Dossier on the star: Nikolai Rastorgue

Childhood and adolescence

Nikolai Rastorguev’s small homeland is the village of Lytkarino near Moscow, where he was born on February 21, 1957. Vyacheslav Nikolaevich, the father of the future singer, was a driver, his mother Maria Alexandrovna worked in a garment factory. Later, when daughter Larisa appeared in the family, she left her job and began sewing at home in order to devote more time to raising children.

Childhood photo of Nikolai Rastorguev

Remembering his childhood, Rastorguev noted that it was the most ordinary: yard games, football, forays into the forest, trips to nearby construction sites. For such adventures, he was often punished by his strict father, as well as for his mediocre academic performance: Kolya had C grades in almost all subjects, including behavior. Although the boy certainly could not be called “stupid” - in his free time he read a lot, drew, and played the guitar.

Rastorguev became interested in music thanks to a friend, whose mother was the director of the Illusion cinema and always provided her son and his friends with contraband. In 1974, the boys saw A Hard Day's Night on the big screen, a film about the history of The Beatles. The film became a real event in the life of the young Lytkar resident.

Young Nikolai Rastorguev

Inspired by the success story of the Fab Four, he began to master the guitar, although he was sure that he had neither hearing nor ability for music. However, it was thanks to his vocal abilities that he was accepted into a musical ensemble that performed in the cultural center of neighboring Lyubertsy. And the singer’s love for The Beatles remained throughout his life. In 1996, he even released the album “Four Nights in Moscow,” presenting listeners with his cover versions of Liverpudlian hits, and once attending a Paul McCartney concert, he could not contain his feelings and burst into tears. Nikolai Rastorguev – Hey Jude (The Beatles cover) After graduating from school, the young man became a student at the Moscow Technological Institute of Light Industry. He entered there not of his own free will (he himself wanted to continue his musical career), but at the insistence of his parents. Nikolai often missed boring lectures, and in the end the management decided to deprive him and other persistent truants of their scholarships. After this, Nikolai decided in his own way to “deal” with the head of the group, who reported to the dean about the missed classes. The beaten headman ended up in the hospital, and student Rastorguev was expelled. It is noteworthy that Nikolai’s mother sided with her son: “He did everything right. I myself taught him that you can punch him in the face for telling the truth.”

On tour in Kazakhstan (1979)

This was the end of Nikolai’s higher education. He got a job as a mechanic at the Lytkarino Institute of Aviation Engine Engineering, and soon married Valentina, a girl who lived in the same yard. In 1977, their son Pavel was born.

Dossier on the star: Nikolai Rastorgue

Nikolai Rastorguev was born in the village of Bykovo near Moscow on February 21, 1957. His father Vyacheslav Nikolaevich was a simple driver, and his mother Maria Alexandrovna was a seamstress. When Nikolai’s younger sister Larisa appeared, my mother began working from home to raise the child. Rastorguev studied at school without enthusiasm, and not everything was smooth with his behavior. His circle of friends were the guys from the yard. One friend’s mother was a cinema director, so friends could often watch films. And so one day Nikolai saw the film “A Hard Day's Night,” starring members of the cult group The Beatles. This moment had a great impact on the future of the teenager. It was after watching this film that the guys started playing guitars. At first, it seemed like a completely frivolous hobby. But life decreed otherwise. After graduating from school, Rastorguev entered the Moscow Technological Institute of Light Industry. He was not particularly interested in studying, and soon he began to skip classes. The principled leader of the group reported objectively about what was happening in his “patrimony”, and therefore the careless student Rastorguev was deprived of his scholarship for frequent absences. Then Nikolai decided to “deal with” this headman: he started a fight with him and sent him to a hospital bed. After the fight, Rastorguev was reprimanded and was unable to pass the exams, after which he was expelled. I had to go to work. He began working as a mechanic at the Central Institute of Aviation Engine Engineering in Lytkarino. Since 1978, Rastorguev followed the path of a musician and played in several bands. For six years he was a vocalist in the Six Young People VIA, where his colleague was Valery Kipelov, the future vocalist of the Aria group. After that, Nikolai worked in the Leisya Song group, but in 1985 it was “abolished” by order of the authorities. After that, Kipelov and Rastorguev tried to become part of the VIA “Singing Hearts”, but it didn’t work out; there were no vacancies for vocalists there. Then Nikolai found himself in the Rondo group, where he played bass guitar for a year and a half. Later he was the vocalist of the group “Hello, song!”. Everything changed when, in 1989, Rastorguev’s life path crossed with composer Igor Matvienko. This was the beginning of a fruitful union. Nikolai proposed the name “Lube” for the new group, which in slang meant “different”. As planned, this characterized the genre diversity of the musical group. Two debut compositions were recorded at the Sound studio: “Old Man Makhno” and “Lube”. A couple of months after recording, the song “Old Man Makhno” was already heard on the radio. When the group first appeared on television, it was a resounding success, which, perhaps, the musicians themselves did not expect. As I recall, Alla Pugacheva herself once gave advice on her stage image: this is how the signature tunic and tarpaulin boots appeared. Over many years of creative activity, the group’s most successful compositions were the songs “Combat”, “You carry me like a river”, “There beyond the fogs”, “Birches”, “Come on!” and many others. In 1997, Rastorguev became an Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, and in 2002 - a People's Artist. The singer played at the Mayakovsky Theater in the production of “Love in Two Acts.” He also took part in television projects: in 2005, he hosted the documentary program “Things of War.” Since 2006, Rastorguev has been a member of the United Russia party. Since 2010 – deputy of the State Duma of Russia. In 2015, a sculptural composition dedicated to Nikolai Rastorguev was installed in Lyubertsy near Moscow. In 2007, Nikolai Rastorguev became seriously ill. He was diagnosed with advanced stage renal failure, which required constant hemodialysis. The singer stood in line for a kidney transplant, but did not stop performing. During the tour, the group visited only those cities where local clinics had equipment for the necessary procedures. In 2009, he underwent a successful operation. Nikolai married for the first time at the age of nineteen to a girl from his courtyard. Soon a son, Pavel, was born into the family. Fifteen years later the marriage broke up. The second time Rastorguev married a costume designer in the Zodchie group, whose name was Natalya and she was thirteen years younger than her husband. They had a son, Nikolai. Now Nikolai Vyacheslavovich Rastorguev lives with his family and granddaughter Sofia in the Moscow region in his own house.

