How the performer of the hit “Horses in Apples” Viktor Saltykov is shaping up

Childhood and family of Viktor Saltykov

Victor’s hometown is St. Petersburg, although during his childhood the city was called Leningrad.
As long as the singer can remember, he sang constantly. Even as a little boy, Victor dreamed of becoming a famous singer. At the age of five, his father put him on a chair and asked him to sing. Vitya’s best song was “Solar Circle”. After going to school, he started playing tennis, although he has no special achievements in this sport. The result of ten years of training with the honored coach was only the first youth rank.

Once, while visiting his uncle, Saltykov found a small Beatles record. What he heard shocked him. This record became his favorite.

Singer Viktor Saltykov in childhood

The father died when the boy was only twelve years old. Mom was not particularly happy about her son’s passion for music; she wanted him to acquire a serious profession in the future. The uncle advised his nephew to become a railway engineer. He listened to his uncle's advice and after the army became a student, entering the Institute of Railway Transport.

Realizing full well that the railway did not interest him at all, the young man continued to study at the institute only because all the conditions were created there for studying music. While still in the army, Victor played and sang in an ensemble, but at the institute he received an excellent opportunity to continue these studies. During his studies, student Saltykov created the “Democritus Well” group. Together with this group, the future singer took his first steps on the big stage.

The difficult path to music

Vitya was born in a city above the Neva. His parents worked at a factory and had nothing to do with the world of art. For as long as he can remember, he has always hummed something. Since childhood, the boy dreamed of growing into a singer famous throughout the country. The father, making fun of his son’s desires, placed a chair in the middle of the room and asked Vitya to perform from the “big stage.”

The boy’s best song was “Sunny Circle.” True, Victor’s dad was not destined to see his son become a real artist - he died tragically. During his school years, the boy became interested in sports. He visited the tennis courts, but did not demonstrate the enviable skill on them. In the yard I played football and hockey with my peers.

Somehow, closer to graduation, Victor went to visit his uncle and found a Beatles record on his farm. Having placed the vinyl disc on the player, the guy froze in silent delight. Since then, the Fab Four's record has become his favorite.

When the time came to decide on his future profession, the mother was not happy about her son’s hobby, believing that music would not feed him . Every day she told Victor how important it was to master a serious profession. The uncle also added fuel to the fire, strongly advising his nephew to join the ranks of railway engineers.

Having listened to the advice of his relatives, Victor became a student at the Institute of Railway Transport. True, before that he served two years in the army. The service took place in East Germany in a communications company. There, in addition to worries and sleepless nights, he played and sang in the army VIA.

Having entered the institute, Saltykov killed two birds with one stone - he reassured his relatives and got the opportunity to do what he loved. The educational institution encouraged amateur artistic activities, and soon Victor and his classmates created the musical group “Democritus Well”.

The young performer's path to the big stages began with this group. Saltykov’s first success came after he and the members of the Manufactura group once performed at one of the rock venues in his hometown. The applause that he received for his performance was so stormy that Victor began to wonder: is it worth studying at the institute? But he still held out until his senior year and took his diploma as an electrical engineer.

The first songs of Viktor Saltykov

For the first time, Saltykov felt a real “taste” of success when he performed with the group “Manufactura” in one of the rock clubs in Leningrad.
He was literally stunned by the flurry of applause that he received after his first performance. It must be said that even at that time the songs he performed seemed too lightweight to him. Electroclub group and Viktor Saltykov - “Horses in Apples” The guys from the group tried to create some kind of image for themselves, came up with hairstyles, and took out fashionable clothes. Time passed, and the singer realized that for a true creative person who performs on stage, appearance and clothing are far from the most important factors of success. In 1983, together with Manufactura, Victor participated in the first rock festival held in Leningrad, where the guys took first place. Saltykov performed the song “House of Millions”. There, as a soloist, he received the Grand Prix and was named best vocalist. After such a brilliant performance at a rock festival, Victor received an offer to become the lead singer of the Forum group. The guys from “Manufactura” were about to be drafted into the army, because of which the team would have broken up, the aspiring singer gave his consent and moved to “Forum”.

