Childhood and family of Willy Tokarev
The singer’s homeland is Kuban.
His grandfathers were Kuban Cossacks. In childhood memories there are songs that adults sang in the evenings when they got together. Children were sometimes also allowed to sit and listen for a while. One day Willie and the boys decided to sing Kuban songs in choir in front of the adults, they rehearsed and performed them in the evening. It was unexpected. He carried the songs of the Kuban Cossacks in his heart throughout his life. Poetic talent manifested itself early. The first poem that Tokarev wrote for the school newspaper was about how he managed his pocket money. His penchant for music manifested itself in the fact that he learned to play stringed folk instruments. As a teenager, Willie began composing his own melodies. He enthusiastically listened to music on his Record radio.
Willy Tokarev's songs are popular on both sides of the ocean
When the boy was eleven, the family moved to the city of Kaspiysk, located in Dagestan. At fourteen he already went sailing. On the ship, the teenager worked as a fireman.
Childhood and youth
Vilen Ivanovich Tokarev was born on November 11, 1934 into a family of hereditary Kuban Cossacks. The place of his birth was a settlement in the North Caucasus - the Chernyshev farm. His father was a true communist who went through the war and subsequently worked in a leadership position in a rocketry production workshop. Ivan Tokarev gave his son’s name in honor of the leader of the proletariat - VILEN.
As a little boy, Willie loved to sing Cossack songs, he even gathered a small ensemble of boys like him and performed concerts in front of his fellow villagers. Early on, he began to write poetry, which he sometimes published in the school newspaper.
The move to Kaspiysk, which the parents undertook after the end of the war, opened up new opportunities for Willie. He began taking music lessons from local teachers. But in 1948, the young man was captivated by the dream of overseas countries, and he got a job as a fireman on a merchant ship to travel the world. In his youth, Vilen visited China, Norway, France, and also the African continent.
The first songs of Willy Tokarev
After the service, which took place in the signal troops, the young man went to Leningrad.
There he became a student at the music school at the conservatory. He appeared on the stage as a jazz double bassist. But he was not only a musician, even then the aspiring musician began to write songs that immediately became very popular. While studying, Willie managed to work in several musical groups, including the Druzhba ensemble. During that period, such hits as “Rain” and “Who is to Blame?” appeared. At this time, persecution of jazz began, so the musician decided to leave for Murmansk, where he had more freedom. There he was recognized as a performer and songwriter. In 1973, a hit appeared, which was called “Murmanchanochka”. Having practically become a “hero” of the Kola Peninsula, the artist did not want to stop there. He strove to become known throughout the country and the whole world.
Personal life
Willy Tokarev was married three times. The first wife appeared during his student years. A son, Anton, was born, who also performs songs in the chanson style and works as a radio and television presenter. For some time, Anton was even the soloist of “Tender May”. He has children Kristina and Egor, who bear the surname Tokarev. They live in St. Petersburg.
The second wife was Svetlana Radushinskaya, the youngest by almost 37 years. Willy Tokarev met a girl when he went on tour in 1990. The couple had a son, Alex, who now lives in New York.
The third wife is Julia (Yulia Bedinskaya). She has a son, Milen, born in 2003. and daughter Evelina, born in 2000.
“In one of his interviews, Willy Tokarev called his family the main result of his life: The main thing is that I built my family. This is my stronghold, she saves me from loneliness. There is harmony in it, a kind of family idyll. In general, when a person has a family, he realizes that someone needs him.”
Figure 4. Family tea party
Immigration of Willy Tokarev to the USA
In 1974, the singer decided to immigrate to America.
The first time, while he did not know the language, was not at all easy. He worked at the post office, as a laborer, as a taxi driver, cleaned apartments, served as a courier, and so on. Willy Tokarev: so I became rich SIR and came to ESESER 18 Sochi The musician’s first cassette was released in 1979, but it turned out to be practically unnoticed. But the next cassette with the loud title “In a noisy booth” brought him fame. There were collected songs stylized as “thieves” and “restaurants”. Everyone in America who preferred to listen to Russian songs closely followed Tokarev’s work. At first he performed at the Sadko restaurant, and then at Odessa and Primorsky. In these same places, Lyubov Uspenskaya shone at one time. During that period, he recorded about twenty music albums. Each album made the artist more popular, not only in America, but also in his homeland.
