An amateur regiment called “Blue Berets” is known throughout Russia and beyond. Their first concert was in November 1985. In the past 2015, this team celebrated a very solid date - 30 years. Today, the Blue Berets, whose permanent leader is Yarovoy Sergey Fedorovich, is the only Russian musical group with the armed forces, where absolutely all the participants have become honored artists of the Russian Federation.
The song "Sineva" in their performance has long been an unofficial, but popularly recognized anthem of the Airborne Forces. The man whose creative fate we will consider has been acting as the artistic director of the Blue Berets for many years, beginning in 1991.
He, in combination, is the deputy chief of the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Airborne Forces. Sergey Yarovoy, whose biography will be considered in our article, is a very interesting person, colorful, definitely worthy of special attention.
Brief statements
Yarovoy Sergey Fedorovich, whose biography began in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, was born in April 1957. Little is known about his family, only that his father was a military man. Being already self-sufficient and known throughout the country, Sergey Yarovoy admits that it was his father who had a great influence on him in his time. After leaving school in 1975, the guy was drafted into the army. For two years he served in one of the Kirovograd special forces brigades.
After Sergey Yarovoy finished his military service, he apparently decided to continue his father’s path and decided to enter a military school. The guy studied at the landing faculty in Novosibirsk.
Military career
After graduating from the spring school, Sergey goes to Ryazan, where he holds the post of political officer in the 137th paratrooper regiment. In 1985, one could say, Yarovoy’s fateful acquaintance with the 350th Airborne Regiment, which was deployed in Afghanistan. It was this military unit that participated in almost all operations that were carried out on Afghan territory. In the period from 1985 to 1987, Yarovoy Sergey (whose activity was not only limited to landing), participated in almost all regimental operations. In addition, the hero of our article served as secretary of the Komsomol.
Meeting with the "Blue Berets" and the beginning of creativity
When Sergey Yarovoy arrived in the famous 350th regiment, a certain amateur group was already created on its basis. Its first founder was Oleg Gontsov.
Spring joined this team, and, as eyewitnesses of those events now recall, the first composition of the Blue Berets performed their songs in a capter, on two guitars, in between military operations.
Fatal dispute Yarovoy regarding equipment
The local ensemble had songs that were written for them by one of their founders - Oleg Gontsov. But one of the main problems was the lack of professional equipment. At the same time, representatives of the Belarusian Komsomol presented Soviet fighters with such long-awaited equipment, but nominally the gift belonged to an artillery regiment. Since the paratroopers really wanted to play this equipment too, Sergey Yarovoy proposed to his comrades to make a kind of bet with the gunners: those who have time to prepare a full-fledged concert in a week and will have full right to own musical instruments. And, of course, the paratroopers won in this dispute.
First success and all-union glory
As a result of the dispute, in November 1985 the first concert of the legendary ensemble took place. Its initial composition included:
- O. Gontsov - ensign;
- S. Isakov - squad leader;
- T. Lysov - private;
- S. Yarovoy - captain, secretary of the Komsomol;
- I. Ivanchenko - the driver of a combat vehicle.
During the first performance, the guys rehearsed the hits of then-famous artists, and a little later they had their own, original songs. Basically, they, of course, were all related to Afghanistan, and since this issue was very painful for the Soviet Union in those years, the guys quickly became popular. Across Afghanistan, tapes with the recording of their songs began to be transferred from hand to hand.
Tours and the probability of the breakup of the group
Between 1985 and 1987, the Blue Berets addressed a huge number of units based on Afghan territory. And everywhere, without exception, they were received with great joy and warmth, because what they sang about was close to all those serving in this place.
It should be noted that the band members not only sang and performed. It would be more correct to say that their peculiar tour took place exclusively in between military operations. For such selfless work, all members of the first composition of this amateur group were awarded state awards.
But nevertheless, national, all-Union glory to the collective was brought by their victory in the popular competition “When Soldiers Sing”. The concert was broadcast on the First Central Channel, and the guys performed their song from Kabul, thanks to a teleconference. For the Soviet Union, this was a real sensation, and the victory of the Blue Berets was truly a triumph.
Organization of the second composition by Yarov
In 1987, the group had already recorded the first disc, which became platinum, the team several times came to Moscow and gave their concerts at the most prestigious concert venues of that time. But in 1988, the fate of the Blue Berets was in jeopardy. Their ideological leader - Spring Sergey, receives a new appointment. Other team members are also nearing the end of their lifespan. Of the entire first composition of the Blue Berets, only O. Gontsov wanted to stay in Afghanistan.
When the ensemble, loved by hundreds of thousands of Soviet listeners, is under the direct threat of collapse, the political department of the Airborne Forces understand that this cannot be allowed. It is decided that the territorial ensemble will now be based in one of the Moscow Airborne units. Spring is instructed to pick up a new composition.
He immediately recalls his classmate - Yuri Slatov, who also served in Afghanistan, was involved in amateur performances and sang songs. He invites a friend to his new squad, and a new era begins for the Blue Berets. Gradually, the second composition of the group was formed, which, in addition to Yarovoy and Slatov, included not professional musicians, but ordinary military:
- D. Platonov - senior warrant officer;
- D Vakhrushin - ensign;
- E. Cardiac - Senior Warrant Officer.
Their success was simply overwhelming. They performed at a huge number of festivals, with their concerts traveled almost the entire Soviet Union. In the history of the "Blue Berets" there is also a tour of terrible hot spots. They spoke to soldiers in Kabul, Kosovo, Bosnia, Chechnya, South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
The team took part in the filming of many television programs, and many Soviet citizens knew the words of their songs by heart. It might seem that the group members should have become millionaires, but this conclusion, alas, is fundamentally wrong. Throughout the history of its existence, the group was non-profit. All the money raised for their concerts went to local organizations of internationalist warriors.
To date, Sergey Yarovoy has been awarded several awards. At the same time, he lives with his faithful wife a simple life, not overshadowed by enormous material wealth.