, they met, and at some point the relationship lost its freshness and sharpness.
Gradsky decided that the wedding would be able to revive the extinguished feelings, and made an offer to Natalya. The wedding took place, but there was no increase in romance in the relationship. The young parted, "shaking hands with each other."
Took him to her
Three years later, Gradsky married a bright woman, a talented actress Anastasia Vertinskaya. They met on a visit, at one of the parties. Gradsky tried to court that evening, but to no avail..
Then, six months later, he had a concert near Alushta. Anastasia was vacationing in a nearby village with her sister and friends. She found out about the concert, stopped the first ride (it turned out to be a ZIL truck), and went to Gradsky.
When she got to the place, drunk Alexander was sitting on the shore and pondering whether to plunge into the sea or not. Suddenly he saw a certain person in a dressing gown, with cracked glasses. He did not even immediately understand that the exquisite Vertinskaya and this girl were one person.
Alexander and Anastasia somehow immediately began a relationship. It happened by itself, as Gradsky later recalls, they "merged in the Crimean ecstasy."
They returned from the Crimea separately, Gradsky by car, and Vertinskaya by plane. On the way, Gradsky's car had an accident, Vertinskaya returned for it.. And she took him to her, so he stayed with her. In fact, the marriage with Vertinskaya lasted about two years.
In 1980, he had a new woman, who was also expecting a child from him.
Attempt #3
Young student Olga Gradsky noticed at a performance at the Shchukin School. A few places behind him, he saw a girl of amazing beauty, and the whole performance looked only at her.
Alexander met Olya during the intermission, and after the performance everyone went to Gradsky to write. And Olya too. They began to communicate, and soon all the women faded into the background.
Olga was not an actress, she studied at Moscow State University at the Faculty of Economics. Gradsky then lived in a terrible apartment, Olga in a hostel, but they decided to keep the child and got married.
Gradsky lived with his second wife for 23 years, children were born in marriage - son Daniel and daughter Maria. In 2003, the marriage broke up at the initiative of the wife, she preferred another man.
Devil in the ribs
The master did not stay alone for long. Already in 2004 he met his fourth wife, Marina Kotashenko. One day he was driving a car and saw a girl of extraordinary beauty through the window. Gradsky thought that if he did not meet, he would miss the chance of his whole life.
Interesting Notes:But at that moment he looked completely unpresentable, in dirty clothes, disheveled. He was driving from the construction site.
Alexander didn’t think of anything better than to shout: “Girl, you have a chance to touch the legend!”. Marina not only did not recognize him, she did not know at all who Gradsky was.
Not surprisingly, Marina is 31 years younger than Alexander, and her conscious life was spent in Ukraine. This man seemed to her an eccentric, but she picked up the phone and called him back.
What is this girl?
At that time, Marina was 20 years old, she was born in 1984, in Kyiv. In her school years, she was engaged in dancing, went to a modeling school.
In her hometown, Marina graduated from the institute with a degree in jurisprudence, but later decided to move to Moscow to try her hand at modeling.
They began to live together with Gradsky in 2001, and in 2009 Maria entered VGIK, in the workshop of Vsevold Shilovsky. After graduating from the institute, Shilovsky took her to serve in his studio theater, where she received roles in the performances "Key for Two" (Magda), "Male, Singular" (Zhassant), "Bachelorette Party" (Lisbeth), "Mad Money ), Lydia Yuryeva.
She has been active in films since 2010. In addition, Marina is one of the most popular models in Moscow. In 2014, Marina gave birth to a son, Alexander, and in this regard, she decided to take a break in her career.
Alexander believes that a man develops a woman's brains, especially if the woman is younger.
But in the case of Marina, as Gradsky himself admits, he did not have to develop the brains of his other half. She was quite smart and wise. With all her data, intelligence and beauty, she could find someone much richer, younger, more famous than he, Gradsky. The master sincerely thinks so. Therefore, he consoles himself with the thought that Marina loves him for some qualities unknown to him.
