Valery Syutkin is rightfully considered the main intelligent person in the world of show business. In the 90s, his fame was simply colossal. During these times, he was a member of the cult team "Bravo". At concerts, the group gathered thousands of stadiums across the territory of the former Soviet Union. But Syutkin left this musical formation in order to present the fans with a new ensemble "Syutkin and Co", which was also popular. Then he worked on other projects. But the quality of the music has always remained high. What was the path of Valery Syutkin? Biography, personal life, the singer's children - all this will be discussed in the article.
Roots
Valery Syutkin was born at the end of March 1958 in the capital of the Soviet Union. His father was born in Perm, successfully graduated from a technical school and went to Moscow for further education. He became a student of the military engineering academy. After receiving a diploma, he remained within the walls of this institution and began to engage in teaching activities.
He was considered an excellent specialist who was directly connected with military underground construction. So, during the Vietnam War, he erected appropriate structures there. In addition, he participated in the construction of the legendary Baikonur.
In addition, according to the singer, the distant ancestor on the father's side was like-minded representatives of the famous Demidov family. In these ancient times, even the great Emperor Peter I drew attention to him.
They say that Valery Syutkin is a Jew. The biography contains information that the mother of the future performer is a Polish Jew. Her parents moved from Poland to the Odessa province. It was along this line that Valery got an innate sense of humor. In any case, he called his grandmother from Odessa.
After some time, the family ended up in Moscow. The singer's mother was also born there. After training, she worked as a research assistant.
The very first acquaintance of the parents took place in a dance circle. Over time, this relationship turned into a romance that ended in a wedding. Soon the couple also had Valery Syutkin Jr.
Introduction to music
At school, young Valery studied very well at first. But when he was eleven, he heard The Beatles. After that, he was not up to study. He finally plunged into the then fashionable rock and roll and began to skip classes. True, in humanitarian subjects, including literature, he could still get out. Since from early childhood he constantly read. As for the exact sciences, Valery's academic performance has noticeably decreased.
Fortunately, the parents understood the talented son and did not dictate to him what to do. By the way, much later, Valery admitted that he was grateful to mom and dad for giving him the opportunity to develop the way he wanted.
... When Valery was thirteen, his parents divorced. He was very worried and could not forgive his father. Only decades later, father and son began to communicate again. The initiator of the meeting was Valery himself. Alas, my father passed away in 2010.
First earnings
Being in the eighth grade, the future musician managed to save money and buy a real drum kit. The fact is that during the holidays he got a job as a salesman and consultant in the Svet store. Soviet legislation did not provide for the employment of a student. But my mother's friend Valeria worked in this institution. She was able to negotiate with her superiors, and throughout the summer, young Syutkin worked there. He actively demonstrated the goods to customers. As a result, by the end of the summer, Valery had astronomical funds for his age. It was about 270 rubles.
To buy drums, the musician had to go to the well-known capital marketers. It was they who sold him a battered drum kit made in Czechoslovakia.
Becoming a musician
Having become the happy owner of a drum set, he began to play in the school VIA. After a while, he decided to master the bass guitar as well. Young talents performed compositions by Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Smokie.
Having received a certificate of maturity, the musicians continued to play music. The team was often invited to parties in different parts of the capital. The guys received good money, but they still had to officially find a job. So, Syutkin at one time worked as a bartender, and a janitor, and a loader.
However, he did not have to play dances for so long. For in 1976 he was mobilized into the armed forces.
In the army
The future singer Valery Syutkin, whose biography is presented to your attention in the article, served in the Far East. He was an auto mechanic in one of the military units. After some time, Syutkin managed to get into a military musical group. It was called "Flight". Note that a whole galaxy of subsequently famous musicians passed through this group during the service. For example, such was Alexey Glyzin.
In "Flight" Syutkin was originally an instrumentalist. But one day the vocalist fell ill. To continue playing, the guys suggested that he try to sing. And so it happened. The musicians were surprised that the drummer of their group, it turns out, has a good voice. He became the main singer of this army group.
Intertime
After the army, Syutkin again had to take on almost any job in order to exist. He was a loader at the station, then a train conductor, which ran along international lines of communication. In his free time, he continued to play, trying to get a job in the Moscow team. At the same time, Valery still did not have any relevant education. Subsequently, he came up with a legend that he graduated from one of the music schools in absentia, becoming a professional choir conductor.
