KING RAT'S ARTIST GALLERY

ВЕРАСЫ

Translated, the Belarusian title of the ensemble means 'Heather flowers'. Since 1974, the collective existed as the women's quartet 'Верасы' (Verasy) with these members: Yadviga Poplavskaya, Lyutsina Shemetkova, Nadezhda Mikulich and Lyudmila Voznyuk. The quartet worked at the Philarmonic as backing vocals for the honoured artist Edward Mitsul.

On the eve of the fifth All-Union Competition of Variety artists, 'Верасы' decided to become a VIA and, inviting musicians (incl. Aleksandr Tikhanovich, bass-guitar), turned to the graduate of the conservatory, pianist and composer Vasily Rainchik. At the start of the 80's, Irina Tsvetkova joined the ensemble, becoming the spouse of V.Rainchik. The ensemble returned from the competition with the title of laureate and with a new leader—it had become V.Rainchik. This first success of 'Верасы' dispelled the doubts about if the collective will exist for long, becoming a pale copy of the shining 'Песняры' and falling apart.

From the short period 'Верасы' managed to prepare an unmatched repertoire and devine their artist's style. In a year, the ensemble arrived at another success—a victory at the political song festival in Helsinki, and in another year—in Bulgaria, at the festival 'Красные маки'. From this success 'Верасы' was given the opportunity to release an LP record at the firm 'Балкантон'. In Bulgaria, V.Rainchik got to know the famous American singer and peace activist Dean Reed, with whom in the late 70's the ensemble made a series of tours with at the BAM and Siberia.

In 1980, a song was released that forever became the hallmark of the band - 'Малиновка'—after this 'Верасы' finally entered the elite VIA genre. The ensemble also worked with soloists Nadezhda Voevodina and Yulia Skorokhod.

'Верасы' worked until the mid-90's, showing itself as one of the most melodic VIAs in the USSR, leaving behind about a hundred songs, two LPs, many EPs and hits, that are remembered and sung to this day.

In 2007, honoured artist of Belarus, Vasily Rainchik, revived 'Верасы' as a vocal quartet of very young boys and girls, who performed songs loved by millions of people from the ensemble's old repertoire.

Original source: https://www.sssrviapesni.info/verasy.html

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Верасы has many releases. Please check a website like Discogs for more information.