Joseph Kobzon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joseph Kobzon
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| Иосиф Кобзон | |
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| Born |
Iosif Davidovich Kobzon
11 September 1937 Chasiv Yar, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
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| Died | 30 August 2018 (aged 80) |
| Occupation | Singer, deputy of the Russian State Duma |
| Title |
Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation (2016)
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| Political party | United Russia (until 2018) |
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| Musical career | |
| Genres | Soviet music, opera, operatic pop, pop, jazz |
| Years active | 1956–2018 |
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Iosif (Joseph) Davydovich Kobzon (Russian: Ио́сиф Давы́дович Кобзо́н) was a famous Russian singer. He was known for his smooth, "crooner" style of singing. He was also a politician, serving as a deputy in the Russian State Duma.
Contents
- Joseph Kobzon's Early Life and Talent
- A Star on Stage: Joseph Kobzon's Singing Career
- Joseph Kobzon's Public Life and Humanitarian Work
- Joseph Kobzon: "Russia's Frank Sinatra"
- Joseph Kobzon's Stance on Ukraine
- The "Kobzon Concert" Meme
- Joseph Kobzon's Family Life
- Honors and Awards Received by Joseph Kobzon
- See also
Joseph Kobzon's Early Life and Talent
Joseph Kobzon was born on September 11, 1937. His family was Jewish. They lived in Chasiv Yar, a mining town in the Donbas region of Ukraine.
Even as a young boy, Joseph showed a great talent for singing. He won many local singing contests. He even reached the national finals twice. He performed in concerts dedicated to Joseph Stalin. This was a very big honor at that time.
Despite his singing talent, Kobzon first went to a technical school. He studied geology and mining. This was seen as a good career in the Soviet Union after World War Two. However, after spending time with music teachers in the Soviet Army from 1956 to 1959, he decided music was his true calling.
A Star on Stage: Joseph Kobzon's Singing Career
In 1958, Joseph Kobzon officially began his singing career in Moscow. He also enrolled to study at the Gnessin Institute. In the next few years, he met important people in Moscow's entertainment world.
A composer named Arkady Ostrovsky gave him his first big chance. Joseph first sang in a duet with tenor Viktor Kokhno. Later, many famous composers wrote songs just for him. These included Mark Fradkin, Alexander Dolukhanian, and Yan Frenkel.
In 1962, he released his first record. It featured songs written by Aleksandra Pakhmutova.
International Success and Popularity
In 1964, Joseph won the International Song Contest in Sopot, Poland. The next year, he joined the "Friendship" contest across six countries. He won first prize in Warsaw, Berlin, and Budapest.
His popularity grew very quickly. People wanted to hear him sing so much that he often performed two or three concerts a day. His most popular song back then was called "A u nas vo dvore."
During Leonid Brezhnev's time as leader (1964–1982), Joseph Kobzon was part of almost every official concert. In 1980, he received the high honor of People's Artist of the USSR.
His most famous song is "Instants" from the Soviet TV series Seventeen Moments of Spring (1973). He sang many songs for this show. However, because he was Jewish, his name was not listed in the credits.
Challenges and Comebacks
In 1983, Kobzon faced a challenge. He was removed from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. This happened because he sang Jewish songs during an international concert. Some Arab delegations left in protest. But his reputation was restored quickly. In 1984, he was honored with the USSR State Prize.
Joseph Kobzon performed solo concerts in most cities of the former USSR. He also had the special honor of representing the USSR on international tours. He sang in the United States, Panama, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Argentina, Israel, and many European and African countries. He even shared the stage with Western stars like Liza Minnelli and Julio Iglesias.
Since May 1995, Joseph Kobzon and his family were not allowed to enter the United States. This was due to claims of his connections to organized crime in Moscow. He officially stopped his international tours in 1997. However, he continued to perform regularly and appeared often on Russian television.
Joseph Kobzon's Public Life and Humanitarian Work
Joseph Kobzon often performed in difficult places. He sang in disaster areas and military zones. For example, he went to Afghanistan during the Soviet–Afghan War. He also visited Chechnya during the First Chechen War.
In 1986, he was the first celebrity to visit Chernobyl. He performed there to cheer up the nuclear reactor rescuers. Two years later, he was also the first celebrity to visit and perform for victims of the 1988 Armenian earthquake.