First professional ensemble
At the very beginning of the 80s, Syutkin met musicians from a little-known musical formation called "Telephone". As a result, he entered the ranks of this group. Over time, this semi-amateur group turned into a professional ensemble that toured the territory of the USSR.
The first recording in which Syutkin took part was called "Ka-Ka". In 1985, VIA managed to record another album. Unfortunately, this creation was the last in their discography. The telephone is broken.
In the ranks of the "Architects"
When the "Telephone" group ceased its activities, Syutkin was invited to the "Architects" team. This happened in 1985. At that time, Yuri Loza also played in the ensemble. As a result, the compositions composed by Syutkin and Loza brought the first glory to the "Architect". So, "Time of Love" and "Bus 86" were in rotation on TV and radio. And one of the well-known publications of the Soviet Union stated that the "Architects" entered the TOP-5 of the most popular VIA of the USSR.
However, in 1987 there was a crisis in the "Architects" camp. After the Ukrainian tour, Yu. Loza decided to leave the team. The keyboardist left the band the following year. As a result, the new release, which came out in 1989, was received rather coolly. After some time, Syutkin also decided to part with the "Architects", collecting a new musical project called "Feng-O-Man". This formation lasted only two years and recorded a single album.
Frontman "Bravo"
In 1990, Syutkin became the frontman of the famous Bravo group. This proposal came from the head of the team Evgeny Khavtan.
Syutkin worked there for five years. During this time, the musicians had to change their performing style and repertoire.
The first disc with the participation of the new singer was called "Hipsters from Moscow". The album also included the song "Vasya", which literally blew up the charts of the 90s. Another hit - "I'm what you need" - generally turned into a business card "Bravo". By the way, this composition was written by Syutkin himself.
As a result, the team found a second wind. And in the image of the band members appeared an orange tie.
The peak of fame for Bravo came in 1993-94. The group celebrated its first decade of existence and held grand anniversary concerts throughout the former Soviet Union.
The team released two more records, which sold out with a huge circulation.
But in 1995, Syutkin decided to leave the group. First, he was tired of numerous concerts. Secondly, he had a different point of view on the further development of the group. Havtan wanted to change the style and image of the team. But Syutkin categorically disagreed with the opinion of the Bravo leader.
Solo creativity
After a short break, Syutkin created a completely new musical formation, Syutkin and Co., which, as a result, recorded five records. The debut album appeared on the shelves of music stores in 1995. The disk was called "7000 above ground". The composition of the same name instantly got into rotation. Subsequent albums were also successful.
In 2004, the singer decided to update the team by expanding the composition of the participants. Now the group was called "Syutkin Rock and Roll Band". This formation recorded three more discs.
recent history
Since 2015, Syutkin has been working with the Light Jazz group. The band has already released two albums. The last one is dated 2016.
In addition, the singer collaborates with Romario. Two video clips of the group with the participation of Syutkin - "Without mittens" and "Moscow River" - became real hits.
In the spring of last year, he participated in one of the social projects, which was called "Music in the Metro". Syutkin went down to the Moscow metro and performed his hit "42 minutes underground".
At the same time, at the site of the theater center of the Na Strastnoy shopping center, he presented the audience with the musical one-man show Delight. Syutkin wrote this play himself. Of course, the main role also went to him.
In the same period, the vocalist appeared at the anniversary show of the cult ballet "Todes". Syutkin then sang the song "Handsome".
Other projects
From time to time, Syutkin continues to surprise his admirers of creativity. So, in a duet, he performed songs with such musicians as L. Vaikule, M. Magomaev, A. Makarevich.
He was also a participant in the New Year's musicals "Old songs about the main thing." And two years ago he appeared on the air of the program “Property of the Republic”, singing the song “Island of Bad Luck”.
In addition, he starred in feature films. So, in 2007, he played the role of the vocalist of the ensemble in the film "Election Day". And in 2014, in the film "Champions" he played himself.
In family
Biography of Valery Syutkin, wife, children - all this does not cease to interest his fans. Behind the singer are three official marriages.
The singer met his first wife at the very beginning of the 80s. The lovers played a wedding, and soon they had a daughter, Elena. But their married life lasted only two years.
