Shturtzite

Shturcite
Shturtzite on stage. Stara Zagora (13 July 2007).
Background information
Origin	Sofia, Bulgaria
Genres	Pop rock, beat (early) Hard rock, progressive rock (later)
Years active	1967 (1967)–1990 (1990); 1997 (1997)–2013 (2013)
Labels	Balkanton, GMP, Varna Sound, Vitality Music
Past members	Kiril Marichkov Vladimir Totev Georgi Markov Petar Gyuzelev Atanas Atanasov Borislav Panov Veselin Kisiov Petar Tsankov Konstantin Atanasov Georgi Minchev

Shturcite (Bulgarian: Щурците, [ʃturˈt͡si(ː)tɛ], English "The Crickets", sometimes romanized as Shturtsite) were a Bulgarian rock group. They were one of the most successful bands in Bulgaria during the 1970s and 1980s and still have many fans. The band broke up once in 1990, reformed in 1997, and disbanded again in 2013. The group has been characterized as "Bulgaria's answer to The Beatles".

The group was created in 1967 in Sofia by Kiril Marichkov, Petar Tsankov (both from Bandaratsite group), Petar Gyuzelev, and Veselin Kisyov (both from Slanchevi Bratya group). Their first performance was at a students party in VITIZ (The Bulgarian School for Performing Arts), and in 1967 they made their first records. At first Georgi Minchev took part in the group, too, and with him they made their first success: the song "Byala Tishina" ("Бяла тишина"; "White Silence") of the composer Boris Karadimchev, winning the national award of Zlatnia Orfei ("Златния Орфей", the Golden Orpheus).

In 1968, the group issued their first EP record containing the songs "Veselina" ("Веселина", lyrics: Radoy Ralin), Zvan ("Звън"; Ringing), Malkiat Svetal Prozorets ("Малкият светъл прозорец"; Little Bright Window) and Izprashtane ("Изпращане", Dispatch).

It was not before 1976 until they record their first homonymous LP with its hit single "Day Mi Malko Nejhnost" ("Дай ми малко нежност"; "Give Me A Little Tenderness"). Their second album Shturtzite '78 two years later introduced band's new keyboard playing and singing star Valdi Totev. His influence took away the band far from its early pop sound to a new prog rock territory. The first song on the LP "Nyakoi Ot Vas" ("Някои от вас"; "Some Of You") is their first ever leading album song not to be sung by lead vocalist Marichkov, but by the new kid on the block, Totev. Despite his influence being more than obvious for the band's sound, Totev didn't write a single song for the album.