Lyudmila Zykina
Queen of Russian folk dies
Published 01 July, 2009, 15:00
Legendary Russian singer, Lyudmila Zykina, has died of a heart attack on July 1. She was 80-years-old.
She was often referred to as ‘Miss Volga’ in America, and none other than ‘the Russian Edith Piaf’ in France. The Russian singer brought her authentic style of music wherever she performed, winning the hearts of Charles Aznavour, Frank Sinatra and Charlie Chaplin, while The Beatles even suggested recording an album with Zykina.
Lyudmila Zykina charmed all Soviet leaders from Stalin through to Khrushchev, Brezhnev and Gorbachev with her strong vocals, and was one of the few Soviet artists permitted to go abroad. The singer traveled through the USSR at least six times, and visited more than 92 foreign countries, performing for foreign presidents and lovers of traditional Russian tunes.
Zykina’s repertoire numbered over 2 thousand Russian folk songs. Her career spanned almost five decades.
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