In the late 80s, Valery again went to the registry office with a friend of his friend. They had an heir, Maxim. However, this union also fell apart. For the sake of her son, Syutkin's wife did not pay attention to the adventures of her unfaithful spouse for a long time. And at the beginning of the 90s, the singer met eighteen-year-old Violetta from Riga and fell in love seriously.
The girl worked as a fashion model. Then she changed jobs, becoming a costume designer for the Bravo group.
How did the personal life of Valery Syutkin develop further? The artist's biography contains information that the working relationship between young people has become intimate and romantic. The singer left all his property to his wife and, together with his beloved, rented an apartment. Soon they officially got married, and after a while, as the biography confirms, Valery Syutkin's wife Viola gave him a daughter.
heirs
The eldest daughter of the singer Elena brilliantly graduated from an economic university and got married. In 2014, she had a charming Vasilisa, Syutkin's granddaughter. Lena often communicates with her father.
The only son of Valery Maxim is engaged in the tourism business. From time to time he sees his father. According to Syutkin, he helps him both in deed and in advice.
The youngest daughter lived up to the expectations of her parents. She studied abroad and has already received her diploma. According to her father, she has all the prerequisites to seriously engage in show business. But it's hard to say if she'll follow in her father's footsteps.
Now you know the biography, nationality of Valery Syutkin and even the details of his personal life. Finally, I would like to note some interesting facts:
- Among the artist's favorite books are the novel "Catch 22", "Perfumer" and the works of M. Bulgakov, V. Pelevin, M. Zhvanetsky, Ilf and Petrov.
- As a schoolboy, Valery was never considered a good boy. He was more of a bully. True, all the boys from his area were like that. Of his eight classmates, only three were not in prison.
- Syutkin considers himself "henpecked". The wife does not allow him to relax at home. According to her, he should always look elegant.
- Valery loves loneliness. For his songs are born only when he is alone with the guitar.
- When the singer's parents divorced, his mother began working as a cleaner. Often, young Valera himself washed the floors for her.
- In the video for the composition about a stylish orange tie, the former "driver" Evgeny Margulis starred. He played the role of a photographer.
Valery Syutkin was born in Moscow in 1958 into a family of choreographers. From childhood, he grew up very musical and was a real music lover. Valery especially liked the work of the Beatles. He began to get involved in playing percussion instruments and soon acquired real drums with the accumulated money. So Valery got into the school rock band "Excited Reality", which was very popular, and Syutkin himself, in addition to drums, mastered playing the bass guitar.
Valery Syutkin began to sing quite unexpectedly. While serving in the army, he played in the military ensemble "Flight" and once replaced a sick soloist. The performance turned out to be so successful that Syutkin continued to sing on an ongoing basis. In 1978, Valery returned to Moscow and for some time remained a simple worker until he got into the Telefon team. The group gradually became famous and recorded several albums.
After 1985, the team was renamed "Architects", which continued successful musical work. However, in 1988, Syutkin left the group and moved to the Feng-o-Man trio. Finally, in 1990, the talented singer was invited to the Bravo group by its leader Yevgeny Khavtan. It was the performances for this group that made the singer widely known throughout the country.
In 1995, Syutkin felt a creative crisis and left the group, founding the jazz band Syutkin and Co. However, on stage, the audience always perceived the singer as a solo project, which forced Valery to start performing under his own name. He continued to maintain the image of a musical intellectual, created during his performances for the Bravo group. The singer has released several jazz albums and still frequently performs at state concerts and events.
Personal life
Valery Syutkin was married three times. Interestingly, the singer does not disclose information about the first two marriages. They were in the 80s. Syutkin admits that he was not an exemplary family man, which was the reason for the collapse of those relationships. At the same time, he does not want to defame the names of his first chosen ones and therefore does not disclose them. The first union gave Valery a daughter, Elena, and the second, a son, Maxim.
In the 1990s, Valery Syutkin met a young woman from Riga, Violetta, who worked as a fashion model, and it was she who became his true love. For several years, the singer courted his passion, and in the end they played a wedding. In a marriage that has been going on for more than 25 years, a daughter, Viola, was born. Valery also has grandchildren from children born in first marriages. The singer himself remains quite polite and open in dealing with fans: he can often be found on the streets and even in the Moscow metro.
