Sergei Penkin gained fame not only in Russia, but also abroad. During his long and fruitful career, he not only wrote dozens of albums, but also built a church with his own funds, and also created his own vocal school. His name is entered in the Guinness Book of Records as the owner of a unique voice with a range spanning 4 octaves.
Childhood and youth
Sergei Mikhailovich Penkin was born on February 10, 1961 in the city of Penza. Sergei was not the only child in the family. He was the youngest of 5 children. This is not to say that the family lived very poorly, but it was not considered rich either. The boy's father was a machinist by profession, and his mother looked after the hearth and sometimes worked as a cleaner in one of the local city churches.
The Soviet Union, as you know, was an atheist state. Therefore, with regard to the religiosity of the population, most people tried not to spread about their faith and going to church. The Penkin family was also a believer, which partly affected their life.
When little Seryozha was 3 years old, his parents often began to take him to church. Moreover, the boy even enrolled in a church choir and sang there constantly. At one time this greatly influenced his attitude to the world, and for some time he wanted to become a clergyman and receive education at the seminary. However, he later changed his mind, since he did not want to conduct many hours of services.
Then the boy was sent to a music school, where he mastered the flute and piano. In high school, the young man began to earn his first pocket money with his work: he performed in local restaurants and theatrical performances.
After graduating from secondary school, Penkin became a student at the Penza muses school. In 1979, the guy was drafted into the army.
In connection with the events of that time, many recruits were sent to the war in Afghanistan. Once in the ranks of the armed forces, Sergei also wanted to get to serve in Afghanistan, but this was denied to him. Then, according to distribution, he got into a military ensemble called "Red Chevron", where he served all two years, being the soloist of the group. Returning to civilian life in the uniform of a sergeant, the young man decides to move to Moscow.
At first, life in the capital was too tough for a young man from the periphery. Penkin had to get a job as a janitor and at the same time prepare to enter the famous Gnessin Academy. As a result, only from the 11th attempt, Sergei managed to convince the admissions committee of his abilities and enroll in the course.
Musician career
In parallel with entering "Gnesinka" and working as a janitor, Penkin worked part-time in a restaurant at the "Cosmos" hotel. Every morning the young man went out to the streets of Moscow to put them in order, and in the evening, dressed in a tuxedo, he stood in a restaurant and sang for visitors.
Soon, places in the restaurant were booked months in advance, as many wanted to look at a novice artist, who had already gained some popularity among the local elite. Since then, Penkin has frequently toured as part of the revue of the restaurant where he performed.
Even when the musician became a student at Gnesinka, he did not abandon either performances in an expensive kitchenette or a tour.
Upon his return from the tour, Sergei summoned familiar artists to his communal apartment, where they shared their ideas with each other or simply played different music.
By the time the university graduated, work on the debut album had already been completed. In 1991 Sergei Penkin shares his first disc called "Feelings" with fans and music lovers. The album made its creator even more recognizable, and his career took off.
Moreover, the musician gained popularity not only at home, but also abroad. During his career, he managed to conquer the scenes of Israel, Germany, USA, Australia and many other countries. Moreover, Penkin was honored to perform as a duet with such famous performers as Peter Gabriel, Sarah Brightman and Morris Albert.
The artist's discography includes more than 20 albums, including recordings of Penkin's live performances.
Personal life
Sergei Mikhailovich tries not to talk about his personal life. However, in the absence of reliable information, the media and the public are beginning to spread rumors that Penkin is a representative of sexual minorities, to which the singer himself is very angry and denies such "facts."
It is only known that he met with a journalist named Elena, who lives in London. The couple became husband and wife in 2000, but after 2 years the newlyweds parted, because love could not withstand life in two cities - Moscow and London, and the girl flatly refused to leave the UK.
