详细介绍
Date of Birth
born 19 March 1949, Ust-Usa, Komi Republic, Russian SFSR, USSR [now Russia]
Birth Name
Valery Jakolevich Leontyev
Trivia
His parents, Jakob Stepanovich and Ekaterina Nikolaevna, were reindeer breeders in Siberia.
Studied music at Saint Petersburg Academy of Culture.
He is ethnic mansi - indigenous tribe of northern Siberia.
Retired in 2010 due to health problems.
Prior to becoming such a well known singer, he faced a hard childhood and struggle with his parents. His original dream was to pursue a career in oceanography, unfortunately, it was not realised as he failed to pass the entry exams to a college. However, he didn’t let that stop him as he eventually was able to go to Syktyvkar and pursue a singing career. Before he knew it, he became a member of the Republican Philharmonic ensemble called Echo.