Yuri Shmilevich Aizenshpis biography. The most famous projects of producer Yuri Aizenshpis Why diplomat friends did not help you

Producer Yuri Aizenshpis

On July 15, the famous producer Yuri Aizenshpis would have turned 73, but he passed away 13 years ago. He is called the first Soviet producer, since it was he who introduced this term into use. Thanks to him, incredible popularity was achieved in the 1980s and 1990s. groups "Kino", "Technology" and "Dynamite", singer Linda, singers Vlad Stashevsky and Dima Bilan. Aizenshpis was one of the brightest and most controversial personalities in the world of show business, no one denied his professionalism, but among the artists he earned the nickname Karabas-Barabas.

Yuri Shmilevich Aizenshpis was born in 1945 in Chelyabinsk, later the family moved to Moscow, where Yuri received an economic education. Even while studying at the institute, he took up producing, although at that time such a concept did not yet exist. Everyone knows about the projects of Aizenshpis in the 1980s and 1990s, but few people know that back in the 1960s. he arranged semi-underground concerts of rock bands and was the administrator of the Sokol group, which toured the Union very successfully.


Producer Yuri Aizenshpis

Natalia Vetlitskaya and Yuri Aizenshpis

At the same time, Aizenshpis took up activities that were then considered illegal, and later became known as business. Thanks to currency fraud, he soon became an underground millionaire. “I bought foreign currency or checks,” Aizenshpis said, “I used them in the Beryozka store to buy scarce goods and then sold them through intermediaries on the black markets. In those days, the dollar cost on the "black market" from two to seven and a half rubles. For example, a synthetic fur coat could be bought at Beryozka for $50 and sold for 500 rubles.


Viktor Tsoi and Yuri Aizenshpis

In 1970, Aizenshpis was arrested and convicted under the articles "Speculation on an especially large scale" and "Violation of foreign exchange transactions." He was sentenced to 10 years in prison with confiscation of property. In 1977 he was released, but he spent only 3 months at liberty. Then he was arrested again for currency fraud and imprisoned. Until 1985, he served his sentence, and in 1986 he again went to jail for two years.


The man who is called the godfather of the domestic show business

After his release, Aizenshpis again took up producing, and in the early 1990s. he was already called one of the "sharks of show business". In 1989-1990s. he worked with the Kino group, which was already known before him. After that, he preferred to start working with artists from scratch, turning unknown young performers into real stars. In 1991-1992 he collaborated with the Technology group, in 1992-1993. - with the group "Moral Code", in 1993 he began working with Linda, in 1994 - with Vlad Stashevsky, in 1999-2001 - with the singer Nikita, since 2000 he has been managing the affairs of the Dynamite group. His last project was Dima Bilan.


Producer with band *Dynamite*

Producer Yuri Aizenshpis

Many artists called him a tough and unprincipled person who did not shun illegal and unethical methods of promotion, for which Aizenshpis received the nickname Karabas-Barabas of domestic show business. His wards had to obey him implicitly, and the producer received the main income from their performances. But at the same time, the result of cooperation was a win-win: all artists became super popular.


The man who is called the godfather of the domestic show business

Singer Vlad Stashevsky and his producer

The producer did not deny that his methods were quite harsh: “Promoting” an artist is the functional responsibility of the producer, and for him there are no concepts of “good” or “bad”. The main thing is the goal. At any cost. Through diplomacy, bribery, threats or blackmail. In the end, it's just emotions. But at the moment of moving towards the goal, you must act like a tank. At the same time, Aizenshpis did not attribute other people's merits to himself - he admitted that at the time of meeting him, the Kino group was already quite popular, but, according to him, he helped them get out of the circle of "fans of Leningrad basement rock" to the all-Union level. Thanks to him, Tsoi was talked about in the press, on radio and television, and the group entered the big stage.


Vlad Stashevsky, Yuri Antonov and Yuri Aizenshpis

Group *Technology*

The situation was different with Technology, which Aizenshpis was “promoting” from scratch: “My second project showed that you can take guys with ordinary, average talent and also make stars out of them. In general, I was dealing with amateur performances ... Only two or three songs could be shown. These are the songs I liked. Even, maybe I liked it alone, because the concerts with their participation gathered no more than two hundred or three hundred people. But I felt perspective in them. At first, I inspired them with confidence in their abilities: here, guys, you work with me - you are already stars. This confidence gave them the opportunity to liberate themselves. And when a creative person relaxes, he has a surge of strength, he begins to create something genuine. So are they. After 4 months, they became the group of the year and kept the highest rating all the time while we worked together.

