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Iosif Kobzon

Joseph Kobzon
Kobzon with mic.JPG
Kobzon at a recent social event
Born Iosif Davidovich Kobzon
(1937-09-11) 11 September 1937 (age 79)
Chasiv Yar, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, USSR
Occupation Singer, Deputy of the Russian State Duma
Years active 1958-present
Title Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation (2016) People's Artist of the USSR (1987) People's Artist of Ukraine (1991)
Awards
Signature
Автограф Иосифа Кобзона.jpg

Iosif (Joseph) Davydovich Kobzon (Russian: Иосиф Давыдович Кобзон; born 11 September 1937) is a Russian singer, known for his crooner style.

Kobzon was born to Jewish parents in the mining town of Chasiv Yar, in the Donbass region of Ukraine.

As a boy he demonstrated a talent for singing, winning numerous regional singing contests. He reached the national finals on two separate occasions, appearing in concerts dedicated to Joseph Stalin - a significant honour at the time.

Despite his talent for singing, Kobzon went on to technical school to study geology and mining in Dnipropetrovsk, as this was considered a lucrative vocation in the Soviet Union following the Second World War. However, in 1959, following his 1956-1959 contact with professional music instructors in the Soviet Army where he was a member of the armies song and dance ensemble, he decided that music would be his preferred vocation.

In 1958, Kobzon officially started his singing career in Moscow, and enrolled to study at the Gnessin Institute. In the next few years he made valuable contacts in Moscow's entertainment world, and was eventually given a chance by composer Arkady Ostrovski () to perform some of his music. Initially, he performed in a duet with the tenor Viktor Kokhno, but was eventually offered a solo repertoire by many of the outstanding composers of the time such as Mark Fradkin, Alexander Dolukhanian () and Yan Frenkel.

In 1962, he recorded his first LP which included songs written by Aleksandra Pakhmutova.


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