Music

In 1983, Victor was invited to the Manufactory group. Oleg Skiba's composition "House of Millions" performed by the band at the Leningrad rock festival takes first place, and Viktor Saltykov becomes the best vocalist and Grand Prix winner. This performance becomes fateful for the musician. Alexander Nazarov draws attention to him, who after a while invites him to the “Forum” group.

Viktor Saltykov and the group “Forum”

Before moving to the Forum, two Manufactory albums were released. The group members paid great attention to their image - fashionable hairstyles and clothes. Over time, Victor understands that for a professional, appearance is not the determining factor of success.

Soon the main part of the group leaves for military service, and Victor becomes the lead singer of “Forum”. As part of it, the singer gains incredible popularity and all-Union fame. Saltykov’s most famous hits “White Night”, “The Leaves Flew Away”, “Horses in Apples” and others are associated with him. The group tours domestically and is a resounding success.

Viktor Saltykov - “White Night”

The media call the band a cult group; numerous fans do unthinkable things. There was a case when a car with artists was lifted and carried in their arms. Can you ask for more? But Victor receives a new offer, accepts it and becomes the lead singer of the Moscow group “Electroclub”. His place in the Forum is taken by Sergei Rogozhin.

He receives an invitation to the “Electroclub” from David Tukhmanov, a famous composer who writes songs for the group. The group featured two soloists: Irina Allegrova and Igor Talkov. Victor replaced Talkov, who left to start a solo career. The rest of the Forum musicians are also moving to Moscow. The renewal of the lineup ensures the group's super popularity among young people.

Viktor Saltykov and the group “Electroclub”

New hits, videos, records and albums are being released. Tours last for months, with more than one concert performed per day. Such a busy life and incredible popularity become ordinary for Victor. Despite his success and demand, he leaves the Electroclub, as he gravitates towards serious music. This is how his independent career begins.

Since 1990, Viktor Saltykov has been working independently. The singer's discography is replenished with new albums. Twice he participates in the popular TV show “Musical Ring”. The first time was in 1986 with the Forum group against Marina Kapuro and the Yabloko group. The second time - in 1999 against his ex-wife.

Viktor Saltykov and Tatyana Ovsienko - “Shores of Love”

In the new millennium, Victor has a busy schedule, he participates in television and radio programs. In 2004, at the Song of the Year festival, in a duet with Tatyana Ovsienko, she performed the hit Shores of Love.

Victor Saltykov's greatest hits

Victor's work in the Forum group brought him fame and made him popular throughout the USSR. During that period, such hits as “Island”, “A Week Before the Wedding” and “White Night” appeared. The group was wildly successful. They began to call her “cult”. Very quickly they gained many fans. Viktor Saltykov - White Night The next group where Viktor sang was “Electroclub”. This group was brought together by Tukhmanov. It was he who was involved in serious promotion of the group. At the time the singer joined this group, Igor Talkov and singer Irina Allegrova were already working there. By that time, Talkov was planning to pursue a solo career, so Victor replaced him in the group. Several more people from the “Forum” also went there. Soon the singer sang several new hits in the Electroclub. With Allegrova, he released the album “Horses in Apples” and the album “Photo for Memory”, and the album “Electroclub-2” was also released. The group toured for several months a year. Sometimes there were several concerts a day. Due to the fact that Victor wanted to play more serious music, he decided to leave the Electroclub.

Personal life

Victor also has a lot of events in his personal life: two marriages and three children. His first wife was singer Irina Saltykova, whom he met in 1985. Daughter Alice was born in 1987. In 1995, the couple separated, the daughter followed in the footsteps of her parents - building her musical career in London.

Victor Saltykov and Irina Saltykova

The new wife, Irina Metlina, with whom he has been together for more than twenty years, gave birth to a daughter and a son. Svyatoslav goes to school and enjoys tennis, Anna is receiving a music education at the University of London.

Victor appreciates his wife for the peace and comfort with which she managed to surround him, and considers himself indebted to her for all the good that she does for the family.

Viktor Saltykov with his wife Irina Metlina and children

The singer’s height is average (170 cm), but the exact weight, although unknown, clearly does not suit Saltykov himself. He announced this directly at the concert in 2020. The artist asked the girls in the hall to share with him the recipe for being slim. Supposedly he runs and jumps, but there’s no point.