Political Involvement and Charity
Kobzon was active in Russian politics starting in 1989. He was an experienced MP in Russia and won elections easily.
One of his first big political successes (1989–1991) was helping to establish diplomatic ties between the USSR and Israel. He did this by promoting Jewish culture in the Soviet Union.
For many years, Joseph Kobzon led several charity organizations. Since 1989, he was Chairman of The Movement for Honour and Dignity of Russian Citizens. He was also the president of the Humanitarian Initiatives Fund. He led a charity fund called ‘Shield and Lira." This fund helped families of those injured or killed while working in law enforcement.
He was also Chairman of the Public Council of Moscow's Police Department. He led his political party, "The Russian Party for Peace." Since the early 1990s, Kobzon personally funded many orphanages across the country.
In 2002, he bravely risked his life as a key negotiator during the Moscow theater hostage crisis. His involvement helped free a mother with three children and a British citizen.
Honors and Recognition
Joseph Kobzon's many contributions to culture, music, and humanitarian work were recognized. In 2003, a monument of him was built near his birthplace in Donetsk, Ukraine.
From 2005 to 2007, he was the head of the State Duma's culture committee. In 2007, his name was added to the Guinness Book of Records (Russian Edition). He was listed as the most decorated artist in Russia's history.
In 2009, Kobzon became the 24th person to be named Honorary Citizen of Moscow. He suffered from prostate cancer since 2005 and passed away on August 30, 2018.
Joseph Kobzon: "Russia's Frank Sinatra"
Many people compared Joseph Kobzon to the famous American singer Frank Sinatra. They said he was "Russia's Frank Sinatra." Both were popular singers who also got involved in politics.
Because of these comparisons, and claims of connections to organized crime, Kobzon was not allowed to enter the United States starting in 1995. He sued many publications for spreading these rumors. He always said he had a good reputation and was highly respected by millions of Russian-speakers worldwide.
Joseph Kobzon's Stance on Ukraine
In March 2014, Joseph Kobzon was one of 500 Russian artists who signed a letter. This letter supported Russia's annexation of Crimea. Because of this, in July 2014, he was banned from entering Latvia.
After the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine, there was pro-Russian unrest. In October 2014, Kobzon visited Donbas on a humanitarian mission. He brought medicine to hospitals in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. He also gave a free concert to support the people of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic.
As a result of his visit, Alexander Zakharchenko, who was the Prime Minister of the Donetsk People's Republic at the time, called Kobzon Russia's "honorary consul" to DPR. However, this title was not officially recognized by Russia.
Loss of Ukrainian Honors
On September 3, 2014, the city council of Dnipropetrovsk took away Kobzon's title of "Honorary citizen of Dnipropetrovsk." On November 25, 2014, Poltava City Council also removed his "Honorary citizen of Poltava" title. On January 28, 2015, Kramatorsk City Council removed his "Honorary citizen of Kramatorsk" title. In late 2014, Ukraine's national security service banned him from entering the country.
Kobzon said he should not need a visa to visit his homeland. He welcomed Ukraine's decision to remove his honors. He said he did not want to be an "honorary citizen of a country that is run by a fascist regime." He even asked Ukraine to take away his People's Artist of Ukraine award. In February 2015, he was given Honorary Citizenship of Yenakiieve in Donetsk Oblast. He was later named 'People's Artist' by the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic.
EU Sanctions and Support
In February 2015, the European Union added Kobzon to its list of people facing sanctions. These sanctions included freezing his assets and banning him from travel. This was because he had "visited the so-called Donetsk People's Republic and during his visit made statements supporting separatists." Kobzon said he was "very pleased and grateful" to be on the list. Canada also applied sanctions and a travel ban.
Russian politicians spoke out against the EU sanctions. Kobzon's fans started a Twitter campaign to support him. Russia's Foreign Ministry said the sanctions did not make sense. They pointed out that Kobzon was on a humanitarian mission to help people in a war zone. The sanctions were put in place just one day after the Minsk II agreement. This agreement aimed to resolve the War in Donbas.
Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov called the sanctions "vile" and "cynical." He questioned why they would sanction "a highly respected national artist" whose mission was "fundamentally humanitarian." A ruling party MP, Vyacheslav Nikonov, supported Kobzon in parliament. He said, "We are with you. If they're all Charlie, then we are all Kobzon." This played on the "Je Suis Charlie" slogan. Russia's culture minister Vladimir Medinsky said Moscow could not put equal sanctions on the EU. He said Europe "simply lacks a star of the same standing as Kobzon." Kobzon returned to Donbas one week after the EU's decision. This was his second humanitarian mission there. He delivered medicine to hospitals in Luhansk and gave another free concert.