The son of the spouses grows up as a very musical child, he was bought the first guitar at the age of three. Marina plans to send her child to an art school.
Photos of the famous master
Love has no boundaries. Sometimes, even a huge age difference does not stop people from taking such a serious step as marriage.
In society, such couples are often treated with condemnation. Most often this applies to public people, whose life is in full view.
Their relationship becomes a subject for heated discussions, distrust in sincere feelings.
But it seems that the lovers themselves are not interested in outside opinion.
Ivan Krasko and Natalya Shevel
Age difference - 60 years
24-year-old Natalya Shevel met her future husband at the St. Petersburg Institute for the Humanities, where she was a student and her fiancé taught. But he turned out to be not a shy graduate student, but 84-year-old People's Artist of Russia Ivan Krasko! The difference in the age of the spouses discouraged many, but the lovers themselves do not pay attention to gossip and continue to assure gossip that they are happy.
Hugh Hefner and Crystal Harris 
Age difference - 60 years
Five years ago, the 85-year-old Playboy founder announced his engagement to 25-year-old model Crystal Harris. The engagement lasted two years, during which the lovers even managed to quarrel and cancel the wedding, but later change their minds and still go down the aisle.
Armen Dzhigarkhanyan and Vitalina Tsymbalyuk-Romanovskaya 
Age difference - 45 years
About the affair of the 79-year-old actor with 34-year-old Vitalina Tsymbalyuk-Romanovskaya, musical director of the Moscow Drama Theater. Dzhigarkhanyan, has been known for a long time. Dzhigarkhanyan left his wife Tatyana Vlasova six years ago, but he decided to formalize the divorce only now, on the eve of his anniversary. The actor's novel made a lot of noise not only in the press, but also in his theater, where until recently Dzhigarkhanyan was the director. After Armen Borisovich gave his position to Vitalina, many actors quit. However, the artist and his muse do not seem to care much. The lovers settled in an apartment near Moscow, where they enjoy each other's company.
Andrei Konchalovsky and Yulia Vysotskaya 
Age difference - 36 years
For 17 years, Andrei Konchalovsky has been happy with his fourth wife, actress and cook Yulia Vysotskaya, who is younger than her husband's eldest son, director Yegor Konchalovsky.
Ronnie Wood and Sally Humphreys 
Age difference - 31 years
In 2008, Ronnie Wood, the guitarist of The Rolling Stones, broke up with his wife Jo after 23 years of marriage for the Russian waitress Ekaterina Ivanova, but the relationship between the old rocker and the fickle Katya did not last long. Three years after the affair with Katya, Wood married for the third time. His new chosen one was 34-year-old Sally Humphreys, a theater producer.
Clint Eastwood and Christina Sandera 
Age difference - 33 years
Immediately after the divorce from his wife Dina, who was 35 years younger than him, the actor and director found solace in the arms of a new girlfriend - and again much younger than himself. Eastwood, 85, now lives with Christina Sandera, the manager of the star-owned Mission Ranch hotel.
Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn 
Age difference - 35 years
Woody Allen lived in a civil marriage with actress Mia Farrow for 12 years. The couple had a common son, Ronan, and the couple also took two adopted children, Dylan and Moses. The reason for the breakup between Allen and Farrow was the director's affair ... with the adopted daughter of actress Sun-Yi Previn, whom she had previously adopted with her ex-husband. At that time, the girl was 22 years old, and Allen was 57 years old. In 1997, Sun-Yi Previn and Woody Allen got married and also adopted two girls. By the way, Soon-I Preven admits that she never treated Woody Allen as a father, and all the talk that she is his daughter makes her laugh. Mia Farrow does not agree with her, who, after breaking up with Allen, accused him of molesting her daughter and forbade him to communicate with other children.