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Beginning of a musical career

After his work shift, Nikolai earned extra money by entertaining audiences in restaurants and on dance floors. In 1978, jazzman Vitaly Kleynot drew attention to the young man, who invited Rastorguev to be a vocalist in the Six Young People VIA to replace Andrei Kirisov, who had left the band. A couple of years later, future frontman Valery Kipelov joined the lineup, and in September 1980, the full musicians teamed up with VIA “Leisya, Song”.

Nikolai Rastorguev in VIA “Leisya, song”

Until 1985, Rastorguev performed as part of the VIA “Leisya, Song”, until the group was disbanded due to criticism of the authorities (the participants were accused of failure to fulfill the state program). Left without work, Nikolai auditioned for the VIA “Singing Hearts”, but there was no place as a vocalist for him. But he was warmly welcomed in the musical group “Rondo” - for about a year he was the band’s bass player. Nikolai Rastorguev in the group “Rondo” (“Hello, lights out”, 1985) In 1986, Rastorguev replaced vocalist Oleg Katsura in the VIA “Hello, Song”. The new “assignment” became fateful for Nikolai: he met the aspiring composer and keyboard player Igor Matvienko, who, as it turned out, had long been nurturing the idea of ​​​​creating a musical group with songs on patriotic themes.

Members of VIA "Hello, song"

Musical career of Nikolai Rastorguev

Rastorguev’s passion for music made itself felt in childhood. As a boy, he saw a film about the famous Fab Four “The Beatles”, and since then he dreamed of leading a musical group.

First attempts

In 1996, the artist released an album consisting of cover versions of songs by his favorite band. As an adult, Rastorguev attended a Paul McCartney concert. The fulfillment of a childhood dream touched the artist so much that he cried when he heard the familiar songs.

He took his first creative steps as a vocalist of one of the musical teams performing in a local cultural center. And if music literally became the goal of life for the guy, then studying did not arouse any interest. Having somehow graduated from school, he entered the Technological Institute at the behest of his parents, but was unable to graduate - he was expelled for poor academic performance. To earn a living, Rastorguev got a job as a mechanic at a factory.

The path to recognition as a musician was not easy; during his formation, the musician changed many bands, where he played the guitar or sang:

• "Six Young";
• “Float the song”;
• “Rondo” (played bass guitar and sang backing vocals.

VIA “Six Young” was undergoing reorganization due to the large number of participants traveling from group to group. During one of these lineup transformations, young Rastorguev joined the group. He had the opportunity to work together with Valery Kipelov, one of the most extraordinary vocalists in the country, the future lead singer of the Aria group. “Six Young People” won the love of Muscovites and even took part in the concert of Vladimir Vysotsky.

