This year, the pop duo of Stakhan Rakhimov and Alla Ioshpe turned 55. All these years, the partners have been together - both in life and on stage. In the second half of the 70s, from universal favorites, they moved into the category of enemies of the people. How did the duo manage to save themselves in the years of oblivion and triumphantly return to the big stage? What is the secret of family longevity?
Pages of the biography of Stakhan Rakhimov
The uniqueness of the duet is that both of its members came to the scene from amateur performances. Stakhan and Alla are the same age, at the time of the meeting, which took place at one of the competitions in 1961, they already had families.
In December 2017, Stakhan celebrated its 80th anniversary. A native of Uzbekistan, Stakhan Rakhimov is the son of a brilliant singer, who began her career in Andijan, Shakhodat Rakhimova. She moved to Tashkent, where she received a luxurious apartment in the center of the capital, which allowed rumors to appear about her affair with Usman Yusupov, secretary of the Central Committee of the republic. Presumably, it is he who is the father of the future illustrious performer. Stakhan himself does not confirm this information, but does not refute it either.
His childhood was spent in various circles of the pioneer palace, where he was engaged in dancing, vocals and even boxing. But the music won, although the young man entered MPEI and worked for four years in one of the design bureaus.
Family and creative union
Stakhan Rakhimov, whose biography is devoted to the article, married in Moscow a Russian girl named Natasha. The couple had a daughter, Lola, but the marriage did not last long. The young man moved his family to Tashkent, while he himself continued his studies in Moscow. In 1961, he met Alla Joshpe.
This happened at a competition where both sang: the girl completed the first concert section, and Stakhan - the second. Alla conquered the young man so much that he wondered: if she waits for his performance, it means to be together. And so it happened.
For this, Alla had to leave the family. Her first husband was a young man whom she met at the age of 15. By the way, he was a brother of Allan Chumak. The couple had a common daughter, Tatyana, whom everyone today considers the daughter of Stakhan Rakhimov, because she lived and was brought up in their family. Lovers formed a creative union.
Since 1963, Alla Ioshpe and Stakhan Rakhimov began to perform together. They had a single perception of music, a unique fusion of voices and such an understanding that even they took their breath at the same time.
Alla Ioshpe and Stakhan Rakhimov: all songs
It is simply impossible to list all the songs of the duet, there are more than a thousand of them. Alla, being a soloist, began with bardic compositions, Stakhan - successfully sang "Arab Tango". But only together they gained popularity, entering the top five artists of the Soviet Union. The most respected composers of the country began to write songs to them.
The first among them was E. Kolmanovsky. Stakhan Rakhimov still cannot listen to his composition “My Comrade Will Come” without tears. And on “Alyosha", as D. Medvedev once said, the whole country grew up. Among the best songs can also be called "Crane", "Forgive me", "Grandma's Tango."
A. Eshpay always regretted that he did not become the discoverer of a wonderful duet, but he wrote for them "Native Heart", "100 Rains Will Pass, 100 Snow" and others.
A long collaboration came about in a duet with M. Fradkin. They even wanted to release a separate disc with their favorite compositions - "Love Will Come To You", "Affectionate Song". But did not have time.
A special place in their work was occupied by O. Feltsman. "Gray Anniversaries", "Bedside Table", "Autumn Bells" - touching compositions written in verse. Yu. Garina.
Recently, the duo actively collaborated with A. Morozov, recording 14 songs. Among the best - "Prayer", "Inconspicuous beauty."
The artists themselves consider the song that led them to success, Meadow Night. It was written by G. Dekhtyarev. The duo popularizes Uzbek and Jewish culture, since Stakhan is Uzbek, and Alla is Jewish. The author of many compositions is A. Joshpe herself: “Lechaim, gentlemen!”, “Ro-sha-shana” and others.
Oblivion time
Why did the duet of Alla Ioshpe and Stakhan Rakhimov sink into oblivion in the late 70s? A biography of celebrities published in the media gives an answer to this question. Since childhood, the singer suffered from foot disease. In her life there was even a period when there was talk of amputation. In 1979, there was a crisis. The operations carried out before in the country did not help, so the couple asked for permission to travel to Israel.
They were not simply denied; real persecution began. Stakhan Rakhimov was forced to put a party card on the table. The duo was not only not released on television and banned from performing, but also demagnetized existing recordings. For almost ten years, the darlings of the national stage felt almost under house arrest. They were regularly called to the Lubyanka.
Stakhan did everything possible to support his family. The most terrible thing was the expulsion of my daughter from the university, but there was a real disaster. The singer’s mother could not stand the pressure and died of experiences.
New ascent
Artists cannot help but perform, so the couple began to invite guests to their apartment every month, collecting 60-70 people each. They called these events the Theater of Music in Denial. Spectators carried gifts, and those like them, refuseniks, took part in concerts with pleasure. Among them were V. Feltsman, N. Shcharansky, S. Kramarov.
In the late 80s, the duo turned to a number of newspapers, telling the truth about their fate and their desire to work on stage, because the police were too interested in meetings at the place of residence. After that, the artists were allowed to tour in the outback and finally released in the United States. Today, many are interested in why they did not leave the country when such an opportunity appeared. Moreover, the tour overseas was a success. The answer lies on the surface - Stakhan Rakhimov and his wife never thought about emigration.
Finally
In the 2000s, a new period began in the history of the duet. The fiftieth anniversary of their creative activity was celebrated at the Variety Theater, where there was not a single empty seat. In 2002, both were awarded the title of People's Artists of Russia. Every year, the duo invites their colleagues to Hanukkah, offering a creative program called "Ioshpe and Rakhimov invite." They still gather halls, both celebrating their 80th birthday last year. And, no less valuable, they showed the country an example of how to live one life for two with dignity if people are united by love.