Al Pacino and Lucila Sola
Age difference - 39 years
In March of this year, the confirmed bachelor Al Pacino surprised fans with the announcement that he was going to marry his Argentine girlfriend, actress Lucila Sole. Pacino has been dating her for about five years and notes that the wedding is possible - because the actor never says "never".
Oleg Tabakov and Marina Zudina 
Age difference - 30 years
Tabakov met his future wife in 1986, when a young graduate of GITIS was accepted into the troupe of Oleg Tabakov's studio theater (the actor was 51 years old). Ten years later, the teacher and student played a wedding, and then became the parents of two children: Pavel, who also began an acting career, and Maria, whom Zudina gave birth to at 41.
Alexander Gradsky and Marina Kotashenko 
Age difference - 32 years
The 65-year-old composer and the 33-year-old actress have been together for 12 years, and last year the young wife gave birth to a son from Gradsky, named Alexander in honor of his father. True, the musician is in no hurry to marry his beauty.
Roberto Cavalli and Lina Nilson 
Age difference - 47 years
The young model Lina became a muse for the designer and the beginning of a second youth after her divorce from Eva Düringer. He met the beautiful Cavalli when she was only 20 years old, and, despite the age of the couturier, young Lina lost her head from him.
Bari Alibasov and Victoria Maksimova 
Age difference - 40 years
The producer met his sixth wife at work: 25-year-old Victoria was Alibasov's assistant. Despite the fact that the legendary creator of the Na-Na group made an offer live on NTV, the wedding was a secret.
Alexander Gordon and Nozanin Abdulvasieva 
Age difference - 30 years
At the time of his acquaintance with 20-year-old VGIK student Nozanin Abdulvasieva, Gordon already had a reputation as a lover of young girls: the journalist had a divorce from Nina Schipilova, who was also 30 years younger than her husband, and Katya Gordon, who was 15 years younger than Alexander . Nozanin became the fourth official wife of Gordon and the mother of his third child.
Alexander Gradsky is a singer, composer, guitarist, poet, musical and He is a People's Artist of Russia and a laureate of the State Prize. Created together with Mikhail Turkov, the group "Slavs" was the third rock group in the Soviet Union. As a real creative person, he constantly needs a wonderful muse. Perhaps that is why he was repeatedly married.
Alexander Gradsky. Biography. Childhood and youth
Born in Kopeysk (Chelyabinsk region) on November 3, 1949. His mother was a drama theater actress. From her he inherited a penchant for creativity. My father was a mechanical engineer by profession.
In 1957 the family moved to Moscow. His father got a job at a factory, and his mother became the head of theater circles. She was also a member of the literary staff of a popular magazine. Parents were too busy with work, so Alexander Gradsky lived with his grandmother (through his mother) in the village of Rastorguevo, Butovsky district (in the Moscow region).
In the period from 1958 to 1965, Sasha attended a music school and studied violin with V. V. Sokolov. The boy was very interested in music lessons. However, he did not like doing hours of exercise at home.
In a comprehensive school, he is fond of humanitarian disciplines. Literature and history become his elements. He read prose and poetry with great pleasure. At the age of thirteen, Sasha wrote his first poem. He got acquainted early with Western music (E. Presley, L. Armstrong, B. Haley, E. Fitzgerald). From the Soviet stage, he preferred to listen to songs performed by L. Ruslanova, K. Shulzhenko,
Alexander Gradsky, a young music lover, had the opportunity to listen to rare records with amazing music. They were brought by his uncle from abroad.
During the school years, Sasha performs as a singer at school parties, while he accompanies himself on the piano or guitar. As an actor, he tries his hand at the theatrical circle.
Family of Alexander Gradsky
- The musician's mother is Tamara Pavlovna Gradskaya (actress, director, literary collaborator of the magazine).
- Grandmother (on the line of mother) - Maria Ivanovna Gradskaya (Pavlova), was a housewife.
- Grandfather, Pavel Ivanovich Gradsky - a master in tailoring leather goods.
- Uncle, Boris Pavlovich Gradsky - dancer, ensemble artist, accordion player, composer.