After some time, VIA members became part of another ensemble, Leisya Pesnya, known not only for its repertoire, but also for its collaboration with the most popular performers. Despite the success of its activities, the ensemble was disbanded due to non-compliance with state requirements - regular submission of the program to the artistic council.

"Lube"

The rapid rise of his musical career began after the singer met with producer and composer Igor Matvienko. Matvienko was just in search of artists for his new project, which was supposed to be a breakthrough for the Soviet stage.

The producer conceived the creation of a folk group, whose repertoire would consist of a mixture of folk-patriotic songs with courtyard and military songs. The historical meeting took place during the casting of a new vocalist for the ensemble “Hello, Song!” The producer noted that the type of large Rastorguev is not suitable for the group’s concept. The singer was upset, but was able to persuade Matvienko to work with him.

In 1989, the recording of the team's first songs began. Almost every composition becomes a hit, because the topics raised in the lyrics are close to ordinary listeners. Surprisingly, the idea of ​​performing in military uniform was suggested to Rastorguev by Russian pop prima donna Alla Pugacheva. Seeing the musician rehearsing, she said that a tunic would suit him very well. It was the militarized clothing that made the image of the vocalist so memorable.

The most famous songs of “Lube” were:

• "Atas";
• "Combat";
• "Guys from our yard";
• “Let’s go for...” and many others.

The song “Horse,” performed by the group together with a military choir, surpassed even the anthem of the Soviet Union in recognition. In February 2019 the group will turn 30 years old.

Rastorguev and the Lyube group

On January 14, 1989, work began on the first songs of the new band in the Sound studio. Nikolai Rastorguev was on vocals, guitar parts were performed by Alexey Gorbashov from the group “Mirage” and Lyubertsy Viktor Zastrov. This is how the first two songs were born: “Old Man Makhno” and “Lube”.

The first composition of the group "Lube"

The history of the name “Lube” originates from the Ukrainian language - “Lube”, which in the youth slang of those years meant “anything, any”. By naming the group this way, the musicians wanted to emphasize that their songs would be received with a bang by all music lovers, regardless of age, gender and genre preferences. “Cages”, the first video of “Lube” (1989) Two months later, the song “Old Man Makhno” was heard on the radio. And the group first appeared on television in 1989, performing the songs “Don’t chop, guys” and “Atas” at the second New Year’s festival “Christmas Meetings” by Alla Pugacheva. According to Rastorguev’s recollections, it was the prima donna who gave “Lube” some advice regarding her image. At her suggestion, the group members wore military uniforms from 1939: a tunic, tarpaulin boots and riding breeches.

Young Rastorguev in military uniform

In 1990, the demo album “Lyube” was released - “We will now live in a new way or rock about Lyubertsy.” The title song of the album told the story of a young man who lives with the times, plays sports, criticizes the Western way of life and promises to help his hometown start a new life. Later, the record formed the basis of the debut album “Lube” - “Atas” (1991).

Cover of the first studio album “Lube” (1991)

The group's popularity is growing rapidly: a prize at the Song of the Year 1990 festival, appearances on television, including the popular intellectual show What? Where? When?". In 1992, the group’s second full-length album, “Who Said We Lived Badly?”, was released. “Lube” - “Roulette” In 1993, the musicians decided to mix their music videos into a feature film. This is how the film “Lube Zone” with Marina Levtova in the title role was released. In the story, her heroine, a journalist, interviews prisoners and guards of the zone, and each story is a song by the group. “Lube Zone” In May 1995, “Lube” presented to the public a song that became their number one hit: the composition “Combat,” which instantly topped the domestic charts and was recognized as the best song of that year. A year later, the album of the same name was released, which, in addition to “Combat,” included the compositions “Soon demobilization,” “Moscow streets,” “Eaglets,” “Dark mounds are sleeping” and other hits. In support of the album, the group staged a large-scale tour, later there was a performance at the Slavic Bazaar in Vitebsk and a duet between Rastorguev and Lyudmila Zykina (“Talk to Me”).

Two years later, the musicians pleased listeners with their fifth studio album, “Songs about People,” which included the compositions familiar to all fans of the group: “There, Behind the Fogs,” “Guys from Our Yard,” “Starlings,” “The Volga River Flows” (duet with Zykina) , "Song about a friend."

In 2000, “Lube” celebrated its 10th anniversary with the album “Half-Stanochki”. Almost all the songs from the new record became hits. So, the song “Soldier” was about, and the composition “Let’s break through!”, with which the series “Deadly Force” began with Konstantin Khabensky, was known to every TV viewer in the “zero” years.