Birthday March 22, 1958
Russian singer, Honored Artist of Russia
BIOGRAPHY
Valery Syutkin was born on March 22, 1958 in Moscow at the intersection of Yauzsky and Pokrovsky Boulevards, on Obukha Street (now Vorontsovo Pole St.), in the family of Milad Aleksandrovich Syutkin, a teacher at the Kuibyshev Military Engineering Academy, who was born in Perm, and Muscovite Bronislava Andreevna Brzhezidskaya. He began to study music in the early 1970s, participating in several amateur bands at once as a bass player or drummer. Playing in school bands, he sang the songs "The Beatles", "Grand Funk Railroad", "Deep Purple", "Led Zeppelin", "Slade", "Smokie". Before the army, he worked as a cook's apprentice at the Ukraine restaurant. He served in the army in the Far East. And in the army he was in the ensemble "Flight", many famous musicians performed in this group at different times, among them Alexey Glyzin.
Once he replaced a sick vocalist, after which he remained in this role. In 1982, he began working with the Telefon group, which two years later became a professional touring philharmonic group. "Telephone" released the album "Ka-Ka", which is a cycle of songs about folk characters Suleiman Suleimanovich Kadyrov and Lev Abramovich Cascade. First he went to work as a loader at the Belorussky railway station. Then he worked as a conductor of international communications for a year and a half, carried guitars.
In January 1985, "Telephone" released the album "Twist Cascade", where for the first time the name of Syutkin was indicated on the album cover. Then the "Telephone" was dispersed, and Syutkin moved to the "Architects", where he sang along with Yuri Loza. After leaving the Architects, he created the Feng-o-Man trio, with whom he recorded the only album, Grainy Caviar. For two years he worked in the group of Mikhail Boyarsky, where the musicians of the Feng-o-man group played. From there he went to Bravo, having received an offer from Havtan.
In August 1990, the singer moved to the Bravo group, where he worked until May 1995. The time of cooperation with Bravo became a period for the singer to develop his own original style, in which he works to this day. In the lyrics of his songs, he uses the slang of the "dude" subculture, and musically, he is focused on American popular music of the 50s. At Bravo, Syutkin recorded the albums Stilyagi from Moscow, Moscow Bit, and Road to the Clouds.
In 1995, he left Bravo and created the Syutkin and Co group, in which he still works. In 1995, the song "7000 above the ground" from the album "What You Need" was recognized as the best hit of the year.
From 2001 to 2002 he was the host of the musical TV game "Two Pianos" on the RTR TV channel.
Participated in the Channel One project "Stars on Ice" paired with figure skater Irina Lobacheva. He starred in the second part of the TV musical "Old songs about the main thing."
In March 2008, the singer was awarded the title of "Honored Artist of the Russian Federation" for his services in the field of art.
FAMILY
Singer Valery Syutkin: "I am a moon dog ..."
In the musician's apartment on the Boulevard Ring, where he lives with two Violas - his wife and daughter, the morning begins with bird singing, like in a forest. It's a canary named Romeo bringing out his roulades. Wonderful trills delight the ear of Juliet - a petite blonde with silky hair of the Bichon Frize breed. The glamorous Frenchwoman appeared in the house recently, but managed to win all the hearts, although the ex-soloist of the Bravo group preferred serious Dobermans.
The song "Dog Shake" was probably inspired by walking with a Doberman? I really like the lines there: “How do you know which of us is on a leash. Maybe it's my dog, or maybe I myself.
- "A dog shake for those who understand." (Sings.) The meaning of this comic song is that it is not clear who takes whom out for a walk. And the Doberman became our first and fateful dog. We gave her the nickname Korsa, short for brown dog. We had a non-megaelite dog. Bought from breeders, but not from medalists. After a year and a half, the luxurious brown wool was glossy. Tie a red scarf - the spitting image of Carmen. When we walked with her, the owners of the males stopped: “Let's cross! What kind of girl are you!” She had a weakness - crows. She ran after them, and they swooped down on her. Korsa never offended small dogs.
- Was it difficult to bring up a Doberman?
This girl was very hard. We survived everything with her: both distemper and enteritis. When the ears were cut, they brought an infection. The veterinarian came and said that the ears would not stand up, the cartilage was weak. They had a second operation, and every day I massaged her ears for an hour. And they finally stood up. Her ears were my pride.
Why did you cut your ears? Some clinics refuse such an operation for ethical reasons.