Aizenshpis often heard accusations against him that the talent of an artist is the last thing that interests him. They say that working with vocalists of the level of Vlad Stashevsky is an absolutely hopeless task. Aizenshpis ignored such statements and did not deny the difference between his projects: "If Viktor Tsoi was a natural musician, then Stashevsky is a product of show business." And his colleague, music producer Yevgeny Frindlyand, not being a fan of the work of his wards, said: “Yuri Aizenshpis is a Master, a Professional with a capital letter and, perhaps, was not looking for outstanding talents and obvious nuggets, but as a real and very talented artist on“ white sheets” of mediocre performers, he himself created picturesque canvases – magnificent and bright projects! Authors, directors, stylists, cameramen, PR people - he captured these people with his any "crazy" idea, hypnotized, and they did the impossible.


Dima Bilan - Aizenshpis' latest project

Otar Kushanashvili wrote about him: “I heard about him that he is a Legend and a Tank. It turned out that he really is a walking mythology, but the tank is pale: Yu.A. - a fighter, an excavator, a bulldozer and a factory at once. When he works, he is unbearable, because if you don't want to work, he will turn your life into a storm. His merits, his deeds are heterogeneous, but the height taken by him is unique, who else dares to conquer it? Every single day he works: lately this is a rare certification, don’t you think?

The years spent in prison undermined the health of the producer. In addition, his workaholism and the habit of not sparing himself led to complete nervous and physical exhaustion. On September 20, 2005, Yuri Aizenshpis died of a heart attack at the age of 60.

Producer Yuri Aizenshpis was one of the first in our country to start professionally "promoting" pop and pop stars. There were legends about this man, and his every step was shrouded in the most incredible rumors. But in spite of everything, all the projects that Yuri Aizenshpis undertook turned out to be successful.

Contrary to the general trend, the performers who left him never slandered him in the press and never entered into litigation.

Yuri Aizenshpis: biography. Childhood and youth

Aizenshpis was born in Chelyabinsk in 1945. His mother, Maria Mikhailovna Aizenshpis, a native Muscovite, was sent to this city for evacuation. Shmil Moiseevich Aizenshpis (father of Yuri) is a Polish Jew who was forced to leave his homeland to escape the Nazis. He fought in the ranks of the Soviet army and was a veteran of the Second World War.

After the end of the war, the family returned to Moscow. Until 1961, she lived in a dilapidated wooden hut, and then received a wonderful apartment in a prestigious area of ​​the capital. At that time they had a gramophone with a large collection of records and a KVN-49 TV.

As Yuri Shmilevich Aizenshpis himself recalled, in his youth he was seriously involved in sports: handball, athletics, volleyball, but due to a leg injury he had to stop training. In addition to sports, the young man in those days was interested in jazz. He had a tape recorder, which the young man bought with his savings.

The first recordings were jazz compositions by famous musicians of the world - Woody Herman, John Coltrane, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald. Yuri Aizenshpis, whose photo you can see in our article, was well versed in various directions - jazz-rock, avant-garde and popular jazz. After some time, he became interested in the origins of rock music, the founders of the direction of rhythm and blues.

The circle of lovers and connoisseurs of this music was quite small in those days, everyone knew each other. When one of the like-minded people got a new record, Yuri Aizenshpis rewrote it. At that time, “black markets” were widespread in our country, which the police constantly dispersed. Exchange, purchase and sale were prohibited. The sellers simply confiscated the discs. And in spite of everything, records entered the country from abroad on a regular basis, overcoming the powerful barriers of customs rules and laws. Under the ban were some performers - Elvis Presley, the sisters of Bury.

Education

After graduating from school, Yury Shmilevich Aizenshpis entered MESI and graduated in 1968 with a diploma in engineering and economics. But it should be noted that he entered the institute and successfully graduated only in order not to upset his parents.

First musical project

Yes, a graduate of the Faculty of Economics, Yuri Aizenshpis, did not like his specialty at all. His soul was drawn to music. While still studying at the institute, twenty-year-old Yuri began his creative activity, showing courage and business acumen.

In the mid-seventies, Beatlemania swept the world. At this time, Yuri with a group of like-minded musicians created the first rock band in our country. Since all members of the group lived near the Sokol metro station, they didn’t get too smart with the name of the group and they also called it Sokol. Today this group has taken its rightful place in the history of the Russian rock movement.

At first, the musicians performed the songs of the legendary Beatles in English. At that time, it was believed that rock music could only exist in English. Friends have long noted the activity of Yuri and his organizational talent, so they appointed him as someone like an impresario.

Some time later, the team was admitted to the staff of the Tula Philharmonic. The group toured a lot, and Aizenshpis' monthly income sometimes reached an astronomical amount of 1,500 rubles at that time. For comparison: the salary of the ministers of the Soviet Union was no more than a thousand rubles.

Ticket selling

At the very beginning of his activity, more precisely during his collaboration with the Sokol group, Yuri developed an unusual ticket sales scheme. Having previously agreed with the director of some house of culture or club, Aizenshpis bought all the tickets for the last screening of the film, and then sold them at a higher price to the group's concert.

