Alexander Vertinsky
Russia, 1915–1957
Russian singer, poet and cabaret artist (1889–1957), the founding father of Russian author-song. Performing as a melancholic 'Russian Pierrot', he fused urban and Gypsy romance with French chanson into intimate, self-composed 'ariettes' ('Tango Magnolia', 'In the Banana-Lemon Singapore'), laying the foundation for the later Soviet bard tradition.