Gennady Zavolokin is a famous Russian presenter and musician who became famous as the author of the famous program "Play, accordion!" What is interesting about his biography and personal life?
Biography of the presenter
Gennady was born on March 18, 1948 in the small village of Parabel in the Tomsk region. After the birth of his son, his parents moved to live in the village of Suzun, which is also located in Siberia. From childhood, Gennady loved to play musical instruments. This love was instilled in him by his elder brother Alexander, who also eventually became a famous musician.
After receiving secondary education, Gennady entered the Novosibirsk College of Music in the accordion class. He successfully unlearned the allotted time and began to work in his native village as an accordion player in the local folk choir. Then Zavolokin began to travel around the region with concerts. Gennady also knew how to play the balalaika and domra.
Seeking popularity on the periphery is not a very rewarding business. Therefore, Gennady went to conquer Moscow. In the capital, he studied at the Institute of Culture.
After receiving higher education, he had the opportunity to work on television. In 1986, Gennady, together with his brother, created the legendary program "Play, accordion". From now on, their names will always be associated with the name of the show.
Gennady not only works as a presenter and travels a lot around the country in search of talented folk musicians, but is a director and artistic director.
Over time, the Zavolokins created the Chastushka ensemble, which constantly performs as part of the program and tours everywhere with concerts. The band includes Gennady's brother and children, as well as other musicians. In 1992, in Novosibirsk, Zavolokin created the Play Accordion Center, which is responsible for the concert and touring activities of the group.
Then, in 1999, Gennady creates another ensemble called "Vecherka", in which he performs with his brother. During these years, he became very popular in the country and received the title of People's Artist.
Throughout his life, Zavolokin wrote folk songs that immediately found their listener. He recorded only about 700 compositions, which were included in various albums of the artist. Also, his songs sound in some films and programs. In addition to his musical activities, Gennady managed to write an autobiographical book, in which he spoke in detail about the creation of a TV show.
In 2001, Gennady Zavolokin died tragically in an accident that occurred near the village of Novy Sharap near Novosibirsk. In this city he was buried. And four years later, a chapel was erected at the site of the accident, as well as a monument to a musician and a good man who sits on a bench with his beloved accordion in the company of a bronze cat.
After his death, a museum was created in the village where Gennady died. The festival named after Gennady Zavolokin is held annually in the Novosibirsk region.
Personal life of a musician and presenter
Gennady met his love early enough. Svetlana Kazantseva became his wife. Later she worked as the main producer of the program "Play, accordion". The happy spouses had two children: son Zakhar and daughter Anastasia. After the death of their father, they continued to work on the creation of the program, and they are still doing this. Moreover, Anastasia regularly performs songs of Gennady and makes his work even more famous and popular.
