Sergey Nikolayevich Chigrakov (stage name — Chizh; born February 6, 1961, Dzerzhinsk) is a Russian rock musician, singer, guitarist, poet, and songwriter, founder and leader of the band "Chizh & Co."[1]

Biography and Education

After school, Chigrakov enrolled in the Saint Petersburg State Institute of Culture, in the department of orchestral conducting and folk instruments. After earning his diploma, he worked in his field until he was drafted into the army. On returning from service, he completed one more course — in the jazz studio of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, studying percussion.[1]

Back in Dzerzhinsk, he worked as a music and singing teacher at secondary school No. 33. By his own admission, it was this experience that later formed the basis for the plot of the song "Eternal Youth."[1]

The Road to Fame: "GPD" and "Different People"

From Dzerzhinsk, Chigrakov was invited to Kharkiv to play in the band "After-School Group" (GPD). After GPD broke up, he stayed with Aleksandr Chernetsky, Pavel Mikhaylenko, and other musicians, who formed the band "Different People." When Chernetsky fell seriously ill — funds for his treatment were raised with the participation of Boris Grebenshchikov and Yuri Shevchuk — Chigrakov temporarily took over as the band's frontman. After Chernetsky recovered, they performed together for a while, after which Chigrakov left the band to pursue a solo career.[1]

"Chizh & Co"

In 1993, with the assistance of Boris Grebenshchikov, Chigrakov recorded his first solo vinyl record, titled "Chizh," in Saint Petersburg and moved permanently from Kharkiv to Petersburg. Within a month he had his own band, "Chizh & Co," which quickly gained nationwide fame in Russia.[1]

In 1994 the band released its first studio album, "Crossroads," and a live recording, "Live," followed a year later by the album "About Love." In 1998 the group toured Israel, where the album "New Jerusalem" was recorded, and then went on to London: Seva Novgorodtsev, the legendary host of the BBC Russian Service, invited the musicians on air, and the recording of the program was later released as the album "At 20:00 Greenwich Time." In 1999 "Chizh & Co" played a rock festival in New York and gave a concert in Chicago.[1]

In 2002 Chigrakov took part in creating tribute albums to Dyusha Romanov, Yegor Letov, and the band "Secret." In 2004 he realized a long-held idea — playing a blues piece of his own composition with American blues musicians as part of the "Chizh Blues Company" project, featuring the Herbert Maitlandt Band. In November 2014, a jubilee concert marking the band's 20th anniversary was held at Crocus City Hall in Moscow; in December of that year, the program "Chartova Dyuzhina" presented a new work, "Fly Away, My Hangover," created together with "Romario" and Yevgeny Margulis.[1]

Nizhny Novgorod Connection

Sergey Chigrakov was born and raised in Dzerzhinsk, an industrial town in Nizhny Novgorod Region. There he gained his first experience teaching music and developed as a musician before leaving for Kharkiv and Saint Petersburg. His Dzerzhinsk past is reflected in his work: the song "Vechnaya molodost" ("Eternal Youth") was written under the impression of working as a schoolteacher in the town.[1]

Links

  • Wikidata (Q4515701 — entry in the free knowledge base)
  • VIAF (122045400 — Virtual International Authority File)
  • ISNI (0000000035020950)
  • GND (141582693 — German National Library catalog)

Sources

  1. rus.team — Chigrakov Sergey Nikolaevich — Musician — Biography