Firstly, it appeared not so long ago, and secondly, there are traditions. The Doberman is a dry, wiry guard dog with a fine conformation. I am in love with this breed. For me, Doberman is the standard of dog beauty. When the ears are not cropped, the Doberman immediately loses his defensive grace and turns into a pointer or setter. It's like a Spanish bullfight. If in one place bullfighting was brought to an art form, then so be it.
- Didn't you pass the "course of a young fighter" with a Doberman?
Here are the first year and a half were the period of formation of the dog. Korsa gnawed everything in the house that she could. Door upholstery, parquet, linoleum in the kitchen. Along the way, the Doberman worked as a vacuum cleaner: he liked to swallow plastic toys, which then had to be removed. In general, we got it with this dog, but then, apparently, out of gratitude for our angelic patience, she paid back with such love and attention that it can not be compared with anything. When Viola Jr. was born to us, Korsa perceived her as her puppy. The child was allowed to do everything: ride a horse, carry toys, hang around his neck. Korsa almost lived to be 10 years old. Decent age for a large dog.
- Some people believe that there should be at least two dogs in the house so that the pet does not get bored alone.
We also had attempts to take another dog. We bought a beagle - a very nice creature, but this is a herd animal, which instantly began to usurp our pet Korsa. Beagle had to return. They also made an attempt to connect their fate with a Labrador, but the girl turned out to be too omnivorous in terms of love: she was happy with everyone and was ready to leave with the first person she met. We took a dog from Olya Nechaeva from the Dog Show, so we took her in the summer to raise her. When I went to pick up a Labrador, I saw our happy dog running around the open spaces. Return to a Moscow apartment in the city center, where there is nowhere to walk? This is bullying for big dogs. But we bore full responsibility for these experiments. They bought for a lot of money and gave it away for free in reliable hands. We understood: the dog should be alone.
Your Juliet is the complete opposite of the formidable Doberman. Small, white, almost lap dog. The vicissitudes of love?
Juliet was brought by my wife Viola a few years after Corsa's death. No one agreed with me, I did not choose. But I have a feeling that this is the reincarnation of Corsa. They are strikingly similar in some ways: a small Bichon Frise and a formidable Doberman. They are united by a touching attitude towards all members of our family, a unique devotion.
To be honest, I really disliked lap dog small dogs with the exception of the Jack Russell Terrier, which has a special beauty. My friend has a Jack Russell girl. Surprisingly, she does not run on the ceiling, although other representatives of this breed are slightly crazy. And Juliet looks like some kind of dwarf bobtail and at the same time like a white bear cub. Recently, when my girls - my wife and daughter - were walking on Sparrow Hills, a very well-mannered boy came up: “Excuse me, let me pet your royal dog!” I come from tours, after flights, from other time zones, I fall on the sofa and say: “Juliet, come on!” She presses against me and draws everything out: fatigue, devastation. She, like the Doberman, is allowed to sleep with me during the day. You can do anything: watch football, listen to music, run, sleep - the dog will always be there to share your desire.
- It's probably easier with Juliet than with a Doberman?
I would not start Dobermans without a man's hand. There were moments when I carried these 34 kilograms of live weight to the veterinarian in my arms. Of course, there are incommensurable advantages in keeping a small dog. Daily walks are not so necessary, but sometimes we go with Juliet, as we used to take Korsa to Sparrow Hills, so that she could run. The dog is incredibly clean. Doesn't smell, doesn't shed. From the first day she realized that all needs should be met on a diaper. True, for the "large form" the prize immediately requires. From Juliet there is no damage to furniture and surrounding objects. Some positive emotions. This is an absolute miracle. She flies with us to our summer residence in Jurmala. In a cage we bring it on the plane, and during the flight we quietly take it out in violation of all instructions. In Jurmala, we walk with her by the sea. She loves to swim. Korsa did not like, and Juliet is a diver!
- It is felt that Juliet is more allowed than a Doberman?
Yes, in the car, she sits on my lap and puts her paws on the steering wheel. She even sits at the table with us. Korsa laid her head on the table and looked reproachfully, following each piece with her eyes. All the grief of the canine community was reflected in her eyes. It seems to me that she considered me the main one, and for Juliet, mom is everything, and my daughter and I are in descending order. She follows her tail. Viola combs Juliet every day. But, when I am alone with the dog, I also do her “hairstyle”.