Willy Tokarev “Skyscrapers” He came to the Union for the first time on tour in 1989. Alla Pugacheva helped him organize the tour. They communicated a lot, although they did not succeed in further cooperation. That time he performed in different cities of the country, giving seventy concerts. The sold-out event was repeated in 1990, and then in 2005. By this time, everyone knew Willie, twenty-four of his albums were on sale, and a documentary film had been released about him and his life in the USA.
Music
While serving in the army, the singer was a signalman, and after demobilization, he went to Leningrad to enter a music school. Willie successfully passed the exams and began studying double bass. This can be considered the beginning of a creative biography. The young man was soon recognized as a successful musician and composer of compositions that immediately found their audience. He begins to work as part of A. Kroll's orchestra, and then in the ensemble of Jean Tatlyan. The nationality of the performer and composer can easily be confused with Spanish due to his excessive emotionality and openness, but he is Russian. Some acquaintances in the musician’s biography become fateful. First, he became friends with Alexander Bronevitsky and met his wife. Edita Stanislavovna Piekha was his wife and worked in the Druzhba team. After some time, Willie begins to collaborate with this ensemble and writes songs that become hits.
Those musicians who were fond of jazz culture did not enjoy the support of the existing authorities.
Willy Ivanovich prefers to choose Murmansk for permanent residence. His solo biography begins there. He soon received recognition from local residents, who fell in love with the songs and the performer himself. Tokarev quite consciously and in adulthood changes his life and leaves for America. The singer is forty years old, has some money in his pocket and a great desire to become rich and famous. With such baggage, Willie left for another country. The future chanson and pop star works wherever and whoever he has to: in a taxi, at the post office, at a construction site. The singer uses the money he earns to record his songs.
Five years later, Tokarev manages to release a song album; it cost the performer twenty-five thousand dollars. Two years later, the second song disc was released, which made Willie popular. He becomes the most invited restaurant singer. The singer created healthy competition for Russian artists Lyubov Uspenskaya and Mikhail Shufutinsky.
The first concert of the emigration singer Willy Tokarev in Russia was organized by Alla Pugacheva. Concerts, sold-out houses and 70 concerts in the cities of the Soviet Union - such a hectic touring life was presented by the native country of the singer Villen Tokarev, who once left it.
Articles are written about the former emigrant, interviews are conducted with him. Soon the song “Skyscrapers” had a video. Very often Willie decided on a course “Moscow - New York”. When these trips became difficult for the performer, he bought an apartment in Russia and created his own recording studio.
Willie collaborates with Raisa Otradnaya and Mikhail Bondarev. The singer lured the second performer back to Russia, recognizing enormous talent in him. The musician appears in films, playing himself. The singer recently celebrated his 80th birthday and is organizing a tour with his concerts. The performer comes up with new compositions, he releases new discs and albums. In the famous program “Oh, go for a walk!” he worked 2 hours with the concert.
Return to Russia
Having become popular in his homeland, the artist saw no point in living abroad.
He decided to return to Russia. Tokarev purchased an apartment in the capital in close proximity to Kotelnicheskaya Embankment and settled on the third floor; next to the house is his studio, where the artist’s new songs are being recorded.
Willy Tokarev with his wife
In 2005, he worked on scoring the film “Tour De Force”. The work turned out to be successful and soon Tokarev received an offer to voice two more films. At the same time, he worked on recording several music albums, including “Adorero”, “I loved you” and “Shalom, Israel!”.
Death of an artist
In 2005, Willy began to live permanently in Moscow on Kotelnicheskaya Embankment. Here he had his own recording studio.
Back in 2020, Tokarev led an active lifestyle - he sang, participated in the Slavic Bazaar festival, acted in television projects and looked great.
But in August 2020, his son announced the death of his famous father, who was unable to overcome cancer. But despite the fact that Willy Tokarev is no longer there, his songs continue to live, and people remember this talented artist.
Personal life of Willy Tokarev
Willie first got married when he was studying at a music school in Leningrad.
Very quickly the young people divorced. They had a son, who today lives in St. Petersburg and works on the radio. He found his second wife when he came on tour to the USSR in 1990. The wedding took place in Moscow. The marriage produced a son, Alex. He currently resides in the USA. There was also a third marriage, which did not last even one month. Tokarev usually doesn’t even count him. The last wedding took place when the artist was sixty-two. His wife was a very young girl, Yulia, whom he met in the capital’s metro. They have a considerable age difference - forty-three years. Julia gave birth to two children - a girl and a boy. The children study in the USA, but are Russian citizens. They study music - they play the guitar, and their son also plays the drums. The artist’s wife is a graduate of VGIK, a film expert by profession. Willie pronounces his wife's name like Julia, in the American manner. He is grateful to her for her wonderful sense of humor, which allows them not to quarrel.
