Arcady Severny
Encyclopedia
Arkady Severny (Аркадий Северный; Аркадий Дмитриевич Звездин) (March 12, 1939 - April 12, 1980) was a popular singer from Leningrad
. He was very popular in the Soviet Union
in the 1970s primarily because of his criminal songs
. He sang more than 1,000 songs based on criminal folklore and literature. Severny worked with well-known Russian jazz and restaurant musicians. He recorded more than 80 albums, both solo and orchestral.
near Moscow
. Contrary to popular belief, in his childhood years he was neither a hooligan nor a poor pupil. On the contrary, he belonged to the so-called "golden youth" with his father occupying a senior position with the Ivanovo railroad. The young Arcady did well at school, and loved to play the seven-string guitar
. Thanks to a very good memory, he could perform a large number of songs. His older sister once gave him a thick copybook filled with song lyrics, including numerous prison songs; he quickly learned this peculiar repertoire and eagerly sang such songs in polite company.
After graduating from school in 1957, Arcady left for Leningrad
, where he enrolled in a Forestry Academy (S.M.Kirov Forestry College), and participated in amateur musical and theatrical productions including student ensembles that wrote and performed their own songs written in English in the style of Louis Armstrong
. Having become completely engrossed in student amateur art, he did not study very diligently and after each term was on the verge of being expelled. Finally, he had to discontinue his studies for a while and took an academic leave of absence
.
There was good reason for Arcady choosing the pseudonym Severny. First of all, he wanted to lend more credibility to the artificial image of a prison singer, and since many convicts were sent to prison in the north of Russia, the pseudonym fit well (‘severny’ is Russian for ‘northern’). Secondly, the pseudonym served as a cover, since in those years one could actually be sent to prison for giving underground concerts.
In any case, the fake radio program turned out to be a major success. The audience was intrigued not so much by the songs as by the question of how could such a program appear on Soviet radio? No one could even guess that it was a joke.
where he served as lieutenant for a year in a helicopter regiment not far from St. Petersburg. Having demobilized, the singer learned that during the period of his mandatory service, his popularity as a singer had grown considerably. He then received an invitation from producer Sergei Maklakov. Arcady performed his songs throughout an entire evening at Maklakov’s place. The result was 500 meters of recordings on the now outdated reel-to-reel tape recorder that were quickly disseminated throughout the entire Soviet Union and eventually gave rise to the popularity of the performer’s prison songs. It was with great pleasure that music lovers all over the country listened to the singer’s slightly hoarse voice performing such revived songs as Roast Chicken, School of Ballet Dance, I Lived in Noisy Odessa, Mother, I’m In Love With A Pilot, Tram #10 Passed By, and many others. During the recording, Arcady Severny would repeat In Odessa-, Back when I was in Odessa-, and so forth. Because of this, and of the stylized Odessa manner of performance of the songs, quite a few people believed that the singer himself was from Odessa
.
It should also be noted that the official culture of the Soviet "stagnation" period not only had as its foil the light non-conformism
coming from the direction of the intelligentsia, but also the dark culture
of the criminal world
. This because Severny was not recognized by the authorities as a singer, he became a cult figure in the USSR with the entire country dying to get a hold of the recordings of his private concerts. Russian criminal culture thus became an essential integral part of the greater Russian culture
.
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
. He was very popular in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in the 1970s primarily because of his criminal songs
Shanson
Russian chanson is a neologism for a musical genre covering a range of Russian songs based on the themes of the urban underclass and the criminal underworld. This song style, originally called blatnaya pesnya , has been popular in Eastern Europe ever since its first appearance in the beginning of...
. He sang more than 1,000 songs based on criminal folklore and literature. Severny worked with well-known Russian jazz and restaurant musicians. He recorded more than 80 albums, both solo and orchestral.
Early life
Severny was born Arcady Dmitrievich Zvezdin in the town of IvanovoIvanovo
Ivanovo is a city and the administrative center of Ivanovo Oblast, Russia. Population: Ivanovo has traditionally been called the textile capital of Russia. Since most textile workers are women, it has also been known as the "City of Brides"...
near Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. Contrary to popular belief, in his childhood years he was neither a hooligan nor a poor pupil. On the contrary, he belonged to the so-called "golden youth" with his father occupying a senior position with the Ivanovo railroad. The young Arcady did well at school, and loved to play the seven-string guitar
Russian guitar
The Russian guitar is a seven-string acoustic guitar that arrived in Russia toward the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, most probably as an evolution of the cittern, kobza, and torban...