Viktor Saltykov is a socially active person; he regularly posts new photos on Instagram. He has pages on Facebook and VKontakte.

Personal life of Viktor Saltykov

The singer’s first wife was Irina, who is known to everyone as Irina Saltykova. They met in 1985. In 1987, a daughter, Alice, appeared in the family. The couple divorced in 1995. The singer considers his marriage to Irina a big mistake.

Viktor Saltykov’s ex-wife Irina with daughter Alisa.
Viktor’s second wife is also named Irina. They have been together for many years. Irina and Victor have a daughter, Anna, and a son, Svyatoslav. Victor believes that he owes a lot to his second wife. Thanks to her, he quit smoking and does not drink alcohol at all. The family lives in a private house, since Victor, according to him, was tired of big cities, he wanted to return to the land and nature. He helps his wife in arranging and decorating the site. The singer is absolutely happy that in life he was able to combine his passion with his profession, that music became his life’s work.

Two wives, two Irinas

The public knows more about the artist’s personal life than about his professional achievements. And all this thanks to Victor’s first wife, Irina Saltykova, ex-vocalist of the Mirage group and popular singer. Victor and Irina met in 1986 and soon legalized their relationship. A year later, a daughter, Alice, was born into their family.

After Saltykova quickly climbed the ladder of domestic show business, and her husband’s affairs were not going so well, misunderstandings began among the star couple, which developed into loud scandals. The whole country sometimes watched the ups and downs of the Saltykovs’ personal lives. The artists officially divorced in 1995. Victor considers his marriage to Irina the biggest mistake in his life.

The singer’s second wife was Irina Metlina; she gave birth to Victor’s daughter Anna and son Svyatoslav. The wife managed to create not only comfort and warmth in the house, but also help her husband get rid of many bad habits. Victor lives with his second family in a country house because he is tired of the noise of big cities. The singer tries not to leave his “fortress” unless absolutely necessary.

In his spare time, Viktor Saltykov enjoys football and plays for a team of artists. He can also sometimes be seen on the tennis courts - the ten years devoted to this sport in childhood allow the singer to confidently hold a racket in his hands even today.

Discography

As part of the Manufactura group

Viktor Saltykov at the festival “Legends of Retro FM 2009”

• 1983 — Waiting Room (magnetic album, reissued on CD in 2010)
• 1984 - The Road (magnetic album, recording of the program of the II Festival of the Leningrad Rock Club)

As part of the Forum group

• 1987 - White Night (LP, recorded 1985)
• 1987 - Distant Distances (magnetic album)
• 1987 - A week before the wedding (magnetic album)
• 1987 - Maternal Anxiety (concert magnetic album)

As part of the group "Electroclub"

• 1987 - Photo for memory (magnetic album)
• 1989 - Electroclub-2 (LP, recorded in 1988)
• 1990 - Toy (magnetic album)

Solo career

• 1991 - Army of Love (LP, recorded 1990-1991) (RiTones)
• 1993 - Silver Wind (LP, recordings 1992-1993) (SNC Records)
• 1999 - Step by step (CD Studio SOYUZ) (recordings 1994-1998)
• 2014 — Zero Gravity (United Music Group)
• 2015 - Nostalgia for the present
• 2016 - Nostalgia for the present / new and better

Notes

1. ↑ 1234567
   Biography
2. Manufactory
3. "Song of the Year 1986"
4. Musical Ring - Forum group and Apple group (1986)
5. Musical Ring 1999. Victor Saltykov Irina Saltykova
6. Academy of Arts of Viktor Saltykov and Alexander Yagya. Teachers
7. Revelation to FRM magazine: Viktor Saltykov about leaving for Cuba
8. Finally a boy (undefined)
   (inaccessible link). Retrieved July 3, 2009. Archived January 15, 2010.
9. Viktor Saltykov became a father in agony (unspecified)
   (inaccessible link). Retrieved July 3, 2009. Archived September 14, 2012.
10. O.S.P. - Sister 3 - 2002

Biography

The mother wanted to somehow streamline her son’s passion for vocals and decided to send him to the children’s choir of the chapel, but the boy did not work out with academic music - walking around with a folder of sheet music was boring.

