Gypsy music in our country for many years after the revolution was considered philistine art, beloved by the exploiting classes, White Guard officers and first-wave immigrants. This was partly true, but in fairness it should be remembered that the representatives of the decadent genre also included Sergei Yesenin, Igor Severyanin and many more poets, rightfully considered a kind of "golden fund" of Russian poetry. But many views change over time, and whole genres sometimes come out of disgrace thanks to outstanding artists. A truly popular gypsy song in the USSR was made by Nikolai Slichenko. The biography of this artist is more fascinating than many films in which he starred and, of course, sang.
Difficult childhood
Today, the principles of "racial purity", which professed by the leaders of the Third Reich, are widely known. They gave the fate of obedient slaves to some peoples, while others were threatened with complete destruction. According to Hitler and Rosenberg, gypsies also belonged to a doomed ethnic group. I experienced the brutal cruelty of the Nazis during the war years and Nikolai Slichenko. His biography, family and nationality completely fell under the signs of the future victim of the "new European lock". The father, Alexei Arkhipovich, was shot in the presence of his son, and the six-year-old boy managed to escape from the executioners, otherwise the same fate would inevitably await him. Life seemed cruel, people were dying of hunger around, ruin reigned ...
Collective farm
After the Victory, it did not become much easier. Orphans stood on the “crooked path”, stole, and who knows what a biography could have been for such a nimble boy like Nikolai Slichenko. The family got a job on a collective farm near Voronezh, the work was hard, they paid a penny on workdays. But once a young man heard that there is a gypsy theater in Moscow , and it is called "Romen." From this moment, Nikolay Slichenko could not dream of anything else. His biography could only be associated with art. So he decided.
Some additional circumstances ...
It was in 1951. The future artist turned sixteen, and he went to the capital. It will not be superfluous for our contemporary to learn or recall that in the Stalin years the collective farmers did not have passports, and they traveled to the cities, having only a certificate from the village council, which the chairman issued extremely reluctantly. However, they did not often ask for this document, since the collective farmers also never had any money, they received their salary once a year - as a rule, on election day, and it was calculated in several rubles (the workday was paid in the amount of 20 pre-reform kopecks). So began, as Nikolai Slichenko recalled, a biography. The family, including children, worked from dawn to dawn on collective farm fields. However, there was a dream ... She called and demanded to act.
In the theater "Romain"
It was probably difficult, but be that as it may, Nikolai Slichenko got to Moscow. His biography was extremely successful (in other words, he was lucky). The leadership of the world's only gypsy theater immediately discerned talent in him, and the older generation of the troupe accepted the young man into its ranks. The young artist was lucky to work on stage with Lyalya Chernaya, Rom-Lebedev, Mikhail Skvortsov and many other wonderful masters. They had something to learn, and Nikolai did not miss this opportunity. Even playing secondary and tertiary roles, he constantly tried to bring personality into them, to show his abilities. All that remained was to wait in the hope of being noticed.
Four Grooms
But an active young man like Nikolai Slichenko could not just expect his happy chance. The biography is made by the person, and the artist turned to his older friend for help. He himself later said that during a trip to Zagorsk he deliberately sat down next to Sergei Fedorovich Shishkov, and while the bus was shaking along bumps, he managed to persuade him to say sick so that he could replace him and play his part, the main one, by the way. The venerable actor went forward, and the debut took place. Then there were many roles - both in the theater and in the cinema, but this one turned out to be fateful. In "Four Grooms" Slichenko, becoming older, played another character, Badi.
And what was the situation on the personal front of such an outstanding artist as Nikolai Slichenko? Biography, children, wife - all this worried many fans. Here, too, complete order.
Personal life
In our times, when almost all famous artists eagerly tell about themselves to the press even about what it would be better to keep quiet, Nikolai Slichenko is pleasantly surprised. Biography, personal life and other circumstances that are so interesting to the "yellow press" have never been advertised by him. His roles and songs speak about the actor and musician, everything else can be left aside, although something is still known. His wife - Agamirova Tamila Sudzhaevna - actress, people's artist, and also from "Roman". The family has three children: two sons (Peter and Alexei) and daughter Tamilla (she is also an artist of the gypsy theater). Grandson - grandfather's namesake, Nikolai Slichenko.
Biography, family, a photo from the reports of “Star Factory-3” indicate that the creative genes are strong in the next generations of the artist. Nothing scandalous happened in Slichenko’s life, his whole fate is connected with art, he devotes all his strength to him. From an ordinary actor, he managed to grow to the artistic director of the theater. N. Slichenko was awarded many honorary titles and awards, received many prizes, but the main happiness for each artist has always been the opportunity to realize himself in art.
Directing
In order to fully reveal talent, you must constantly work on yourself. Nikolai Slichenko graduated from the higher directing courses in the class of Andrei Alexandrovich Goncharov , already being an artist known throughout the country. Then he began to stage performances, and the first of them was the thesis “Grushenka”. The plays by I. Rom-Lebedev really liked both the director and, of course, the audience. The second performance was called "Gypsies were traveling." This was followed by "Nepoklonov", "Fire Horses", "Brothers" and other productions, which were very successful both in our country and abroad, and the critic called the musical action "We Are Gypsies" a bright and original, full of original and rich in magnificent songs. .
Song
Of course, the work of Nikolai Slichenko is inseparable from the main passion of his life - songs. This is a classic gypsy romance, and folk music (Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian), and pop songs. His performance is always distinguished by passion and spirituality. Many compositions were performed in films with the participation of Slichenko (there are relatively few of them, only seven), as well as from the stage. They were published in large numbers on records and CDs, they are often broadcast on television.
In ordinary life, an outstanding artist, director and singer is very modest, most of all he values his family, children, grandson, his favorite work and what he gave most of his fate to - a song.