Pop singer Jean Tatlian: biography, creativity, private life

Jean Tatlian, whose songs in the 60s listened to the whole vast Soviet Union, suddenly left the country at the height of his glory. His life is an example of how a person builds his own destiny, contrary to stereotypes and generally accepted opinion. Tatlin was able to reach heights in France, because he had his gift - an amazing voice, conquering anyone from the first note.

Parents and Childhood

Future singer Jean Tatlian was born in an Armenian family, living in Greek Thessaloniki in 1943. When the boy was 5 years old, the family was repatriated to the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic. He remembers how his father sold his business and Jean's home.

The elder Tatlyan had a difficult and interesting fate. He traveled almost the entire globe, had a successful shoe factory, on which he put an imprint with the name of his beloved country - Armenia. When the chaos of the revolution came to the country, he left business and hastily left for Marseilles. He traveled a lot, spoke several languages, easily met people and eventually settled in Greece, where he married and gave birth to three children, of whom Jean was the youngest. He always told the children that they were born Armenians and Armenians would die, teach them their native language, acquaint them with culture. Mother Jean, also an Armenian, could miraculously survive in Turkey during the genocide of the nation. After the flight from Turkey, she ends up in Greece, where she later gets to know the father of the future singer.

When in the 1940s Stalin promised the Armenians a decent life in his historical homeland - in Armenia, the Tatlian family believed in these speeches and moved to the USSR, to Armenia. Unfortunately, the reality turned out to be not the same as dreamed. Armenians lived hard, hungry, someone was deported to Siberia, someone was hard at integrating into the new reality, feeling like an outcast. In 1956 the Tatlian family moved to Sukhumi. My father was already over 60 years old, my mother was very ill, and lived poorly. Such a nomadic life tempered the character of a small Jean, he learned to appreciate simple joys and carried his optimism throughout his life.

Musical gift

Jean Tatlian, whose biography is closely connected with music, began to show his talent from the early childhood, he did not have the opportunity to study music, but he early starts to engage in amateur performances, which became his starting point for him. Tatlian said that, as long as he could remember, he always sang, it was his organic need. While studying at school, he earned 10 rubles during his vacation and spent it on buying a guitar. He was able to master the instrument almost independently and this allowed him, as a schoolboy, to get a guitarist to play the quartet. At the performances, he sometimes sang, and this always caused admiration from the public.

Way to the stage

After the end of the 9th grade of the school, Jean Tatlian, whose songs became the most important in life, went to the Sukhumi Philharmonic with a firm intention to get a job. After listening to him, self-taught, he was hired as a singer. A year later, at the age of 17, he had a solo program in which he sang songs of Soviet composers and his own works. It was just incredible for that time. Tatlian's magic voice was fascinating, and he always had a lot of admirers from the very first appearance on the stage.

Years of study

Tatlyan did not have the opportunity to attend a music school. The family lived poorly, elderly parents could not find the means to study, so he had to learn the basics himself. But Jean Tatlian, whose biography was not easy to develop, understood that he needed to study for further development, but first of all he needed to earn a living. Having gained professional experience, he decides to study, and goes to Kiev, where he enters the variety school, but he did not manage to study for a long time. In Kiev, the State Jazz Orchestra of Armenia arrives, where Jean's friend Jacques Duvalan worked as a vocalist; he represents the beginning musician to the head of the orchestra Konstantin Obelyan. He arranges the audition for the singer and immediately invites him to the post of soloist of the orchestra for tours around Ukraine. So the years of study for Tatlian begin, but he has to comprehend the skill in practice. Variety school, he still graduated, but the main school for him was work. A year later, Tatlin became the main highlight of the orchestra's program, he concludes the concert, singing the songs of Obelyan and Babadzhanyan. Arno Babajanian was by this time a famous Soviet songwriter, many of his artists fought for his works. He was in love with Tatlyan's voice and trusted him with the premiere of his songs. For several years Tatlian sang all the songs of Babajanian.

Years of glory

For five years of work as a soloist of a jazz orchestra Obelyan Tatlian not only was able to develop his vocal gift, but also to get wide popularity. Velvet voice and soft pleasant accent are very fond of the public. The recording studio "Melody" begins to produce small plates with Tatlian's songs, which disperse in huge numbers. By 1966 a new star appeared in the USSR - Jean Tatlian, "Lanterns" and "The Best City of the Earth" sounded on every corner. Babajanian writes specifically for Tatlian, he even prefers him to the rising star Muslim Magomayev. In 1966, the plate "Songs of Arno Babajanyan" performed by Tatlian, it was sold in circulation of 5 million, and the total circulation of the records of the singer for these years reached 50 million. In addition to the songs of professional authors, Jean sings and his own, and in his solo program they occupy the whole department.