- Father - Boris Abramovich Fradkin (mechanical engineer).
- Grandmother (on the father's side) - Roza Ilyinichna Fradkina (Chvertkina), worked as a secretary-typist for fifty years.
- Grandfather - Abram Semenovich Fradkin, worked in Kharkov as a house manager.
- Aunt - Irina Abramovna Fradkina (Sidorova).
Until the age of fourteen, Sasha bore the name of his father. After the death of his mother (in 1963) he took her last name in memory of her.
Concerts, performances, musical groups
Gradsky's successful career as a musician began in 1963. Together with the group "Cockroaches" (which included Polish students), he performs at several concerts.
In 1965, Alexander Gradsky, together with Mikhail Turkov, created the Slavs group. Some time later, Vyacheslav Dontsov (drummer) and Viktor Degtyarev (bass guitarist) joined their band. Somewhere in a couple of months, Vadim Maslov (electroorganist) joins them. "Slavs" is the third Soviet rock band that conquered a large number of listeners. Their repertoire included songs and The Beatles.
In 1966, the group "Skomorokhi" was organized. Alexander Gradsky himself was the author of the songs and composed them in Russian.
At the same time, he does not stop working with Dontsov and Degtyarev. Their group "Scythians" has repeatedly changed the performing staff.
On trips, musicians earn money for high-quality and expensive equipment. Their group "Los Panchos" conquers Moscow.
In 1969 he entered the GMPI them. Gnesins and improves vocal skills. At the same time, he begins a solo career and performs with a guitar. Continues to compose musical compositions. These are "Ballad of a Poultry Farm", "Spain", "Song of Fools", a small rock opera "Fly-Tsokotuha".
"Skomorokhi" win six first prizes at the All-Union festival of beat groups "Silver Strings" in Gorky. Alexander Gradsky personally received three of them: "For vocal", "For guitar" and "For composition".
In 1972, "Skomorokhi" toured various cities (Kuibyshev, Donetsk and many others).
In 1973, such compositions were published: "Blue Forest", "Spain", "Buffoons", "Coal Miner's Girlfriend".
Participation in films. Film music
Gradsky was noticed by director Andrei Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky and offered to take part in the film "Romance of the Lovers". First, Alexander was invited as a singer. He was then assigned to be the songwriter, some of the poetry, and all the music. At that time it was a very rare case: a young musician who is not a member of the Union of Composers receives an order from one of the most talented and popular directors in the country.
The film was released in 1974. In the same year, Alexander Gradsky received the title of "Star of the Year". A photo of the already famous musician is presented below.
After that, Alexander's career goes up rapidly. He tours the country. At his concerts, the halls are constantly overflowing with the public, which meets him with incredible excitement.
In 1975, Gradsky fruitfully worked on several films at once. Meanwhile, he continues to record music, participates in projects of various authors. In the same year, he entered the Moscow Conservatory to the wonderful teacher T. Khrennikov in the composition class.
In 1988 he wrote music for such films as The Art of Living in Odessa and Prisoner of If Castle.
Touring and teaching activities
Since the late 70s, the active touring activity of the musician has continued. His repertoire is replenished with songs for which he writes the lyrics himself. Some of them are very brave. He writes articles in defense of rock music. Actively argues with retrogrades. Thus, he makes enemies for himself.
At this time, he begins teaching. For several years he has been working at the Gnessin School, graduating a course of students. Then he teaches at the institute. This stage of activity ended with two years of heading the vocal department. Gradsky believed that you can work further only if you have your own class.
Creativity of the 70s, 80s, 90s
From 1976 to 1980 Alexander composed and recorded two parts of the Russian Songs suite. This is the first rock record in the Soviet Union, which was released in 1980.
Gradsky Alexander releases one studio recording after another. A photo of the musician in the process of work can be seen below.