As a rule, there were much more people who wanted to listen to music than there were seats in the hall. At times things got out of control. It is for this reason that Aizenshpis was the first to hire security guards in the seventies to ensure order at concerts.

With the money received from the sale of tickets, he bought foreign currency, with which he purchased high-quality musical instruments and high-quality sound equipment for the stage from foreigners. Since in the USSR at that time all foreign exchange transactions were illegal, he always took a big risk when making transactions.

Work in the Central Statistical Bureau of the USSR

In 1968, Aizenshpis joined the Central Statistical Office as a junior researcher with a salary of 115 rubles. However, he rarely visited his workplace. His main income continued to be foreign exchange transactions, buying up and further selling gold. He made transactions, the volume of which exceeded a million dollars a month. At that time, the underground millionaire was only 25 years old.

Arrest

But such a life did not last long. In early January 1970, Aizenshpis was arrested. During a search in his apartment, 7,675 dollars and 15,585 rubles were found. He was convicted under Article 88 ("Currency transactions"). Even in places of detention, the entrepreneurial vein of Aizenshpis was manifested. In the Krasnoyarsk-27 zone, the future producer launched a brisk trade in tea, vodka and sugar. Then he began to be appointed to senior positions at local construction sites.

When he was transferred to a colony-settlement, Yuri fled from there to Pechory and settled with a local intellectual, whom he charmed with his charm and talk about the capital. However, he was soon exposed by a guest at home - a police colonel. And again, the amazing luck of Aizenshpis, as well as his knowledge of the basics of psychology, came to the rescue. He was transferred to another colony to an excellent position as a rationer.

Yuri Aizenshpis spent almost 18 years in prison for what any citizen is now allowed to do. But something else is important: for such a long period of time, Aizenshpis did not become embittered, did not become a criminal, did not lose his human appearance.

Life after release

Once free in 1988, Aizenshpis saw Russia unfamiliar to him during perestroika. Alexander Lipnitsky introduced him to the rock scene. At first, he was entrusted to head the directorate of the Intershans festival. Gradually, step by step, he studied the backstage life and the basics of show business, and soon the aspiring producer began working with domestic musical performers.

Yuri Shmilevich formulated his mission quite frankly - to promote the artist using any means: diplomacy, bribery, threats or blackmail. This is exactly how he acted, for which he was called the "shark of show business."

There were plenty of unknown young performers who dreamed of breaking into the big stage. Yuri Aizenshpis chose among them those who could hook the viewer, who had at least a more or less interesting repertoire. At first, through television, he presented them to the general public, and then organized tours.

Group "Kino"

From December 1989 until the tragic death of Viktor Tsoi (1990), Aizenshpis was the producer and director of the Kino group. He was the first to break the state monopoly on the release of records. Already in 1990, he released the "Black Album" with funds taken on credit.

It should be noted: by the beginning of cooperation with the producer, Kino was already a fairly well-known group. At that time, the most successful, legendary album "Blood Type" had already been recorded. According to critics, after him Choi could not write a single line for two or three years. Therefore, cooperation with Kino brought Aizenshpis to a new stellar level of activity, which allowed him to earn credibility in his craft.

"Technology"

If "Kino" at the beginning of work with the producer already had some success, then the "Technology" group was molded almost from scratch by Yuri Aizenshpis. "Lighting the Stars" - this is how the producer began to be called more and more often after his second successful project. Using the example of "Technology", he managed to prove that he can take guys with an average level of talent and "sculpt" stars out of them.

Among the numerous ensembles that existed at that time on the stage was the Bioconstructor group, which eventually split into two subgroups. One was called "Bio", and the second was just thinking about its name and musical concept. They could show only two or three songs, which the already well-known producer liked. As time has shown, Aizenshpis was not mistaken and was able to create a really popular group, which was called "Technology".

Linda

In 1993, Aizenshpis drew attention to the young performer Svetlana Geiman in Jurmala. Very soon, the name of the singer Linda became known to both the audience and music critics. Soon the songs I want your sex, "Non-stop" and the famous hit "Playing with Fire" appeared. Linda's joint work with the producer lasted less than a year, after which they parted ways.

Vlad Stashevsky

This project was more long-term - it lasted six years (1993-1999). The favorite of the beautiful half of Russian viewers, the sex symbol of the mid-nineties was Vlad Stashevsky, who, in collaboration with Aizenshpis, released five albums.

The producer met Stashevsky at the Master nightclub. Yuri Shmilyevich heard Vlad playing an out-of-tune piano backstage and humming songs from the repertoire of Mikhail Shufutinsky and Willy Tokarev. After this meeting, nothing foreshadowed a long cooperation, although Aizenshpis left his business card to an unknown artist.

