Alexander Bashlachev

Alexander Bashlachev
Bashlachev in Moscow (1987)
Background information
Born	(1960-05-27)May 27, 1960 Cherepovets, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Died	February 17, 1988(1988-02-17) (aged 27) Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Genres	Singer-songwriter, folk-punk
Instruments	Acoustic guitar
Years active	1983–1988

Alexander Nickolaevich Bashlachev (Russian: Алекса́ндр Никола́евич Башлачёв; IPA: [ɐlʲɪˈksandr nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ bəʂlɐˈtɕɵf]; May 27, 1960 – February 17, 1988) was a Soviet poet, singer-songwriter and guitarist, one of the most influential performers in Russian rock music, included in the 27 Club.

Bashlachev was born in Cherepovets, Soviet Union, the son of Nikolai Bashlachev and Nellie Bashlacheva.

In 1977, Bashlachev graduated from Cherepovets High School in Cherepovets, and worked as a painter at the Cherepovets Metallurgical Plant with his father. In 1978, he resigned from the plant to enroll at the Ural State University in Yekaterinburg (then called Sverdlovsk) as a journalism major. Bashlachev graduated in 1983.

In early 1983, Bashlachev wrote "Griboyedov Waltz", which was the first song he had written. Throughout the 1980s, Bashlachev wrote and composed music. After he graduated at the Ural State University, Bashlachev left Sverdlovsk and returned to Cherepovets, where he worked for a year with the newspaper The Communist. There, he wrote articles about the power plant, and, later, about cafés.

In May 1984, Bashlachev attended the Leningrad Rock Festival in Leningrad. There, he bought an acoustic guitar which he had taught himself to play. In September, he played some of his songs at his friend Leonid Parfyonov's apartment in Leningrad. Over the years, he would play several flat concerts. It is worth noting that rock music was censored in Russia during the 1970s and the 1980s. To get around this, musicians played for small audiences at their homes or at the homes of their friends. These gatherings were called "kvartirniks". In October, Bashlachev met music journalist Artem Troitsky, who invited Bashlachev to Moscow to write and compose music. In December 1984, Bashlachev settled in Leningrad.