His vocal suites: "Star of the Fields", "Concert Suite", "Nostalgia", "Life Itself", "Satires", "Utopia AG", "Flute and Piano". The collection of recordings "Reflections of the Jester" confirms the possibility of singing in different rock styles in Russian. The artist also works with more complex genres. He writes the opera "Stadium" (libretto by A. Gradsky and M. Pushkina), the ballet "Man" on a libretto of his own composition.
Vladimir Vysotsky died in 1980. Alexander delves into tragic satire and dramatic lyrics. He writes compositions "Song about television", "Song about a friend" and others.
In 1988, Gradsky performed the part of the Astrologer from the opera by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov. This is an extremely complex part of the world operatic repertoire. From the auditorium of the Bolshoi Theater, he received a long standing ovation.
Music projects. Foreign trips
Numerous complex projects took place under the leadership of Alexander. This is the organization of solo concerts in Moscow with the participation of orchestras of Russian folk instruments, symphony orchestras, choirs and rock groups; release of thirteen CDs with a complete collection of his own compositions and recordings; creation of musical films (“Anti-Perestroika Blues”, “We Live in Russia”).
Foreign trips give good results. Alexander Gradsky works on joint projects with Liza Minnelli, John Denver, Diana Warwick and many others. He visited Greece, Germany, USA, Spain, Sweden. In 1990, he signed a contract with the leading Japanese company VMI (VICTOR) and released two CDs under its brand.
Last works
These are real event moments in musical life. The CD Reader is stylistically reminiscent of the Jester's Reflections suite. Here again there is an attempt to speak in Russian in modern genres. His opera The Master and Margarita (based on M. Bulgakov) is also published with a unique composition of participants. The author worked on it for more than thirty years. It is beautifully and originally framed - in the form of an old book. The set includes four discs and the complete libretto.
Currently, concerts and tours continue. For several seasons, Gradsky has been a jury member of the Voice project. And it is his contestants who reach the final and become winners. In 2012 - this is in 2013 - Sergey Volchkov.
Alexander Gradsky: personal life
The companions of his life changed several times. The first wife was Natalya Mikhailovna Gradskaya. He calls this marriage a "youth act." The relationship did not last long with his second wife, actress Anastasia Vertinskaya.
They were together from 1976 to 1978. The official divorce took place in 1980. The longest was with his third wife, Olga Semyonovna Gradskaya. Their marriage lasted about 23 years. They have two children. Son Daniel was born on March 30, 1981. He followed in his father's footsteps and became a musician, but that doesn't stop him from being a businessman. Daughter Maria was born on January 14, 1986. She graduated from Moscow State University. Works as a TV presenter and art manager.
So, Alexander Gradsky was married three times. The personal life of the musician continues to seethe to this day. In 2003, he won the heart of the charming Marina Kotashenko. They met on the street. But it was in its own way an original acquaintance. Gradsky managed to attract the attention of a spectacular beauty. A cheerful and indiscreet question: “Would you like to touch history?” - at least will bring a smile to the face of every girl. Of course, with such a legendary personality it is very interesting and exciting, in addition, the artist knows how to love and pamper. Therefore, Alexander Gradsky and his young wife have been happy together for more than ten years.
Like her civil husband, a creative person. She starred in various TV series, comedies, detective stories.
A big happy event happened recently in their family. On September 1, 2014, the son of Alexander Gradsky was born, who was named Sasha in honor of his father. The birth of Marina Kotashenko took place in New York. Time will tell whether the son will follow in the footsteps of his father, whether he will become a famous musician.
Conclusion
Thus, Gradsky Alexander is revealed to us from different sides. First of all, this is a talented musician (composer, guitarist, singer) and poet, musical and public figure. Secondly, this is a rather brave and purposeful person. He was not afraid to write satirical compositions with pronounced sarcasm, he actively stood up for rock music, without fear of making enemies. And thirdly, this is a rather loving person who has been looking for his one and only muse for a long time. Probably, in the face of Marina Kotashenko, he found her.