Rastorguev's songs are full of genuine patriotism

In 2002, Rastorguev was awarded the title of People's Artist. In the same year, Nikolai tried himself as an actor on the stage of the Mayakovsky Theater, taking part in the production of “Love in Two Acts.”

In 2002, Rastorguev became People's Artist of the Russian Federation

Rastorguev also has experience working on television: in 2005, he had the opportunity to host a series of documentary programs, “Things of War.”

Discography of Lyube

Albums, compilations and concerts

:

• 1990 - We will now live in a new way (Magnetoalbum)
• 1991 - Atas
• 1991 - Don’t be a fool, America (Magnetoalbum)
• 1992 - Who said that we lived badly..?
• 1994 - Lube Zone
• 1996 - Battalion Commander
• 1997 - Collected Works (album) (collection)
• 1997 - Songs about people
• 1998 - Songs from the concert program “Songs about People” at the Pushkinsky Concert Hall 02.24.98 (concert)
• 2000 - Half-stops
• 2001 - Collected works. Volume 2 (collection)
• 2002 - Let's get...
• 2002 - Anniversary. Best songs (concert for the 10th anniversary of the group at the Olimpiysky sports complex)
• 2004 - Guys of our regiment (collection)
• 2005 - Scattering
• 2007 - In Russia (concert for the 15th anniversary of the group at the State Central Concert Hall "Russia")
• 2008 - Collected works. Volume 3 (collection)
• 2009 - Ours
• 2012 — (collection)
• 2015 - For you, Motherland!

Political activity

In 2006, Rastorguev joined the United Russia party. He justified his decision by the fact that this faction, in his opinion, was the only political force with potential. In 2007, he tried to enter the State Duma of the 5th convocation from the Stavropol region along with Sergei Shoigu and Alexander Karelin, but he did not have enough space. He was put on the reserve list, and in February 2010 the singer received a deputy mandate instead of Sergei Smetanyuk, then joined the Duma Committee on Culture.

“Lube” is Putin’s favorite band

In the 2012 presidential elections, Rastorguev supported Vladimir Putin; was registered as his official trustee.

Public position

In 2001, he signed a letter in defense of the NTV channel[7].
In 2003, Rastorguev and “Lube” campaigned for the patriotic bloc “Rodina” led by Dmitry Rogozin and Sergei Glazyev during the elections to the State Duma.[8]

In 2006, Nikolai Rastorguev joined the United Russia party and promised to take an active part in the party’s election campaigns. Rastorguev himself explained his choice as follows[9]:

We (the Lyube group) decided for ourselves that the United Russia party is the only serious political force in the country that is capable of reforming the country from an economic point of view, ideological and so on.

In 2010, Nikolai Rastorguev became a deputy of the State Duma of the fifth convocation from the Stavropol Territory, replacing in this position the deputy of the UNITED RUSSIA WFP Sergei Smetanyuk, who was appointed Deputy Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Ural Federal District. Nikolai Rastorguev became a member of the State Duma Committee on Culture.

In 2011, he signed an Appeal from members of the public against informational erosion of trust in the judicial system of the Russian Federation.

On February 6, 2012, he was officially registered as a proxy of the candidate for President of the Russian Federation and the current President Vladimir Putin[10].

On March 11, 2014, he signed an appeal from cultural figures of the Russian Federation in support of the policies of Russian President V.V. Putin in Ukraine and Crimea[11].

In August 2015, the Security Service of Ukraine added Rastorguev to the list of cultural figures whose actions pose a threat to the country's national security[12].

In September 2021, he became a confidant of the United Russia party in the elections to the State Duma of the 7th convocation.

Personal life of Nikolai Rastorguev

Rastorguev met his first wife, Valentina, at the age of 15: the blue-eyed blonde was the most beautiful girl in the courtyard, took up dancing and was preparing to enter a choreographic school. Four years later, they got married and began building a family nest in a 12-meter room in the apartment of Valentina’s parents.

Nikolai Rastorguev with his first wife Valentina

Soon after the birth of their son Pavel, difficult times began in the young family. Valentina's father, who provided financial assistance to the newlyweds, died, Nikolai was left without work and did odd jobs. However, harmony reigned in the house: the understanding wife did not force Nikolai to do any job, believing that sooner or later his talent would be appreciated.

Pavel, eldest son of Nikolai Rastorguev

Alas, the marriage, which stood the test of difficulties and hardships, eventually cracked. 15 years after his marriage, in 1990, Nikolai met the costume designer of VIA “Zodchie” Natalya. For a long time they met secretly, and one day Nikolai simply did not return home from tour, and soon married his beloved. In 1994, the couple had a son, Nikolai.