- Often dogs feel the approach of the owner for a long time.
Juliet, like Corsa, feels a few hundred meters away, sits on the window and waits, like Penelope. I come - rejoices, my daughter comes - rejoices, and when Viola Sr. returns, she swears: “How could you leave me?” It is best to have the family together.
Interestingly, if Juliet dislikes someone, then this is forever. And vice versa. We have a comrade - a very unusual and sharp person, so she immediately jumped on his knees and became mad. She is filtering people at the level of feeling. I won’t say that we stop communicating after this, but we understand why this happens.
How does a bird get along with a dog? Romeo is not jealous of Juliet?
Some jealousy was in Juliet when Romeo appeared. He has everything: a toy girlfriend of life, twigs, a bell, a mirror. Zero care: clean the cage once a day. When there is no one, and I can. And in the morning he will start up and sing all day. Sometimes I play him the record "Singing in the Forest", and he joins the choir.
- I heard that you flew to Africa on a safari. Does this fit with the love of animals?
I am not a hunter. According to the Japanese calendar, I am a Dog, moreover, a lunar one, because I was born at night. I love to look and contemplate. We have been to Africa twice: first in South Africa, and then in Kenya and Tanzania. I believe that Africa is the most interesting continent from a traveler's point of view. We, of course, focus on the wild, where there are few people and many animals. There is a stunning place in Ngorongoro in Tanzania, where a closed ecosystem has been preserved in an area of 36 kilometers in diameter and all kinds of animals are represented. Usually, if giraffes live somewhere, then often, in order to see hippos, you have to fly by plane. And everything is in one place! It reminds me of The Lost World by Conan Doyle.
- Do you help homeless animals?
Once we were driving along the Garden Ring at night, and suddenly my wife said to me: “Stop, there’s a dog down there.” The mongrel was barely breathing. Another car stopped. We decided to take the poor man to the clinic. We paid for the operation. They looked at us like we were crazy.
- Do not plan to buy a house in the village for the whole family?
I am a boulevard dweller. This is where I will die. We have nothing in the suburbs and is not expected. I don't want to get myself stuck in traffic jams. If I have several days off, with great pleasure I get on a plane and fly to Jurmala. I ride along the sea on a bicycle, my favorite music is in my ears, there is nobody around, except for seagulls. I don’t know of any place on earth where it would be so comfortable.
Syutkin Valery Miladovich (b. 1958) is a Russian musician, composer and songwriter, performer, former soloist of musical groups Bravo and Syutkin and Co. Since 2008 he has the title of Honored Artist of Russia. At the Moscow State University for the Humanities named after Sholokhov, he teaches at the vocal department, artistic director of the pop department. Since 2016, he has been a member of the Authors' Council of the Russian Academy of Education.
Parents
His mother, Bronislava Andreevna (maiden name Brzhevitskaya), was born in Moscow. And my maternal grandmother came to the capital from the city of Balta, Odessa region. Valery calls her from Odessa and believes that it was on his mother's side that he got an innate sense of humor. Grandfather Syutkin never saw in his life, but, given his last name, Brzevitsky, he belonged to the native Polish Jews. Mom worked in a military closed radio engineering research institute as a junior researcher.
Father, Milad Alexandrovich Syutkin, born in 1929, was from Perm. In his hometown, he studied at a technical school with honors and was sent to Moscow for further education. In the capital, he graduated from the Kuibyshev Military Engineering Academy. After studying, he was offered to take up teaching at the academy, and his father agreed, so he became a Muscovite. Milad Aleksandrovich was a first-class specialist in military underground construction. During the Vietnam War, he went on a business trip to this country, where he built underground structures. My father also took part in the construction of Baikonur.
Syutkin's parents met at the dance club, where the teachers were dancers from the team of Igor Moiseev. Mom and dad worked a lot, so Valery's childhood passed under his grandmother's supervision.
Introduction to music
His conscious acquaintance with music happened at the age of eleven, and Valera remembered this moment very well. On some central television channel they showed the political review "Seven Days", which was hosted by Valentin Zorin. A screensaver appeared on the screen, where the Brooklyn Bridge was depicted, and music played. Little Valera just entered the room at that moment, and from the melody heard from the TV, goosebumps ran through his body. The boy then told his parents: "I will grow up and I will definitely learn to play this song on the guitar." He did not know then that it was the melody of The Beatles.
