Rashid Behbudov


Rashid Macid oglu Behbudov was a Soviet and Azerbaijani singer and actor. He has been referred to as the "golden voice of Azerbaijan". He performed his songs in multiple languages.

Biography

Rashid Behbudov was born in Tbilisi into the family of singer Majid Behbudov and Firuza Vakilova. His siblings included theatre director, ; and actress,.
Between 1934 and 1944 Behbudov worked at the Philharmonic Theater in Yerevan. In the mid-1940s, composer and pianist Tofig Guliyev began creative collaboration with Behbudov. In 1945, upon the invitation of Tofig Guliyev, Rashid Behbudov moved to Baku. In the same year, he was assigned the main role of Asgar in the film The Cloth Peddler (1945 film), based on a play by Uzeyir Hajibeyov. His role in this film combined with his vocal skills brought him fame throughout Azerbaijan.
In a short time, Behbudov also became a prominent Azerbaijani pop singer. His combination of vocal masterpieces ranged from classical performances to lyrical songs. Behbudov's rare vocal talent gave him an opportunity to travel beyond the "Iron Curtain" of the Soviet Union, and as a singer he toured with concert performances in several countries of the world, including Iran, Turkey, China, India, Japan, Argentina, and many other countries in Europe, Asia and Latin America. He sang his songs in Russian, Azerbaijani, Armenian, Georgian, and a dozen other languages.
In 1966 he created the State Song Theater, which still carries his name, and became its soloist and artistic manager.
He was married to Jeyran Behbudova, and was the father of opera singer.

Honors and awards

He is the namesake of Rashid Behbudov Street in Baku; formerly named "Lieutenant Schmidt Street" and renamed in 1991.
On 14 December 2010 FLASHMOB Azerbaijan organized a flash mob to memorialize the honor of Rashid Behbudov and to celebrate the 95th jubilee anniversary of the famous representative of Azerbaijani music and culture.
On 11 June 2016 a monument dedicated to him was erected in front of the State Song Theater named after Rashid Behbudov in Baku.

Filmography