Autograph (Russian band)

Autograph (Russian: Автограф, or Avtograf) was a Soviet Russian art rock/AOR band, considered a pioneer of progressive rock music in Russia.

The group was founded in Moscow in 1979 by Alexander "Sasha" Sitkovetsky, and achieved a considerable success at the first Soviet state-sanctioned rock festival held in Tbilisi, Georgia with Sitkovetsky's songs "Fasten Seat Belts", "Ireland. Ulster" and "Blues Caprice". In 1982 vocalist Arthur Berkut joined the band to finalize the lineup:

Autograph was atypical for a Russian rock band, playing more instrumental-based sound and much less symbolist lyrics. They are credited as a pioneering Soviet progressive/art rock/AOR band.

After a triumphal success and exhaustive touring throughout the USSR, Autograph became the first Soviet rock-group to achieve commercial success in the West, having toured more than 30 countries. On July 13, 1985, the band - the only one to represent the entire Eastern Europe - took part in Bob Geldof's Live Aid concert, performing before more than 2.5 billion people worldwide (transmitted live from Moscow). The signature song they performed was "Нам нужен мир" (or "Nam Nuzhen Mir - We Need Peace").

In 1987 the band represented the USSR in the Soviet-American concert Our Move organized by Bill Graham with Santana, The Doobie Brothers, Bonnie Raitt and James Taylor as featured artists. Autograph also performed at numerous international festivals along with John McLaughlin, Murray Head, Kenny Rogers, Tom Cochran, Glass Tiger, Ten Years After, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes; opened for Chicago; worked closely with David Foster in Canada and Moscow, became a winner of the Sopot International Song Festival 1987 contest in Poland bringing home coveted independent press and audience awards as well as the best song prize for Sitkovetsky's "The World Inside".

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