Willi Tokarev facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Willi Tokarev
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Tokarev in 2012
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Vilen Ivanovich Tokarev |
| Born | 11 November 1934 Chernyshev, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Died | 4 August 2019 (aged 84) Moscow, Russia |
| Genres | Russian chanson |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
Willi Ivanovich Tokarev (Russian: Вилли Ива́нович То́карев; 11 November 1934 – 4 August 2019) was a singer and songwriter from Russia and America. In the 1980s, he became very well-known in the Soviet Union. His songs were often about what life was like for Russians who had moved to New York, especially in the Brighton Beach area.
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Willi Tokarev's Early Life and Education
Willi Tokarev was born Vilen Ivanovich Tokarev on November 11, 1934. He grew up in a small village called Chernyshev, which was home to Cossacks. Cossacks are a group of people from Eastern Europe known for their military traditions. His parents named him "Vilen" to honor Vladimir Lenin, a famous leader of the Soviet Union.
In 1941, when he was seven, his family moved to the town of Kaspiysk. When he was 14, in 1948, he took his first trip on a ship as a fireman. After serving in the military, Tokarev moved to Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg). There, he studied music at the Leningrad Conservatory, learning to play the double bass.
While studying, Willi played in several music groups. He also started writing his own songs. Two of his early songs, "Rain" and "Winter Song," were recorded by a popular singer named Edita Piekha.
Willi Tokarev's Singing Career
Willi Tokarev once said that he became a singer by chance. A famous actor and singer, Nikolay Nikitsky, asked Willi to play music for his concerts. One day, Nikitsky suggested Willi sing one of his own songs. The audience loved it! Nikitsky then told him, "Willi, you have to sing!" So, Willi started singing in addition to playing music and writing songs.
From 1970 to 1974, Willi lived and performed in Murmansk. He moved there because jazz music, which he loved, was not very popular with the government in bigger cities like Moscow and Leningrad. In Murmansk, he could be himself and sing jazz. He worked as a singer at a restaurant called White Nights and led a music band there. In 1973, his song "Murmanchanochka" (meaning "Murmansk Girl") became a huge hit in the local area.
Moving to the United States
In 1974, Willi Tokarev moved from the Soviet Union to New York City in the United States. At first, he took any job he could find to make a living. He even got fired from a job as a courier because his English wasn't good enough. He then taught himself English using audio tapes.
After getting a driver's license, Willi started working as a taxi driver. This job helped him earn good money. It took him four years of driving a taxi to save enough money, about $15,000, to record his first music album.
Becoming Famous
Willi released his first album in 1979. It had serious songs but was only a small success. His second album, V Shumnom Balagane (meaning "In a Noisy Fair"), came out in 1981. This album was full of funny songs that sounded like popular stories from city life. It made him very famous among Russian-speaking people in New York. The restaurant where he sang started paying him well, and he was soon able to buy a home by the sea and a car.
In the 1980s, his songs were widely known among Russians living in the United States. Willi sang in three large Russian-speaking restaurants in Brighton Beach: Sadko, Primorsky, and Odessa.
His songs about life in the United States, told from the view of a Russian person who had moved there, also became very popular back in the Soviet Union. Even though they were not played on official radio and were somewhat unofficially not allowed, many people knew them.
Returning to Russia
In the late 1980s, Willi Tokarev started visiting the Soviet Union again. He remembered that when he went for a "test trip" in 1988, a large crowd of people greeted him at the airport. They asked for his autograph and wanted to take photos with him. He was very surprised that they knew who he was! His first official tour across the Soviet Union happened in 1989, and he performed 70 concerts.
Willi Tokarev moved back to Russia for good in 1996. From 2005, he lived in Moscow. He lived in a famous building called the Kotelnicheskaya Embankment Building and was named an Honorary Resident of Moscow's Tagansky Raion.
Willi continued to be active even when he was over 80 years old. He toured and recorded new songs. By 2013, he had released 48 studio albums and five collection albums. He also appeared briefly in a few movies, including Day Watch.
In 2017, Willi Tokarev performed a new song called "Trumplissimo America!" at an event in Moscow. The song showed support for Donald Trump becoming the 45th President of the United States.
Willi Tokarev's Family Life
When he was 62, Willi Tokarev got married for the fourth time. His wife, Julia, was much younger than him and later graduated from the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography. They had two children together: a daughter named Evillina (born around 1999) and a son named Milen (born around 2003). Willi also had two sons from his earlier marriages.
Willi Tokarev's Death
Willi Tokarev passed away in Moscow on August 4, 2019. He was 84 years old. Reports said he died from cancer.
Awards and Recognition
Willi Tokarev won the Radio Chanson's Chanson of the Year Award many times. He received this award for the last time in 2014.
Images for kids
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Tokarev in 2012
See also
In Spanish: Vili Tókarev para niños
