Aleksandr Bronevitskiy
Aleksandr Bronevitsky was a Russian songwriter, pianist, composer,
producer and concert director who revolutionized the entertainment industry in the Soviet Union.
He was born Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Bronevitsky on 8 July 1930, in Sevastopol, Ukraine, Soviet Union. From 1953 - 1958 he studied piano and composition at the Leningrad (St. Petersburg) Conservatory of Music. At that time, the city of St. Petersburg was called Leningrad after the Soviet leader Lenin.
In 1955 Bronevitsky founded the first Russian/Soviet popular band Druzhba (aka... Friendship) in Leningrad (Saint Petersburg), Russia. Bronevitsky and his band, Druzhba, made an effort introducing newer music styles, such as rock'n roll. Bronevitsky wrote songs in the variety of styles, ranging from Russian folk music to African music, to American rock'n roll, twist and shake. His new songs were performed by students from Africa, Latin America and Europe who studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory at that time.
Bronevitsky also hit the right note by making Edita Pekha the lead female singer in his band, Druzhba. Edita Piekha was a very good-looking young lady from Poland who then studied at the Leningrad University. She was also a multilingual singer with attractive voice, nice manners and impeccable style. By bringing Edita Piekha and other international performers to the front stage, Bronevitsky managed to get his band to perform on Soviet national television and at the 1957 International Festival in Moscow. There, beautiful Edita Piekha attracted the eye of none other, than the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Bronevitsky soon married Edita Piekha and the couple became part of the St. Petersburg cultural milieu. They were widely known in Russia as advocates of international friendship promoting positive outlook and better lifestyle. Bronevitsky and his band, Druzhba, remained popular for several decades in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s, albeit in the last decade the lead singer, Edita Piekha, split from Bronevitsky, and formed her own band, while Bronevitsky remained the leader of his original band, Druzhba.
Aleksandr Bronevitsky was designated Honorable Actor of Russia, and received other awards and honors in the former Soviet Union. He and his band, Druzhba, recorded many popular hits between 1955 and 1988, and made several albums that sold millions of copies in the Soviet Union and Europe. In 1972 Bronevitsky and Piekha with ensemble Druzhba were part of cultural programs at the XX Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. Bronevitsky was married to Edita Pekha and the couple had one daughter, Ilona Bronevitskaya, also a popular singer in Russia. Aleksandr Bronevitsky died of a heart attack while touring in Nalchik, Russia, on 13 April, 1988, and was laid to rest in St. Petersburg, Russia.
He was born Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Bronevitsky on 8 July 1930, in Sevastopol, Ukraine, Soviet Union. From 1953 - 1958 he studied piano and composition at the Leningrad (St. Petersburg) Conservatory of Music. At that time, the city of St. Petersburg was called Leningrad after the Soviet leader Lenin.
In 1955 Bronevitsky founded the first Russian/Soviet popular band Druzhba (aka... Friendship) in Leningrad (Saint Petersburg), Russia. Bronevitsky and his band, Druzhba, made an effort introducing newer music styles, such as rock'n roll. Bronevitsky wrote songs in the variety of styles, ranging from Russian folk music to African music, to American rock'n roll, twist and shake. His new songs were performed by students from Africa, Latin America and Europe who studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory at that time.
Bronevitsky also hit the right note by making Edita Pekha the lead female singer in his band, Druzhba. Edita Piekha was a very good-looking young lady from Poland who then studied at the Leningrad University. She was also a multilingual singer with attractive voice, nice manners and impeccable style. By bringing Edita Piekha and other international performers to the front stage, Bronevitsky managed to get his band to perform on Soviet national television and at the 1957 International Festival in Moscow. There, beautiful Edita Piekha attracted the eye of none other, than the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Bronevitsky soon married Edita Piekha and the couple became part of the St. Petersburg cultural milieu. They were widely known in Russia as advocates of international friendship promoting positive outlook and better lifestyle. Bronevitsky and his band, Druzhba, remained popular for several decades in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s, albeit in the last decade the lead singer, Edita Piekha, split from Bronevitsky, and formed her own band, while Bronevitsky remained the leader of his original band, Druzhba.
Aleksandr Bronevitsky was designated Honorable Actor of Russia, and received other awards and honors in the former Soviet Union. He and his band, Druzhba, recorded many popular hits between 1955 and 1988, and made several albums that sold millions of copies in the Soviet Union and Europe. In 1972 Bronevitsky and Piekha with ensemble Druzhba were part of cultural programs at the XX Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. Bronevitsky was married to Edita Pekha and the couple had one daughter, Ilona Bronevitskaya, also a popular singer in Russia. Aleksandr Bronevitsky died of a heart attack while touring in Nalchik, Russia, on 13 April, 1988, and was laid to rest in St. Petersburg, Russia.