The "Kobzon Concert" Meme
The phrase "Kobzon Concert" became a popular joke in Ukrainian social media. This happened after Alexander Zakharchenko, the leader of the self-proclaimed DPR, was killed on August 31, 2018. Joseph Kobzon had died the day before, on August 30. So, jokes spread that Zakharchenko "went to the Kobzon concert."
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the Ukrainian phrase sent to a Kobzon concert (Ukrainian: «відправили на концерт Кобзона») became even more popular. It is used to mean that a pro-Russia fighter has died quickly.
Joseph Kobzon's Family Life
Joseph Kobzon was married three times. In 1965, he married singer Veronika Kruglova. Then, in 1969, he married Lyudmila Gurchenko, a well-known Soviet actress. In 1971, he married Ninel Drizina. They had two children together.
As of October 2012, his daughter lives in England with her husband and three children. She holds an Australian passport and is banned from entering the United States. His son also has three children and is banned from entering the United States.
Honors and Awards Received by Joseph Kobzon
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Joseph Kobzon received many honors and awards throughout his life.
- Orders
- Order For Merit to the Fatherland 1st class (2012) – for his great contribution to culture and music.
- Order For Merit to the Fatherland 2nd class (2002) – for his great contribution to culture and music.
- Order for Merit for the Fatherland 3rd class (1997) – for his big personal contribution to musical art.
- Order of Courage (2002) – for his bravery during the rescue of people in the Moscow theater hostage crisis.
- Order of Friendship of Peoples (USSR).
- Order of Glory (Azerbaijan) (2007) – for strengthening cultural ties between Russia and Azerbaijan.
- Officer of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (2007).
- Ukrainian Order of Merit 1st, 2nd, and 3rd class (revoked by Ukraine in 2018).
- Dostyk order, 2nd class (Kazakhstan, 2008).
- Order of Holy Prince Daniel of Moscow, 2nd class (Russian Orthodox Church, 1998).
- Order of St. Sergius, 2nd class (Russian Orthodox Church, 2002).
- Order "For Merit" (Ingushetia, 2008).
- Titles
- Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation (2016).
- People's Artist of the USSR (1987).
- People's Artist of the RSFSR (1980).
- People's Artist of Ukraine (1991, revoked by Ukraine in 2018).
- Honoured Artist of the RSFSR (1973).
- People's Artist of Dagestan ASSR (1974).
- Honoured Artist of the Checheno-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (1964).
- Honoured Artist of Adygea (1992).
- Honoured Artist of the Karachay-Cherkessia (2008).
- People's Artist of North Ossetia–Alania (2008).
- Honorary Member of the Russian Academy of Arts.
- Honoured Worker of the Federal Bailiff Service.
- Awards
- USSR State Prize (1984) – for his concert programs from 1980–1983.
- Lenin Komsomol Prize (1976) – for his concert programs and promoting Soviet Komsomol songs.
- Russian Federal Security Service Award (2009) – for his creative work in patriotic education.
| Awards | ||
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| Ovation | ||
| Preceded by 1994 Alla Pugacheva |
Living Legend Award 1995 Joseph Kobzon |
Succeeded by 1996 Edita Piekha |
Kobzon was also given honorary citizenship in 28 cities. These included Anapa, Saratov (1998), Donetsk (2007), Bishkek, Dnipro (title removed in 2014), Kramatorsk, Noginsk, Poltava (title removed in 2014), Slavic (1999), Chasiv Yar, Cherkessk, Artemovsk, and Horlivka. He was also an honorary citizen of the Saratov Oblast, Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Okrug, and the Transbaikal Oblast.
On March 31, 2009, Kobzon was named Honorary Citizen of Moscow. This was for his services to national culture and his charitable work.
- Other honours
- A monument was built in Donetsk by Alexander Rukavishnikov (2003).
- Diploma of the Government of the Kabardino-Balkar Republic (2008).
You can find a full list of his more than 300 honors at http://iosifkobzon.ru/activity/rank/ (in Russian).
See also
In Spanish: Iósif Kobzón para niños