At this time, the singer settles in Leningrad, but at home there is almost no, because he gives 350-400 concerts a year and about any phonograms it was not. He starts to earn very well, to him comes not only fame, but also big money. The glory of Tatlian was simply incredible, he could not go out into the street, he was immediately surrounded by a crowd of admirers, he achieved everything he can dream about, and he was not yet thirty years old. He was different from other Soviet singers with his lyrical repertoire, singing little civil and patriotic works, preferring the theme of love.

Passion for freedom

The popular singer, star - Jean Tatlian, whose biography developed so swiftly, realized that he had reached a certain ceiling, and he needed to look for a new way of development.

Despite the glory, Tatlian felt a lot of pressure from the authorities. He was not allowed to choose the repertoire of his own, forced to sing songs of Soviet composers instead of his works. He was forced to work constantly, but on tour abroad he was not released. The authorities were constantly looking for an excuse to "restrain" the singer, and when on the eve of 1968 he refused to give a concert before the New Year to give his musicians a chance to celebrate the holiday at home, they decided to punish him and deprived him of tours for a whole year. He did not appear on television for a long time, as he did not want to bow to the editors of musical programs. All this aroused discontent in his soul. Tatlyan listened to the stories of colleagues who had visited abroad, recalled the stories of Armenians who once lived in different countries, and he really wanted to see the world, but there was no way for that. To this was added the memory of the prophesy of Messing, who once of his own volition came to the singer behind the scenes and said that he was preparing for change - fate would throw him to the West.

Emigration

The general discontent with censorship and power pressure, infringement of free movement around the world led to the fact that Jean Tatlian, whose biography contains many interesting facts, began to think about emigration. This was a very difficult decision. In the USSR there was an old mother, and the departure inevitably led to the fact that to see her at Jean there will be no possibility. But the wise mother said that let the son build his life the way he thinks best, and let him grow and see the world. So, the decision was formed. In 1971, Tatlyan registered a fictitious marriage with a Frenchwoman and left for Paris. He was allowed to take only personal belongings with him, and so, lightly, with one suitcase, he flies to a new life. In Paris, he was met by his friend Jacques Duvalan, who sheltered for the first time a refugee. In the USSR, after the departure of the singer, an order was issued to destroy all Tatlian's records, all programs and sound archives were erased, his name was forbidden to be mentioned in the press, the person was instantly erased from the memory of the authorities. But the fans continued to remember his voice and listen to his records.

French life

In Paris, Jean Tatlian, whose discography numbered a dozen records with multimillion copies, is forced to start from scratch. Nobody knew him, and he still had to prove his worth as a singer. His hits are not known to anyone and are not needed, and Tatlian sings Russian, Greek, Gypsy and Armenian songs in the cabaret Rasputin. He works here for a year, and it was a new professional school. Despite the difficulties, Tatlyan feels happy and free. He has an agent who takes on the organization of concerts, without work, the singer does not have to sit. He is invited to the US, where he works in Las Vegas at the prestigious Imperial Palace casino, and his concerts are not only emigrants from the USSR, but also the usual American public. Life abroad was successful, although he had no such deafening fame as in the Soviet Union. But Jean Tatlian, whose "air locks" drove millions crazy, is happy that he is free and does his favorite thing.

Homecoming

In the 90's, when the borders with Russia were open, the musician returned to his homeland. It turned out that the words of Jean Tatlian's songs still remember a lot of listeners. He successfully gives 7 concerts in St. Petersburg with a full house. For some time he lives in two countries, but later returns to his beloved Peter. In the 2000s, he worked a lot in Russia, recorded albums, gave concerts, sang famous and new songs, and participated in television programs. Again he feels completely happy.

Best songs

The famous singer Jean Tatlian, "Lanterns" and "Autumn Light" which have been driving people crazy for 50 years, performed many songs for their lives. The best of them are the works "The Sea Calls", "The Best City of the Earth", "Memoirs", "Memory". And, of course, the beloved song, which was sung by Jean Tatlian, is "Eastern". When this song was performed, a hall of any size always sang it from the first to the last word with the singer. Jean performs many folk songs, sings romances. His programs still consist mainly of songs about love, Tatlin remained true to himself.

Personal life

The singer always worked very hard, so he was not up to the device of family life. Jean Tatlian, whose personal life was formed quite late, long chose a companion of life and married when he was already under 50. Children do not have a couple, but he loves his wife, who made him happy.