A few days later he called Vlad and they arranged a meeting, during which Aizenshpis introduced Vlad to Vladimir Matetsky, who took part in the audition. The first performance of Stashevsky took place at the end of August 1993 in Adjara, at a song festival.

Awards, further creative activity

In 1992, Aizenshpis was awarded the Ovation Award as the best producer in Russia. Until 1993, Yuri Shmilevich produced the Young Guns, Moral Code, singer Linda groups. In 1997, he began to study the singers Inga Drozdova and Katya Lel, a year later the singer Nikita became his protege, and since 2000, cooperation with the Dynamite group began.

During this period, Yuri Aizenshpis became especially famous as a very successful producer. The man who lit the stars on the Russian stage, since 2001, has taken over as CEO of the Media Star company.

Dima Bilan

Yuri Aizenshpis and Dima Bilan met in 2003. According to music critics, the last project of the famous producer, which he worked on for the last three years of his life, became one of the most successful in the work of Yuri Shmilyevich. In September 2005, Dima Bilan was recognized as the best performer of 2004 according to MTV, and much later became the winner of Eurovision 2008.

Other roles

In 2005, Yuri Shmilevich played a cameo role in the popular Russian film Night Watch. In addition, he became the author of the book Lighting the Stars.

Family life

Aizenshpis did not like to talk about his personal life. At the Intershans-89 festival, he met a very pretty assistant director Elena. The couple did not formalize the relationship. In 1993, a baby appeared in the family - the son of Misha. But gradually the feelings lost their former sharpness, and the couple broke up.

Yuri Shmilevich spoiled his son Aizenshpis, however, the educational process was completely shifted to Elena's shoulders. Mikhail often visited his father's office, went to concerts with him. Yuri Shmilevich bequeathed to his son and ex-wife two huge apartments in Moscow. After the death of the producer, Elena married the editor of the TNT channel, Leonid Gyune.

Yuri Aizenshpis: cause of death

On September 20, 2005, this talented person, a recognized and successful Russian producer, passed away. At about eight o'clock in the evening, Yuri Aizenshpis died in the Moscow City Hospital No. 20. Death was due to a massive myocardial infarction. Yuri Shmilevich was buried at the Domodedovo cemetery near Moscow.

Yuri Shmilevich Aizenshpis was born a month after the end of the Great Patriotic War in Chelyabinsk. At that time, the producer's mother was evacuated there. Yuri Shmilevich comes from an unusual family. The father's ancestors lived in Spain, but at the same time, Poland is indicated in Shmil Moiseevich's passport as the country of birth. Already in adulthood, the man fled to the USSR, fearing the reprisals of the Nazis.

Interestingly, the real name of Yuri's father is Shmul. An employee of the NKVD, filling out a passport, mixed it up. So it turned out Shmil Aizenshpis. The man went through the Second World War, visited Berlin. In this case, the soldier was never wounded. The mother of Yuri Shmilyevich's biography is no less interesting. Maria Mikhailovna was born in Belarus.

After the death of her parents, she was transferred to the upbringing of distant relatives. Due to the outbreak of the war, she did not have time to get a diploma in journalism. Maria Mikhailovna joined the partisan detachment, several times she almost fell into the hands of the Germans. In the post-war years, she was awarded medals and orders.

The acquaintance of Yuri's parents took place at the Belorussky railway station in 1944. After the end of the war, Maria Mikhailovna and Shmil Moiseevich ended up in the Main Directorate of Airfield Construction. At that time, the Aizenshpis family lived well. They had a TV and a gramophone with a large collection of records in their house.

Until 1961, the producer's family lived in a wooden barracks, but then moved to an apartment located in the Moscow Sokol district. Yuri Shmilevich was a sports child, he attended a sports school. The producer was a fan of handball, volleyball and athletics. I had to retire from professional sports due to a leg injury.

Yuri took his first steps as an administrator already in his youth. In 1965, the man began to collaborate with the rock group Sokol. Despite the obvious craving for show business, Aizenshpis received an economic education at the Moscow Institute of Economics and Statistics.

Music and production

Producer career for Yuri Shmilevich began while studying at the institute. Collaboration with a rock band did not help to reach the desired heights. Then Aizenshpis went to jail for conducting illegal currency transactions. After leaving prison, the producer ended up in the perestroika world, which became the starting point for developing a career in show business.

Acquaintance with Alexander Lipnitsky allowed Aizenshpis to become the head of the Intershans festival. Gradually, the man studied the basics of backstage life, identified methods of influencing musicians, and later moved on to producing.

“Promoting an artist is the functional responsibility of a producer. And here any means are good. Through diplomacy, bribery, threats or blackmail,” Yuri Shmilyevich said.

This approach has been successful. From an ordinary producer, Aizenshpis quickly rose to the rank of show business shark. Yuri began to help performers who wanted to be on the big stage. Not everyone suited Aizenshpis. The producer, lighting the stars, chose artists who could "hook" the viewer. A prerequisite was the presence of a repertoire. To promote musicians, Yuri Shmilyevich used the media and television.

