Mike Naumenko
Mike Naumenko | |
|---|---|
Mike Naumenko in 1984 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Mikhail Vasilyevich Naumenko |
| Also known as | Mike Naumenko |
| Born | 18 April 1955 Leningrad, Soviet Union |
| Died | 27 August 1991 (aged 36) Leningrad |
| Genres | Rock'n'roll, blues rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter, interpreter, poet |
| Instrument(s) | Singing, guitar, bass guitar |
| Years active | 1975–1991 |
| Website | mikenaumenko |
Mikhail Vasilyevich Naumenko, better known as Mike Naumenko (Russian: Майк Науменко, 18 April 1955 – 27 August 1991) was a Soviet rock musician, singer-songwriter and interpreter, leader of the band Zoopark.
Born in Leningrad, in the 1970s he was a member of the Russian rock group Aquarium, and in 1981 he formed Zoopark, which became one of the most outstanding blues rock groups of USSR. Naumenko is considered one of the best lyricists of Russian rock, although drawing heavily on Bob Dylan and other UK/US songwriters, and occasionally retaining the original melody as well. Some of Naumenko's songs are more or less faithful translations or remakes of English language source material (the notions of copyright and plagiarism being hardly established in the Soviet Union, especially as regards works created on the other side of the Iron Curtain). Largely imitative, Naumenko's input was yet very significant as he adapted the Western rock tradition to Russian culture and the urban realities of Leningrad.