Valera began to learn to play the guitar. But the boys from the yard (mostly they were two or three years older than him) said that he was in vain interested in the guitar, it would be better if he joined their group and played in the evenings at dances. They just didn't have a drummer. Syutkin listened to his older comrades, put the guitar aside and began to learn to play the drums on his own. His training drum kit turned out to be huge cardboard hatboxes and metal Indian coffee cans. So he got into his first musical group, played on a kit assembled from pioneer drums. And the first listeners of Syutkin were Moscow youth on the dance floors of the Khitrovka district.
Parents were not against his hobby, because the Moscow district of Khitrovka was famous for hooligan punks. Around Valery they played cards, and petty crimes were committed, not to mention constant fights. But there was an unspoken law: musicians who play at dances are not beaten. And at least for this, my mother was calm and sure that her son would not come home with a bloody nose.
The initial goal of Valeria's passion for music is to please the opposite sex. It is known, after all, that in adolescence, when hormones begin to play, any guy wants to impress girls. To do this, one had to be an athlete, or very smart and well-read, or a musician. Moreover, the latter were valued more, because they could play rock and rock and roll that were forbidden in those days.
School years
When Valera was thirteen years old, his parents divorced. For the young man, this was a heavy blow, and only music saved him. Now he himself admits that, if not for this hobby, he could have gone down a hooligan path. Although he did not grow up as a cocky boy, on the contrary, he tried to act as a peacemaker in all domestic conflicts.
In 1973, after the eighth grade, during the summer holidays, Valery worked part-time at the Svet store as a salesman and consultant. Under labor law, the teenager could not work yet. But my mother’s friend, who was a seller in this store, agreed with her management that Valera’s boyfriend would work for her all summer, and she and her beloved man left for the Crimea.
Syutkin showed and told customers how vacuum cleaners work. For three summer months, he earned astronomical money for his age - 270 rubles. With this salary, he bought himself a real drum kit. In those days, it was not easy to do this, Valera went to a store on Neglinka opposite the Central Department Store, where he was brought together with very famous Moscow speculators. The guy bought Czech old and shabby drums from them and began to cut the repertoire of the Led Zeppelin group onto them.
Music captured him completely, Syutkin even began to skip school classes, although he studied very well until the eighth grade. In literature and other humanitarian subjects, it was still possible to somehow get out at the expense of the books read, and Valery always read a lot. But in the exact sciences, such as physics and mathematics, academic performance has declined. At the time of graduation from school, Valery had four “triples” in his certificate.
The beginning of the creative path
After Valera got a drum kit, he never took money from his parents again in his life. He played dances all the time, and not only at Khitrovka, their musical group began to be invited to nearby areas of Moscow. His passion for music brought a good income, but it was not a profession. Artists, poets and musicians were called at that time - free. In order not to be considered a parasite, Syutkin had to get a job and get a work book with official records, among which he has many jobs and professions - a bartender, a janitor, a loader at the Belorussky railway station, a train conductor, an assistant cook at the restaurant "Ukraine".
In 1976, Valery was drafted into the ranks of the Soviet armed forces. He ended up in the Far East in the air force, served as an aircraft mechanic. In the hours when he was not busy at the airport, he played and sang in the Polyot ensemble.
Returning from the army, Syutkin created a new musical group, which was given the name "Telephone". For about three years they worked underground, and since 1982 they have become a professional rock band.
The musicians performed compositions in the style of reggae, twist and rock and roll. Feuilleton songs, in which everyday troubles and problems were ridiculed, became their hallmark:
- "Bon appetit" about food in public catering and Soviet canteens;
- "The Ballad of Public Transportation" about constant bus pressure;
- "Know ours" about the defeat of the Soviet football team.
The Telefon group performed under the patronage of the Philharmonic, toured a lot, released several discs (Ka-ka, Concert in Vladivostok, Twist-Cascade).
In 1985, the team broke up, and Valery moved to the group "Architects", where he was invited by singer and guitarist Yuri Loza. In 1986, the group was one of the five most popular musical groups in the Soviet Union. And already from the next 1987, after an unsuccessful performance at the Rock-Panorama 87 festival, fermentation began in the Architects. In 1989, Syutkin also left the group.