In 1988, the Kino group fell into the hands of Aizenshpis. By this time, the musicians had already reached a certain level on their own, but a professional approach to promotion was required. The cooperation of two talented people - Yuri Shmilyevich and - has borne fruit.

The fame of the producer and musician soared to unprecedented heights. Two years later, Viktor Tsoi dies. Aizenshpis takes a loan of 5 million rubles and releases the posthumous album of the musician "Black Album". The circulation of the disc exceeded 1 million copies. On this project, the producer earned 24 million.

Musicians of the Kino group, Yevgeny Dodolev and Yuri Aizenshpis at the presentation of the Black Album

Yuri Shmilevich's career developed rapidly. After Kino, another team followed - Technology. In fact, Aizenshpis promoted the group from scratch. Young musicians became popular. For some unknown reason, after a year of joint work, the paths of the producer and the wards diverge.

Already in 1992, Yuri Aizenshpis was recognized as the best producer in the country. A year after official recognition, he meets Svetlana Geiman, known under the pseudonym. They worked for several months, after which he took up the promotion of the singer.

For 6 years, Yuri Shmilevich collaborated with a famous singer in the 90s. Collaboration led to the recording of 5 albums. Aizenshpis increased Vlad's popularity and recognition at times. The musician was invited to major concerts and events in Russia and the USA.

The track record of Yuri Aizenshpis includes such stars as Nikita, the Dynamite group. The main achievement in the work of the producer was. Under the leadership of Yuri Shmilevich, they learned about the artist in Russia.

Aizenshpis described the bright moments of life and work in books. The producer published "Lighting the Stars. Notes and advice from a show business pioneer”, “From a black marketer to a producer. Business people in the USSR” and “Viktor Tsoi and others. How the stars light up. In memory of the producer, a program was broadcast on the TVC channel called Wild Money.

Personal life

Rumors constantly circulated around Aizenshpis. In show business, they said that the producer brought the so-called "blue lobby" to the work. Previously, women were brought to a man for promotion, later lovers of politicians and businessmen began to appear. More than once, Yuri Shmilyevich and the wards of the producer were called gays, but no official confirmation of the men's orientation was found.

“A term in prison could have influenced Aizenshpis’s orientation,” the ex-husband suggested.

Numerous rumors did not prevent Yuri Shmilyevich from living in a civil marriage with Elena Lvovna Kovrigina.

After the death of Aizenshpis, she quickly arranged her personal life by marrying director Leonid Goiningen-Hühne. Yuri and Elena had a son, Mikhail. In 2014, a young man came to the police in connection with the use of drugs. During the search, 1.5 grams of cocaine were found on Mikhail.

Death

Imprisonment had a negative impact on the health of the producer. For a long time, Yuri Aizenshpis hid the fact that he had serious problems. Officially, the cause of death is myocardial infarction, but a number of diagnoses led to this, including cirrhosis of the liver, gastrointestinal bleeding, hepatitis B and C. The information that Yuri Shmilyevich had AIDS, which led to death, is not documented.

Three days before his death, Aizenshpis felt unwell. The doctors decided to hospitalize the producer. After the manipulations, the condition improved, so Yuri Shmilevich persuaded the doctors to let him out of the hospital. The producer wanted to see Dima Bilan receive the prestigious MTV-2005 music award.

Before the ceremony, the producer did not live two days. Aizenshpis's life was cut short in the 61st year. The funeral took place at the Domodedovo cemetery. The farewell ceremony was attended by artists, composers and other show business figures. Numerous photos of the mourning Dima Bilan have circled the Internet. The grave of the producer is located next to the parent.

The foreign word “producer”, unknown to Soviet citizens, was first introduced into the lexicon by Yuri Aizenshpis. Before him, people involved in the organization of concert activities were usually called administrators, impresario or concert directors. Aizenshpis' innovation affected not only the formal name, but the very essence of the activity. In addition to organizing tours and solving purely domestic issues on trips, he invested his own money in the artist, in his advertising and promotion, and in return, by “promoting” him, he made a profit.

Yuri Aizenshpis was a businessman to the core and raised the domestic music industry to a new level. The pioneer of domestic show business was barely 20 years old when he tried to put into practice his ideas about the profession of a producer. He took the Moscow rock band Sokol under his wing. It was 1965 outside. In the country of the Soviets, performers like Valery Obodzinsky were considered an extreme manifestation of the musical avant-garde. Officially recognized music was represented by the immortal Iosif Kobzon, Lyudmila Zykina and someone else like that.

The era of domestic vocal and instrumental ensembles has not yet begun, and Yuri Aizenshpis has already begun to operate with the phrase “rock group”, which is absolutely incomprehensible to the average Soviet ear, taken from the Western music industry. The very first producer of the Soviet Union got acquainted with modern music from vinyl records, which he successfully sold.

