Lidia Ruslanova

[1] She was born in the village of Chernavka near Saratov, into a peasant family, and was baptized as Praskovya Andrianovna Leykina-Gorshenina (Russian: Прасковья Андриановна Ле́йкина-Горшенина).

[5] She was noted for her peculiar singing voice and timbre, which was a revival of old traditions in which female soloists would perform on festive occasions.

[1] When World War II broke out, she ceaselessly toured from one front to another, helping to boost the soldiers' courage with her patriotic songs.

In 1948, due to association with Marshal Georgy Zhukov (who led the Red Army to the defeat of Nazi-Germany during World War II, and who became a strong political opponent of Joseph Stalin in the post-war years) Ruslanova's husband, Hero of the Soviet Union, Lieutenant-General Vladimir Kryukov was arrested and Ruslanova followed two years later.

Ruslanova was forced to sign a declaration that her husband was guilty of treason, but refused, so she was sentenced to 10 years of camp labour.

[11] Although awards and titles bypassed her, Ruslanova presided over the first All-Soviet Festival of Soviet Songs, together with Leonid Utyosov, Mark Bernes, and Klavdiya Shulzhenko.

Stamp of Russia devoted to Lidiya Ruslanova, 1999, 2 rub. (Michel 759, Scott 6545)