A gift of fate
Willy Ivanovich did not immediately improve his personal life, having been married three times. He chose his first wife in his youth, when he studied at the Leningrad Music School. In 1966, the couple had a son, Anton, but the family soon broke up. Tokarev Jr. also took up a musical career: in his youth he was the lead singer of the group “Tender May”, and then performed songs in the style of chanson. He also hosted his own radio and television programs. Now he lives with his family in St. Petersburg. The son gave his star father grandchildren: granddaughter Christina became an actress, and grandson Egor had just graduated from school.
The musician decided on a second marriage when he returned from America. He dreamed of finding a Russian woman who would become a good wife. When Willie met his chosen one, he almost immediately proposed to the girl. The wedding has not yet taken place, and the bride’s mother has already warned him that they need an apartment, money and a car. It is not surprising that this marriage lasted only 26 days. His next chosen one was Svetlana Radushinskaya, with whom the singer first lived in a small hotel room. Numerous colleagues of the musician often came there, discussing various events over a cup of tea. In this marriage, a son, Alex, was born, but he did not seal this union, and soon after the divorce, the wife went to live in the USA, where she married again. She gave birth to children for her new husband, but after some time she divorced him, and she and her children remained to live in America.
In the photo Willy Tokarev with his wife
The third wife, Yulia Bedinskaya, became a real gift of fate for Tokarev. The future spouses met each other in 1996, when the singer was late for the airport, but did not know how to get there. A charming girl passing by helped him get there, with whom he managed to chat. It was then that she fell into Willie’s soul, and, despite the huge age difference (43 years), soon the master of chanson met Julia’s parents, as he later began to call his wife in the American manner. The bride's mother also turned out to be younger than him, so he could not call her mother-in-law, but addressed her by her first name and patronymic. The bride's relatives gladly accepted him into their family, which was important for Tokarev.
In 2000, the couple became parents: daughter Evelina was born, and three years later son Milen was born. The young wife is a film expert by profession; She received her education at VGIK, graduating with honors. At first, Julia was terribly jealous of her star husband, but then she calmed down after reading in one interview that a man, especially one as public as Willie, should arouse interest among other women. Later, she was even proud of the singer, who not only was still in demand in the profession, but also had a youthful appearance.
Willy Tokarev with his wife and children. Photo https://www.instagram.com/willi_tokarev
The spouses did not notice the age barrier and always found understanding with each other. The singer was glad that his wife was smart, well-read, musical, but most importantly, she had an amazing sense of humor, so there were rarely quarrels and misunderstandings in the family.
Tokarev's children always considered him a wonderful father and dreamed of being like him in everything. The son and daughter decided to study and live in New York, where his wife also flew to. In addition to studying at school, Mylen became interested in acting and is also a member of the junior hockey league. After graduating from school, Evelina decided to study to become a doctor.
Willie Ivanovich loved to vacation in Yalta, Moscow and New York, where he had his own real estate. He always tried to lead a healthy lifestyle, so he never ate or drank anything. The singer had a good appetite, healthy sleep and excellent mood. He never refused offers to perform, as he tried not to deny anything to his beloved wife and children.
Tokarev himself lived in Moscow, but often visited his relatives, flying to the USA for a while. There were persistent rumors that the couple were close to divorce, but the master of chanson denied these speculations and always emphasized in interviews that he and his wife still loved each other. Willie Ivanovich spoiled Julia and could, for example, spend a lot of money on dolls that she had been collecting for many years. Children also flew to him when their holidays began.
Creation
The songs performed by Willy Tokarev are known to everyone whose young or mature years fell in the 90s. The musician was distinguished by his colorful, memorable appearance and unique presentation.
He received the Chanson of the Year award three times in a row, starting in 2020. He appeared in a cameo role (of himself) in several films, as well as in the documentary “So I became a rich sir and came to eSeSeR.”
Among the most popular songs of Willy Tokarev are:
- "Over the Hudson";
- "New York Taxi Driver"
- “In a noisy booth”;
- "Skyscrapers, skyscrapers";
- "Cranes";
- “And life is always beautiful”;
- “Happy birthday, dear daddy!”
Tokarev performed not only his own songs, but also popular compositions of past years, as well as songs of other authors, arranging them with talent. He said that he was not ashamed of any of his creations, they all came from the heart. He was a very cheerful, energetic person, and dreamed of living to be 150 years old.