. Thanks to a very good memory, he could perform a large number of songs. His older sister once gave him a thick copybook filled with song lyrics, including numerous prison songs; he quickly learned this peculiar repertoire and eagerly sang such songs in polite company.
After graduating from school in 1957, Arcady left for Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
, where he enrolled in a Forestry Academy (S.M.Kirov Forestry College), and participated in amateur musical and theatrical productions including student ensembles that wrote and performed their own songs written in English in the style of Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
. Having become completely engrossed in student amateur art, he did not study very diligently and after each term was on the verge of being expelled. Finally, he had to discontinue his studies for a while and took an academic leave of absence
Leave of absence
Leave of absence is a term used to describe a period of time that one is to be away from his/her primary job, while maintaining the status of employee...
.
First recordings
Once, in the company of friends, Arcady sang about a dozen songs that he had recorded on tape. In 1963, his first recordings, with a total recording time of 35–40 minutes, were released. Upon receiving his degree in 1965, he was given an administrative job at SoyuzEksportLes (Wood Export Union). Nevertheless, working in an office environment was of little interest to him; he wanted to sing, and two years later destiny gave him his chance. In the summer of 1967, Arcady became acquainted with one Rudolf Fuchs, a person who recorded singers and songwriters who played the guitar. Fuchs had the idea of making the novice’s first album in the form of a refined hoax, specifically a non-existent radio program, which was allegedly broadcast on the airwaves. Severny performed prison songs on the radio at the request of the program’s listening audience.There was good reason for Arcady choosing the pseudonym Severny. First of all, he wanted to lend more credibility to the artificial image of a prison singer, and since many convicts were sent to prison in the north of Russia, the pseudonym fit well (‘severny’ is Russian for ‘northern’). Secondly, the pseudonym served as a cover, since in those years one could actually be sent to prison for giving underground concerts.
In any case, the fake radio program turned out to be a major success. The audience was intrigued not so much by the songs as by the question of how could such a program appear on Soviet radio? No one could even guess that it was a joke.
Popularity
In 1968, Arcady was discharged from the Soviet armyRed Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
where he served as lieutenant for a year in a helicopter regiment not far from St. Petersburg. Having demobilized, the singer learned that during the period of his mandatory service, his popularity as a singer had grown considerably. He then received an invitation from producer Sergei Maklakov. Arcady performed his songs throughout an entire evening at Maklakov’s place. The result was 500 meters of recordings on the now outdated reel-to-reel tape recorder that were quickly disseminated throughout the entire Soviet Union and eventually gave rise to the popularity of the performer’s prison songs. It was with great pleasure that music lovers all over the country listened to the singer’s slightly hoarse voice performing such revived songs as Roast Chicken, School of Ballet Dance, I Lived in Noisy Odessa, Mother, I’m In Love With A Pilot, Tram #10 Passed By, and many others. During the recording, Arcady Severny would repeat In Odessa-, Back when I was in Odessa-, and so forth. Because of this, and of the stylized Odessa manner of performance of the songs, quite a few people believed that the singer himself was from Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
.
Legacy
Severny managed to combine and concentrate practically the entire intonational lexicon of the "prison song" genre. Moreover, although it was understood that all this is a stylization, the genre remained one of the most prominent in the 1970s and 1980s underground scene.It should also be noted that the official culture of the Soviet "stagnation" period not only had as its foil the light non-conformism
Nonconformism
Nonconformity is the refusal to "conform" to, or follow, the governance and usages of the Church of England by the Protestant Christians of England and Wales.- Origins and use:...
coming from the direction of the intelligentsia, but also the dark culture
Schwarze Szene
The term dark culture , also called dark alternative scene, is an umbrella term, used to describe a summary of parts of several subcultures...
of the criminal world
Criminal World
"Criminal World" is a song written by Duncan Browne, Peter Godwin and Sean Lyons of the band Metro. They released it on their debut album in 1977.David Bowie recorded it in 1983 for the album Let's Dance. Stevie Ray Vaughan played lead guitar on it...
. This because Severny was not recognized by the authorities as a singer, he became a cult figure in the USSR with the entire country dying to get a hold of the recordings of his private concerts. Russian criminal culture thus became an essential integral part of the greater Russian culture
Russian culture
Russian culture is associated with the country of Russia and, sometimes, specifically with ethnic Russians. It has a rich history and can boast a long tradition of excellence in every aspect of the arts, especially when it comes to literature and philosophy, classical music and ballet, architecture...
.
External links
- Northern Encyclopaedia - Photos, songs in Mp3, art-projects about Arcady Severny, articles.
- severnij.dp.ua - recordings