Unfortunately, today a new generation of Ukrainian listeners at the mention of the name Vasily Zinkevich is unlikely to clearly answer the question of what kind of artist this is and what contribution he contributed to the development of music. Let us pay tribute to him and see what exactly the singer contributed to the national flavor of Ukraine.
Vasily Zinkevich: biography, family and successes of a simple guy
The future favorite of the public was born on May 1, 1945 in Khmelnitsky in the village of Vaskovtsy, Izyaslovsky District (then it was still the Ukrainian SSR).
As expected, in the countryside of that time could not do without feasts and chants. Ukrainian folk motifs were present everywhere. It was with them that the young star began her career advancement. It must be said that Vasily Zinkevich (whose photo is given in the article) was already distinguished by unique vocal data even then.
His family, although it was, as they say, the most ordinary, nevertheless, was able to discern in the boy a real talent, which in the end will lead him to success at the state level of the Soviet Union.
What was Vasily Zinkevich at that time? The family says that the guy grew up like an ordinary schoolboy, not particularly standing out among his peers. But Ukrainian folklore, to which he had a weakness, nevertheless did his job, and this person made a choice in favor of the song.
Vasily Zinkevich: first steps on the stage
The future singer received a pretty good education at the Vyzhnytsky College of Decorative and Applied Arts. As it turned out, this was enough for Vasily Zinkevich to choose a career as a singer.
Of course, at that time not much was earned on stage. Fees were charged in the form of salaries from the philharmonic. But in 1968, Vasily Zinkevich dared to take an extraordinary step: he became the lead vocalist of the Smerichka group, which was then promoted by Lev Dutkovsky.
Group "Smerichka"
That "Smerichka" became the starting point to the peak of popularity. A year later, the team was joined by no less revered now, although deceased, Nazariy Yaremchuk.
Vasily Zinkevich with him performed “Chervona Ruta”, which later became almost a symbol of Ukraine.
What can I say, even such a respected and beloved singer as Sofia Mikhailovna Rotaru passed through this school. She, of course, against the backdrop of Zinkevich and Yaremchuk became more popular due to the appropriation of the titles of People's Artist of the Ukrainian and Moldavian SSR. In addition, at the peak of her popularity, she changed the language of the text, which Vasily Zinkevich never did.
Milestones
As for popularity, singer Vasily Zinkevich is now undeservedly forgotten. After Smerichka, he worked in tandem with Nazari Yaremchuk, but for some reason they were always opposed to each other, despite the fact that in life they did not compete at all.
Already, it became clear that different Soviet leaders loved their vocals. But against the backdrop of rival men, Sofia Rotaru's flower of popularity blossomed. By the way, it’s not only she who owes her climb to “Smerichke”.
If anyone does not know, Sofya Mikhailovna has two more sisters. Once in the Soviet Union, they tried to create a Rotaru trio, sang a couple of songs, but that was all.
Vasily Zinkevich on the verge of the collapse of the USSR did not change himself. As he sang in Ukrainian, he sings. And, most interestingly, he is not interested in all kinds of political bindings typical of the current Ukrainian state.
Perhaps his songs are not as popular as Western hits, however, one can pay tribute to the fact that Vasily Zinkevich still records albums in the studio, in sound, in general, not particularly different from Soviet times. This is understandable, because old listeners want to hear the classics of the genre, and certainly not the newly-appeared synthesizers or re-oversized vocals.
Awards
During his creative career, Zinkevich received not as many awards as might be expected. Among the most prestigious, it is worth noting the national honored and people's artist of the Ukrainian SSR (1980, 1985), the Taras Shevchenko Prize of Ukraine (1994), recognition as an honorary citizen of Lutsk (2001) and the awarding of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise of the V degree.
What is left to add?
The Ukrainian singer Vasily Zinkevich may not be as wildly popular as modern newly-created one-day groups, but in his songs using the national Ukrainian traditions, he bears such a positive effect on people that many citizens of the country itself, today threatened with complete collapse and destruction , can only be glad that such emotions are present at all.
But this is not the most important thing. Vasily Zinkevich was on the verge of promoting Ukrainian songs at the Union level. Rotaru was afterwards. But Zinchkevich and Yaremchuk became precisely those pioneers who raised national folklore on such a scale. Remember, who didn’t hear such famous words as “Do not joke red chervon in the evenings”? On a subconscious level, everyone knows the melody.
Now, I think, it is already clear that the Ukrainian singer made a significant contribution to the development of culture as a whole. Some perceive this at the musical level, some associate it with political aspects, the point is not that. If you have talent and its understanding, you will not drink it, as they say. Well, in this case, it makes no sense to argue.
As Vasily Zinkevich was “his” national treasure, so he remained. A huge emotional wound in the understanding of his fans consists only in the loss of a close friend and comrade Nazariy Yaremchuk.