Nikolai Rastorguev with his wife and son Nikolai

The younger Rastorguev did not have a particular desire for singing, but he still sang in the school choir, and also voiced Giard, one of the main characters, in the cartoon “Prince Vladimir.”

Health problems

In his interviews, Rastorguev repeatedly noted that he wanted to serve in the army, but received a white ticket due to health problems.
However, some sources cite different words: supposedly Nikolai wanted to get into the airborne forces, but he studied at the university, which is why he did not join the ranks of the conscripts. In 2007, the singer became seriously ill. Constant fatigue, insomnia, lower back pain... At first he blamed his heavy workload and age, but doctors diagnosed him with “chronic renal failure” in an extremely advanced state.

Nikolay Rastorguev. My hero A kidney transplant was required, and while the doctors were looking for a donor, Rastorguev had to undergo hemodialysis every day. Because of this, the geography of Lube’s tours was seriously reduced, until the singer underwent a transplant in 2009.

In September 2015, Rastorguev was hospitalized during a concert in Tel Hashomer, Israel. Due to the extreme heat, his blood pressure dropped; He staggered, barely finished the last song and almost collapsed on the floor, after which he was admitted to a local clinic. Later, as mk.ru reports, it turned out that Nikolai’s condition was influenced by worries about his father, who was recovering from a stroke.

Despite his age, Rastorguev continues to delight listeners

In June 2021, the Lyube vocalist was urgently taken to the hospital before a concert in Tula, where the group was supposed to perform at a celebration in honor of Russia Day. The singer suffered a heart attack, but doctors said there was no threat to life.

Youth in hippie style

The future star of the Russian stage was born into an ordinary working-class family near Moscow in February 1957. For most of his peers there was one road - to vocational school and to the factory. Therefore, the parents egged on their son - study, otherwise you will, like us, be hunchbacked all your life. The little son listened and... did it his way. “C” student Rastorguev firmly decided to become a musician and his first step on the big stage was the house of culture in Lyubertsy, near Moscow. Here he played in an ensemble that tried to play the Beatles, who for a long time were downright a “disease” for a beginning musician.

Having somehow finished school, Rastorguev for some reason entered college, which he had no intention of finishing - music was already taking up all his time. He was “thrown away” from the institute, making him an ordinary mechanic at a factory - something that his hard-working parents feared so much.

But Nikolai himself knew that all this was temporary. Even then, he “played” alternately in several musical groups. There he crossed paths with various people who later appeared on the domestic rock scene. Together with some of them I was in disgrace with the authorities. As, for example, in the story of the dispersal of the group “Leisya, song!”, which was closed in 1985 due to failure to implement... a state program. Apparently, like production, the group had to churn out a certain number of patriotic songs in a certain period of time. Yes, I didn’t stamp it enough.

By that time, the guys realized that they got off cheaply. Their “drunken parties”, sometimes with brawls and fights in the “barracks” of the palace of culture, bore little resemblance to the ideal of “cultural enlightenment” of those years. They could have “attracted”. Moreover, there were precedents in the form of calls to the police.

After the “runaway”, people sought happiness on the side - especially since times were rapidly changing and yesterday’s “stoned hipster” easily became a pop star. Rastorguev also wandered around a little in groups - “Singing Hearts”, “Rondo”... A star fell from the sky for Rastorguev in 1989, when “master” Igor Matvienko was finally ready to implement his long-standing project of creating a new musical group with a national patriotic bent and courageous vocals. The “courageous face” of the shirtless guy Rastorguev did not give Matvienko any reason to doubt the correctness of his choice of soloist. This is how “Lube” appeared, this is how Nikolai Rastorguev’s “second life” began – as an adult.

Nikolay Rastorguev today

Nikolai Rastorguev continues to engage in creativity and conducts concert activities. In 2021, the group “Lube” released the composition “St. Petersburg, dear.” A year later, Nikolai presented an updated version of the famous song “Horse”, recorded for the anniversary of Igor Matvienko. In 2021, even before the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Rastorguev and the group gave several concerts in Russian cities - Nizhny Novgorod, Moscow, Yekaterinburg and other regions. After the second wave subsided, the tour continued - in October the musician held several more performances. Live concert “Lube” on Autoradio, 2021 At the beginning of 2021, Rastorguev presented a new composition “And the River Flows.” The artist’s tours will also continue – major concerts are planned for 2021 in Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as a number of other Russian cities.