Valery created a new project "Feng-O-Man", but he was not successful.
"Bravo"
In the summer of 1990, the guitarist and leader of the Bravo group Evgeny Khavtan invited Valery to his team. Until that moment, they had been looking for a permanent vocalist for a very long time. True, they immediately had some disagreements about Valeria's hairstyle, he wore a rather impressive head of hair, and it did not fit in any way with the image of dudes. In the end, Valera corrected his hair to the standards of rock and roll.
The first song performed by the Bravo group in the updated line-up was the composition Vasya, which launched a new round of the group's popularity. And Valery first showed himself as the author of the text.
Following "Vasya", such musical compositions as:
- "Hold on, dude!";
- "A girl of sixteen";
- "I am what you need";
- "King Orange Summer";
- "I'm sad and easy";
- "Good evening, Moscow!";
- "Star Shake";
- "Express train".
And also a new wave of popularity began with the famous Soviet hit of the 60s "Black Cat". All these songs were included in the first disc of the Stilyagi from Moscow group.
The resounding success of the new Bravo team was associated with the romantic image of the dudes: wide trousers and a spacious jacket in which it would be comfortable to dance, tinted glasses, many multi-colored badges and, of course, a stylish orange tie, an entire song was dedicated to him, which became a hit .
In 1993, a new disc of the group called "Moscow Bit" was released. It included both slow compositions ("That's it", "Lunatik", "What a pity"), which were distinguished by elegance and lightness, as well as incendiary melodies for dancing ("Space Rock and Roll", "Polar Twist") .
Solo career
In 1995, Valery left Bravo and began to pursue a solo career, creating a new group, Syutkin and Co. They released albums:
- "What You Need" (1995);
- "Radio of night roads" (1996);
- "Far from everything" (1998);
- "004" (2000).
In 1995, the musical composition "7,000 above the ground" was recognized as the best hit of the year, Syutkin received the professional Star award.
In 2004, Valery slightly updated the team, expanding the line-up and changing the name to Syutkin Rock and Roll Band.
Two of his songs ("Minibus" and "Moscow-Neva") brought the singer awards - the Golden Gramophone.
off stage
Valery looks very young, although, according to the singer himself, everything is according to his age, and in some places it hurts, and something plays pranks. Simply, according to Syutkin, over the years, a person’s character traits appear on his face. And since Valery has a very light, cheerful and good-natured character, his face is not burdened with worries and problems, due to which it seems young and fresh.
Syutkin can often be seen on Russian television:
- He was the host of the musical programs “And again a hit” (Culture channel) and “Two pianos” (RTR).
- In 2006, he began to skate and took part in the show of the First Channel "Stars on Ice", his partner was figure skater Irina Lobacheva.
- Since 2016, he has been the host of the entertainment music program on the Russia-1 channel "Saturday Evening".
Valery does not recognize communication on the Internet, he uses it to view posters and news. Reads a lot. Among his favorite books are:
- novel by American writer Joseph Heller "Catch 22";
- novel by the German playwright Patrick Suskind "Perfume";
- the works of American satirist Kurt Vonnegut and Brazilian prose writer Paulo Coelho.
Among Russian writers, he likes Mikhail Bulgakov and Viktor Pelevin the most. Already in adulthood, I re-read Turgenev and Dostoevsky, because at one time the school curriculum repulsed my love for Russian literature. She loves all the works of Ilf and Petrov, Mikhail Zhvanetsky.
If he has little work and concerts, the singer devotes this time to travel. He tries to live for today and enjoy life, focuses not on material, but on personal values - family and soul. His main goals in life are to work, have fun, enjoy every day and raise children.
Personal life
The singer was married three times. From the first marital relationship in 1980, a daughter, Elena, was born, who in 2014 made Valery a grandfather, giving her granddaughter Vasilisa.
In the second marriage in 1987, Syutkin had a son, Maxim, he is engaged in the tourism business.
In 1993, Valery met his third wife, Viola, who came to the Bravo group to work as a costume designer. She is seventeen years younger than Syutkin, but the age difference did not prevent their marriage from becoming happy and long.
In 1996, a girl was born to Valery and Viola, who was given exactly the same name as her mother. The singer jokes that since then, complete violism has reigned in his house. The daughter has already graduated from college in Switzerland and is now studying at the American University in Paris.
