Lydia Andreevna Ruslanova lived a difficult and interesting life. She survived the war, imprisonment, the test of fame and money. But her unique voice still touches the hearts of listeners.
Childhood
Lydia Ruslanova was born in 1900. It is known that her family was Old Believers and she had a brother and sister. In the family, the future singer was called Panka Leikina, so most likely the artist's name and surname are not real. During the Russo-Japanese War, Panka's father went to the front, and his mother died. The children were sent to an orphanage and separated from each other. Probably, Panka was given a new name at the orphanage.
Becoming an artist
Lydia started singing at the orphanage. At first, the girl sang in the church choir, and after graduating from school she entered the Saratov Conservatory. But Lydia did not gravitate towards the classical song, she was a born folk singer. Therefore, as soon as the First World War began, Lydia went to the front. There she sang for the wounded soldiers and became very much loved by them.
After the war, Lydia went to work in the ensemble "Skomorokhi", which was in Rostov-on-Don. By this time, Lydia had already formed as an artist, she had her own style of performance, which cannot be confused with anything.
War
During the Great Patriotic War, Lydia was part of a concert brigade performing at the front. During the war years, Lydia gave more than a thousand concerts and received the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR. Severe weather conditions had a bad effect on the singer's health, and she constantly drank medicines, for which she received the nickname "Lida-streptocid". But her voice always sounded loud and loud, despite her health problems.
Imprisonment
Two years after the end of the war, the family of Lydia Ruslanova suffered misfortune. Her husband was friends with Georgy Zhukov, and when the marshal was arrested, Lydia and her husband also fell into disgrace. They were tortured for a long time and then sent to a camp. It was very difficult in prison for Lydia, but she still tried to sing and keep herself in shape. In many ways, her friendship with the artist Zoya Alexandrova helped her.
After Stalin's death, Lydia Ruslanova was rehabilitated, but for a long time she could not recover from the shame and did not even want to return to the stage. But the need to make a living forced the singer to start singing again.
Personal life
Lydia Ruslanova was married four times. She gave birth to a child from her first husband, but her husband fled with the gypsy woman, taking his son with him. In 2014, there was a TV program where the unexpectedly found son of Lydia Ruslanova performed. True or fiction - no one will ever know.
The last husband of the singer was General Vladimir Kryukov, an associate of Marshal Zhukov. This marriage was a happy one, though marred by a prison sentence. Lydia raised Kryukov's daughter Margarita and considered her her family.
