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Konstantin BeliaevPerformer, poet and composer.
Date of Birth: 23.11.1934
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
Biography of Konstantin Belyaev
Konstantin Belyaev is a performer, poet, and composer. He is known for his many popular songs and his compilation of verses.
Early Life and Education
Konstantin Belyaev was born to his mother, Nadezhda Aleksandrovna, who worked at a collective farm, and his father, Nikolay Zakharovich, who died in the war. He has a younger brother, Vladimir, who resides in Odessa. In 1946, Konstantin was sent to an Odessa special school-internat where he studied a variety of subjects in English until 1953. The special school was initially located in Bolshoy Fontan and later moved to Botanicheskaya street.
He then moved to Moscow and enrolled in the Institute of Military Translators, studying there for three years. However, during the demobilization period in the Khrushchev era, almost the entire course was disbanded in October 1956. Unable to continue his studies, Belyaev enlisted through the Ministry of Communications and went to work as an English language teacher in Otary Station, near Alma-Ata. He taught English in senior classes for a year.
Afterward, Belyaev returned to Moscow and joined the Lenin Pedagogical Institute to work as a teacher. He worked there for about three years and established a female student ensemble. He later taught at MGIMO, the English Special School, the Institute of Foreign Languages, the Academy of Foreign Trade, and the Institute of Steel and Alloys, where he worked until his arrest in 1983.
Music Career
In 1966-67, Konstantin Belyaev met Yura Mironov and David Shenderovich, who organized recordings and concerts for chanson bards in Moscow, including Arkady Severny. The first recordings of Belyaev, Mironov, and others took place in the second half of the 1960s at the House of Science and Technology, located opposite the Pushkin Museum on Volkhonka. Sound engineer Alexey Manhegov worked there.
During this time, Belyaev became interested in collecting vinyl records, accumulating over 800 by 1983. He also became friends with poet and artist Igor Erenburg, as well as Sasha Shcherbakov (Shlyomik), Dima Dmitriev, and Vladimir Khazov, with whom he started performing and recording songs, including those written by Igor Erenburg.
Belyaev recorded most of his concerts in Moscow (at David Shenderovich's place and others) and Odessa (at Stas Yeruslanov's place). Sometimes, Yeruslanov would travel to Moscow to organize recordings at Belyaev's home. He also recorded in St. Petersburg during his visit for the 20th anniversary of Arkady Severny's death in April 2001, at Sergey Ivanovich Maklakov's studio.
Later Years and Discography
Konstantin Belyaev lived on Gorky Street in the 1970s and rented an apartment from the famous gypsy singer Lala Chernaya for two years. In 1983, he was sentenced to four years for illegal fishing and served his term in a high-security colony in Ustyuzhna near Vologda. After his release, he worked as a night guard in garage societies and later as a caregiver at a boarding school for orphaned children.
From 1988 to 1993, Belyaev engaged in private business while actively recording music. In 1996, he recorded at the professional studio "Rock Academy," and in 1997, he released his first official solo album, "Mischievous Greetings from Stagnant Years." Over the years, he has released 73 albums and live recordings, constantly digitizing and restoring old tape recordings. His repertoire includes approximately 400 songs, including lyrics, romances, gypsy tunes, humorous and mischievous Odessa songs.
Konstantin Belyaev is currently married for the third time and resides in Moscow.