His parents, veterans of the Great Patriotic War, could not imagine that their son from a young age would become an asocial element in the USSR and spend 17 long years in prisons. His father is a Jew with Spanish roots, whose ancestors moved to Poland. In 1939, with the flow of Polish refugees fleeing the advance of the Nazi troops, he ended up in his new homeland, which he had to defend with a rifle in his hands. Mom - a native of Belarus, 3 years partisan in the forests.

Yuri Aizenshpis was born in 1945 in Chelyabinsk. Parents moved to the capital, where they lived very modestly - in an ordinary barracks. Only in 1961 they moved to the "Khrushchev" near the metro station "Sokol". Aizenshpis went to study at the Moscow Institute of Economics and Statistics. He had to study economics not only in the classrooms of a higher educational institution, but also on the street, where he “pushed” the Beatles and Rolling Stones discs to connoisseurs of rock music.

The fartsovschik himself turned into a frenetic music lover, having collected a rare collection of albums by Western rock musicians. After the records came the turn of fashionable imported clothes, scarce fur products and musical equipment. Gradually, Aizenshpis had a network of customers and suppliers in his hands. He made connections with foreigners. Among his acquaintances were ambassadors of foreign countries and their children. As a student, he no longer lived in poverty, as in childhood. Everywhere and always since then, he has managed to provide himself with a standard of living well above the average face value. Then he tried to earn money by producing a musical group, but he had to continue his first experience almost after 2 decades.

Upon graduation, Yuri Aizenshpis got a job as an economist at the Central Statistical Office. The work did not bother him much. The underground business has reached gigantic proportions. Yuri Aizenshpis switched to foreign currency and gold. The turnover of illegal operations almost equaled the budget of the institution where he was an employee. Numerous agents of an ordinary economist bought currency from Moscow taxi drivers and prostitutes. In those days, Vneshtorgbank was already officially trading in gold bars.

The ubiquitous KGB dealt with the "currency" in the USSR. In 1970, Aizenshpis was quite expectedly arrested. During a search of his apartment, they found $ 17,000 and 10,000 "wooden" rubles - gigantic sums of money at that time. The underground millionaire was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Being a "huckster" according to the thieves' classification, Aizenshpis, however, did not live in poverty in the "zone". Records and currency were replaced by tea, cigarettes and alcohol. A born businessman did not waste time in the colony. After 7 years, he will be released on parole. He will return to Moscow, but literally in a few weeks he will again be in a pre-trial detention center and all under the same “currency” article. This time, during the search, $50,000 will be found, but all the bills will turn out to be counterfeit.

Again 10 years of captivity. In April 1988, having gone beyond the "ban", Yuri Aizenshpis will find himself in a completely new world. He saw that he was very unlucky in life. He got two convictions for nothing. In the future, he will achieve his full justification. It will not be possible to return only a unique collection of "vinyl". Speculation persecuted in a socialist state will receive a different interpretation - ordinary business, a market economy. Aizenshpis had no interest in resuming trading operations with currency or other goods. Age is not the same, and health was greatly undermined by prison. He acquired a bouquet of chronic diseases - diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver. In prison, he had to recover from hepatitis 2 types.

Producer Yuri Aizenshpis

Yuri Aizenshpis decided to take up music seriously. Initially, the recidivist was sheltered by the creative association "Gallery", which worked under the wing of the city committee of the Komsomol. Yuri Aizenshpis has always been distinguished by high communication skills and an incredible ability to adapt in any conditions. It helped him in his work. Ideological Komsomol members felt the taste of money and were not averse to earning extra money on young talents. Aizenshpis quickly got up to speed in the music business and soon abandoned his patronage, starting to work for himself.

His first production project was the Kino group and its leader. Then he first called himself a producer. In 1990, Yuri Aizenshpis was the first in the USSR to fully pay for the release of the “Black Album” of the Kino group with his own funds. Before him, no one dared to do so. After Tsoi, he was engaged in rock groups "Technology", "Moral Code" and "Dynamite". Following the bands, it was the turn of solo performers - Vlad Stashevsky, Katya Lel, Dima Bilan and several others of a smaller caliber.

To finance the project of Stashevsky, Aizenshpis attracted Alexander Makushenko, whom he knew well from the years of imprisonment, whom he knew as Sasha Gypsy. Music in the hands of a businessman turned out to be an attractive tool for making big money. In 2001, Aizenshpis became the general director of the entire Media Star enterprise. Everything would be fine, but my health was very disturbing. Yuri Aizenshpis was forced to adhere to a constant diet, regularly see doctors and constantly swallow a bunch of pills.

