Vyacheslav Grigoryevich Dobrynin (Russian: Вячесла́в Григо́рьевич Добры́нин, born Antonov (Russian: Анто́нов);[1] 25 January 1946 – 1 October 2024)[2] was a popular Russian composer and singer also known as Doctor Shlyager. He was awarded the People's Artist of Russia in 1996.[3][4]
Early life
Dobrynin was born in 1946 to an Armenian father and a Russian mother. He never bore his father's surname of Petrosian – his father left the family before he was born and he used his mother's surname Antonov throughout his childhood, changing it to Dobrynin in 1972.[5] He studied at Moscow State University and received a diploma as an "art historian and theorist" in 1970. He subsequently worked at the Tretyakov Gallery and Pushkin Museum.
In the 1980s Dobrynin started to record his own songs, and in 1990 he founded "Doctor Shlyager" band.
Death
It was reported that Dobrynin suffered a stroke in September 2024 and was hospitalised in Moscow.[6][7] His death was reported on 1 October. He was 78.[6]
Songs
Dobrynin's songs are mostly dedicated to unhappy love and romantic events of a person's life. Among his most popular hits are:[8][9]
All I Have in Life (Russian: Всё, что в жизни есть у меня, romanized: Vsyo, chto v zhizni yest' u menya)
Native Land (Russian: Родная земля, romanized: Rodnaya zemlya)
Don't Rub Salt Into My Wound (Russian: Не сыпь мне соль на рану, romanized: Ne syp' mne sol' na ranu)[10][11]
Where Have You Been (Russian: Где же ты была, romanized: Gde zhe ty byla)[10]
The Carriage is Rocking (Russian: Качается вагон, romanized: Kachayetsya vagon)