Joseph Kobzon

Joseph Kobzon
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	Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (1st class) Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (2nd class) Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (3rd class) Order of Courage Order of Friendship of Peoples Order of Merit (1st class) Order of Merit(2nd class) Order of Merit (3rd class) Dostlug Order Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary Shohrat Order Mesrop Mashtots Medal Order of Friendship (2nd class) USSR State Prize
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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.

In 1964, he triumphed at the International Song Contest in Sopot, Poland, and in the following year he took part in the "Friendship" contest held across six nations, winning first prize in Warsaw, Berlin and Budapest.