Yuri Aizenshpis - cause of death

In September 2005, he will start bleeding from the stomach. A perforated ulcer will be added to a huge bouquet of diseases. Doctors successfully eliminate a new problem, but the next day the patient dies of myocardial infarction. The first time a heart attack overtook him immediately after the second release from the "zone". He will be buried at the Domodedovo cemetery in the suburbs of Moscow.

The most successful projects of producer Aizenshpis are considered the first and last in a row. Viktor Tsoi is still considered a cult singer among rock fans, and Dmitry Bilan is the only Russian pop singer who won the most prestigious victory at Eurovision. The producer will not be able to wait for the success of the singer, which will come 2 days after his death.

After the death of the producer, Dima Bilan will become the object of attack for the common-law wife of Aizenshpis, Elena Kovrigina, who tried to substantiate in court her right to the artist's name brand, which, as she believed, completely belongs to the common-law husband and claimed that the "star" did not fulfill any conditions of the contract. She failed to defend her rightness. Dima Bilan fell into the hands of another producer, Yana Rutkovskaya.

11 years after the funeral of Yuri Aizenshpis, his name will again appear in criminal reports. The police will arrest the son of the producer Mikhail, in whose things one and a half grams of cocaine will be found. Despite his demonstrated proclivity for crime, the son did not fully follow in his father's footsteps. Music was not for him.

Yuri Shmilevich Aizenshpis. Born July 15, 1945 in Chelyabinsk - died September 20, 2005 in Moscow. Soviet and Russian music manager, producer.

Father - Shmil (nee Shmul) Moiseevich Aizenshpis (1916-1989), was born in Poland, then fled to the USSR, fleeing the Nazis. He fought during the Great Patriotic War, reached Berlin. The real name Shmul was confused by the passport officers, who recorded him as Shmil.

Mother - Maria Mikhailovna Aizenshpis (1922-1991), originally from Belarus, grew up in the village of Starye Gromyki, her elder brother Andrei Gromyko taught at her school. In 1941 she graduated from the Faculty of Journalism of the Minsk University, but did not receive a diploma due to the start of the war. She fled to Rechitsa, later ended up in the Rechitsa partisan detachment, wrote leaflets, and ran a partisan newspaper. Then she joined the advancing Red Army. She was awarded medals and orders.

It is known that the parents of Yuri Aizenshpis met in 1944 at the Belorussky railway station in Moscow.

The younger sister is Faina Shmilievna Nepomnyashchaya (Aizenshpis) (born July 22, 1957), teacher of history and social studies, teaches at the Lauder Etz Heim School of Leadership No. 1621.

Aizenshpis's mother was evacuated to Chelyabinsk due to pregnancy. There she gave birth to a son.

Parents worked in the Main Directorate of Aerodrome Construction (in GUAS).

Until 1961, they lived in a wooden barracks, then they got an apartment in the prestigious Sokol district of Moscow. From childhood, he was friends with classmate Vladimir Alyoshin and went to the same sports school with him.

In his youth, Yuri went in for sports - handball and athletics. He achieved good results, but due to a leg injury, the sport had to be abandoned.

In 1968 he graduated from the Moscow Institute of Economics and Statistics with a degree in engineer-economist.

He worked at the CSO (Central Statistical Office).

Was fond of music. "In my youth I was a terrible music lover, and I had a unique collection of vinyl discs in Moscow - about seven thousand. I did not just collect them, I felt everything"- he said in an interview.

Since 1965, as an administrator, he collaborated with the rock group Sokol. In a roundabout way, he got records with recordings of foreign stars - Elvis Presley, Bill Haley, the Beatles, which were then performed by the Sokol group. At first, the team performed only in the nearest cafe, occasionally in the area of ​​​​the House of Culture and on dance floors.

But Yuri Aizenshpis achieved that in 1966 the group came under the wing of the Tula Regional Philharmonic and all its members received official status - already as the Silver Strings VIA. Now the group could tour the country, recorded their only song "Film, Film" for Fyodor Khitruk's cartoon "Film, Film, Film".

Criminal record of Yuri Aizenshpis

Developed an original scheme of the team's activities. After an oral agreement with the director of the club to hold a concert, the administrator bought up tickets for the evening demonstration of the film and distributed them at a higher price. For the first time, he involved in the work of people who ensured order during the performance of the group.

January 7, 1970 was arrested. During the search, 15,585 rubles and 7,675 dollars were confiscated. During interrogations, the young director claimed that he dreamed of getting a branded electric guitar for the guys. That is why, for his own money, he bought tickets for a concert at the state price at the box office of the Palace of Culture, and then sold them on the street with an extra charge. Convicted under article 88 (Violation of the rules on foreign exchange transactions) and 78 (Smuggling) for 10 years.

Released from prison in 1977 on parole.