Victor Saltykov photography

In 1965, Vitya goes to school.
He is no different from his peers: he plays football and hockey with the boys. Perhaps, only playing tennis somehow makes him stand out (at that time, a practically uncommon sport). For ten years, Victor has been training under the guidance of Tatyana Nalimova, Honored Trainer of the USSR. He does not achieve outstanding success, but he does receive a youth rank. When Vita turns 12, his father dies. Raising a boy falls on the shoulders of two women - his mother and his aunt. They live together, so the aunt becomes a second mother for Vitya. Advertising:
Everything would have gone on as usual if Victor had not heard the Beatles one day. One day, visiting his uncle, a war veteran, Vitya finds among his collection a small record with the song “Girls”. From that moment on, the legendary Beatles burst into his life. This becomes a real shock: the boy wants to listen to their songs again and again. But tape recorders, a great rarity at that time, are expensive, so Vitya, along with many other guys, is trying to earn at least a little money for the coveted tape recorder. They work at a construction site and deliver newspapers. Actually, with the opportunity to listen to his favorite songs, Victor’s desire to study vocals professionally takes root.

In 1977, Victor was drafted into the army. He is sent to serve in East Germany as a radio operator in the signal forces. There was an ensemble in the army, where Victor not only sang, but also played. But after the army, he entered not the Institute of Culture or the Conservatory, but the absolutely not “vocal” Institute of Railway Transport Engineers, which he graduated in 1984 with a degree in electrical engineering. Within the walls of this establishment, Victor meets Teimuraz Bojgua. Together with the latter, he creates the group “Democritus Well”, in which he takes his first steps onto the big stage.

In 1983, Victor was invited to the Manufactory group. In May of the same year, the group took part in the first Leningrad rock festival and took first place with Oleg Skiba’s song “House of a Million”. And Victor receives the Grand Prix as the best vocalist. At a rock festival, Alexander Nazarov notices him and subsequently offers him to work in the Forum group. Since the guys from Manufactory are soon drafted into the army, and Victor is left alone, he accepts Alexander Nazarov’s offer.

In "Forum" all-Union glory comes to Victor. It was in this group that the well-known hits were created, with which, until 1987, Forum traveled with concerts throughout the country and released two discs: “White Night” (1984) and “A Week Before the Wedding” (1987). This group is wildly successful. The owner of a well-heard cassette with a recording of the “Forum” hits “White Night” and “Island” easily becomes the first among his peers. The press calls the group nothing less than “cult,” and fans, crazy with happiness, do unimaginable things at concerts, for example, carrying a car with musicians in their arms. But constancy is not characteristic of creators.

The “Forum” was followed by a transition to the “Electroclub”. Victor left along with Nazarov and the main core of the group, and in “Forum” he was replaced by Sergei Rogozhin, who was prepared for Saltykov’s departure. The capital attracted completely new financial opportunities associated with the serious promotion of the group (the offer came from Tukhmanov himself). At that time, the composer, recognized by the authorities, assembled a new group “Electroclub” for his songs, in which Irina Allegrova and Igor Talkov at that time worked. This is where my “forumist” friends go. Igor Talkov wanted to pursue a solo career, and Saltykov successfully replaced him. Victor’s popularity does not leave him in the “Electroclub”, where he continues to create new hits. Together with Allegrova, they release the album “Electroclub-2” and record the albums “Photos for Memory” and “Horses in Apples.” Touring tours - for several months; concerts—several a day—become a common occurrence in Saltykov’s life. And Victor thinks that he should play more serious music. The result was leaving the Electroclub.

Since 1990, Saltykov has been pursuing a solo career. Independent work leads to the appearance of new albums: “Army of Love” (1991), “Silver Wind” (1994), remix album “Driving You Crazy” (1995). TV viewers were able to hear new songs of their idol after the singer appeared on the “Music Ring” in 1998. And in 1999, another album, “Step by Step,” was released.

Best of the day

Currently, Viktor Saltykov is fruitfully engaged in music, recording new songs, taking an active part in many concert programs: some of the latest are “Disco of the 80s”, “Star Factory-4”. He also appears in television programs and tours around the country.

Victor Saltykov
Alex
02/15/2009 12:41:10

Vitya is a great guy. It’s a pity that there haven’t been any new albums of his lately. I think with his voice and manner of performance, the discs were popular.

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