in memory of Sergei Paramonov
Sergei Vladimirovich Paramonov (1961 - 1998, 36 years old) was a Soviet singer who gained fame in the USSR as a soloist with the Grand Children's Choir of the All-Union Radio and Central Television under the direction of Viktor Popov.
Sergei Paramonov's love of music and singing manifested itself very early, and he eagerly performed in kindergarten. In the fourth grade (1971), Paramonov's grandmother, Nina Aleksandrovna Kudinova, brought him to the Grand Children's Choir of the Central Television and All-Union Radio under the direction of V.S. Popov. He passed the competitive selection process, singing the song "We marched under the roar of cannonade, We looked death in the face..." He was accepted into the junior group of the choir and stood out from the other children by singing with pleasure, without any visible effort. A year later, despite his lack of musical training, he became a soloist. Sergei Paramonov's first recording was the children's song "Antoshka."
He performed with the choir at the Column Hall and other prestigious venues across the country, performing with such renowned performers as Klavdiya Shulzhenko, Lidiya Ruslanova, and Leonid Utesov. He also sang duets with Muslim Magomayev. Many of Sergei Paramonov's songs were written specifically for him. The musicians of Silantyev's orchestra called Paramonov "little Magomayev." Alexandra Pakhmutova wrote the song "Prosba" (Request) specifically for Paramonov, with lyrics by Robert Rozhdestvensky. Composer Vladimir Shainsky, who wrote music for many Soviet animated films, called him "a landmark singer in his life." On May 17, 1975, at a recital with poet Robert Rozhdestvensky in the Column Hall of the House of Unions, while performing "Prosba" (Request), Paramonov realized he could no longer control his voice—he had begun to experience a vocal mutation. Soon, Paramonov's singing diminished until he lost his position as soloist and left the choir. Lacking a formal musical education, he enrolled in evening music school, majoring in piano, where he completed three classes in a year. He then enrolled in the preparatory department of the Ippolitov-Ivanov Music College, where he studied for a year. He then enrolled in the conducting and choral department of the same school, but did not graduate. Paramonov toured extensively. He worked with the Rosconcert troupe, hosting variety concerts and performing individual numbers, singing songs by V. Ya. Shainsky, and hosting his own program. He played in a vocal-instrumental ensemble—the "Inspiration" group at the music college—and led the "Young Voices" group. He was the keyboardist and musical director for the rock band "Kinematograf," writing the music for the songs "Bastille," "Labyrinth," "Horse-Life," "Gloomy Weather," "Oasis," "Light," "Dead End," "Clock," and many others. Valery Obodzinsky also worked there at the same time. At the radio station "Yunost," he hosted the "Musicians Yesterday and Today" column and produced many radio programs about performers. The radio program later evolved into the "Kastalsky Klyuch" club for Moscow's creative intelligentsia, where Paramonov served as a producer of public events and the chief director of large holiday concerts. He worked with the STS ballet company, gypsy ensembles, and sang in restaurants. He periodically performed at children's concerts in various parts of Moscow, performing his own medleys. He also worked in music advertising. He worked as a music editor at Moscow's Sokolniki Park, organizing discos for pensioners while simultaneously writing music and arranging old songs. He collaborated with Alexander Shaganov, writing music to his lyrics (for the 1995 album "Sing, Brother"—"Barge," "Cat," "Drunkard," "Pink Years," and others). He worked on Sergei Chumakov's project. He participated in the projects "Lyube" and "Ivanushki International" led by his former classmate Igor Matvienko. In 1989, he recorded the song "Sanki" and several other songs with his arrangements with Vyacheslav Tereshonok, the guitarist for the original Lyube band. Shortly before his death, he signed a five-year contract with the Igor Matvienko Production Center as an arranger.
Paramonov was married twice. He married for the first time at age 30, to Olga Boborykina, a singer, poet, and singer-songwriter (the duo "BiS" in the early 1990s). This marriage lasted about a year. In 1994, Paramonov's second wife was Masha Porokh (her last name from her first marriage), the lead singer of the Saratov band "Shakherezada," later known as Maria Paramonova-Emikh. They lived together for four years. In June 1995, their son, Alexander, was born. Alexander Shaganov served as Paramonov's best man, and Igor Matvienko served as his son's godfather. In the fall of 1997, Paramonov's wife left him, and he suffered greatly from the separation from his son. Paramonov's friends noted that in the last days before his death, he was constantly depressed. At 32, he contracted latent tuberculosis and was awa...