However, almost immediately after his release, he again engaged in currency fraud. Yuri Aizenshpis bought up checks, sold them at Beryozka, and then sold the acquired scarce goods. With the proceeds, through the administrators and waiters of hotels, he bought foreign currency from foreigners, and then checks again. At that time, Vneshtorgbank began to sell gold in Moscow for foreign currency. Yuri Aizenshpis took up gold fartsovka. He bought gold bars with dollars at the branch of Vneshtorgbank and sold them to Caucasian businessmen.

As a result, he was re-arrested and received 10 years of strict regime with confiscation of property (including his parents' apartment).

He sat in the Krasnoyarsk-27 zone, where he launched a lively speculation in tea, sugar and vodka. Then he began to occupy leadership positions at local construction sites.

The term was reduced, he was released in 1985. And a year later, he again ended up in a pre-trial detention center - in the summer of 1986, policemen found several imported tape recorders and one VCR with video cassettes in his car. But the matter did not reach the court - Perestroika broke out. After serving almost 1.5 years in a pre-trial detention center, Yuri Aizenshpis was released.

In total, Yuri Aizenshpis spent almost 17 years behind bars. Later received corroborating documents on all counts.

In the 1980s, for some time he worked at the Gallery at the Komsomol city committee, organizing concerts for young performers.

Producer activity of Yuri Aizenshpis

From December 1989 until his death in 1990, he was the director and producer of the Kino group. In 1990, using borrowed funds, he released the Black Album (the last work of the Kino group), one of the first to violate the state monopoly on the release of records.

In 1991-1992, he collaborated with the Technology group.

Then he was the producer of the groups "Moral Code", "Young Guns".

In 1992-1993 he produced the singer.

In 1993-1999 - producer of the singer. According to some reports, Aizenshpis was assisted in the promotion of Vlad Stashevsky by the criminal authority Alexander Makushenko, known as "Sasha Gypsy". The producer himself said about this project: “In the case of Stashevsky, I wanted to show everyone the role of a producer. For the first time, I called myself a producer when I started working with Tsoi. When he died, I had to do something, and I decided to make such a project: to find a person who would absolutely even did not dream of a career as an artist, and make him an artist".

Yuri Aizenshpis became one of the most respected Russian show business figures, with whom many stars considered it an honor to do business. He had great connections and opportunities. Winner of the national Russian music award "Ovation" in the nomination "Best Producer" in 1992 and 1995.

Participated in the organization of the International Festival "Sunny Adzharia" (1994) and in the establishment of the music award "Star".

In 1999-2001, he promoted the singer Nikita, as well as the singer.

Since 2000, he has been promoting the Dynamite group.

Yuri Aizenshpis and the Dynamite group

Since 2001 - General Director of Media Star.

His last project was subsequently a popular singer.

"I don't work for 'thank you'. I work for my own interests, and I enjoy it. It can be compared to the work of a gardener who works in the garden all his life. I like the creative process, and although show business is at the forefront of the show ", for me, creativity is more important, business - later. This is true. If I were a businessman, I would not have achieved the results that I have"- said Yuri Aizenshpis.

Death of Yuri Aizenshpis

On September 21, 2005, the MTV RMA-2005 ceremony should take place, where Aizenshpis' ward Dima Bilan was nominated in the nominations "Best Performer", "Best Composition", "Best Pop Project", "Best Artist" and "Best Video". And on September 22, the presentation of the first DVD of Dima Bilan was scheduled. But the producer did not see the success of his protégé.

Yuri Aizenshpis had diabetes and a heart condition. On September 19, 2005, Aizenshpis was hospitalized at the City Clinical Hospital No. 20 for examination, he felt better. But on September 20, 2005, at about 20:00, Yuri Aizenshpis died of a myocardial infarction at the age of 60.

He was buried near Moscow next to his parents at the Domodedovo cemetery.

"I think that the prison did its job. So many years of life are actually lost. Every day is a struggle for existence, health is ruined. Everyone told him that he needed to rest, work less. But he did not listen to anyone, for him it was a normal existence" , - noted his sister Faina Aizenshpis.

The growth of Yuri Aizenshpis: 165 centimeters.

Personal life of Yuri Aizenshpis:

Mikhail Aizenshpis was detained by the police in February 2014 on suspicion of drug use, 1.5 grams of cocaine and a suitcase with money were confiscated from him.

After the death of Aizenshpis, Elena Kovrigina married Leonid Alexandrovich Goiningen-Gühne, director of television programs for TNT, Ren-TV, DTV channels. She sued Dima Bilan because of his failure to fulfill the contract and the use of a pseudonym invented by Aizenshpis.

Filmography of Yuri Aizenshpis:

2005 - Day Watch - guest
2005 - How the idols left. Viktor Tsoi (documentary)

Bibliography of Yuri Aizenshpis:

"Lighting Stars. Notes and advice of the pioneer of show business»
“From a farmer to a producer. Business people in the USSR
Viktor Tsoi and others. How the stars light up