Evgeny Khavtan

As a fan of different genres, from the ‘new wave of British rock’ to 1950s classic American rock and roll, he started dressing up like a Teddy Boy in the early 1980s.

After graduating high school, he started studying at the Moscow State University of Railway Engineering.

In his early days he played and sang in various amateur rock bands before he managed to form his own.

He gained popularity and recognition through his work with Bravo that connected with audiences in the USSR and beyond.

Evgeny Lvovich Khavtan (Russian: Евге́ний Льво́вич Хавта́н, born 16 October 1961, Moscow) is a Soviet and Russian musician, guitarist, singer, and songwriter.

Evgeny Khavtan, the son of an engineer and an English and German teacher, was born in Moscow on 16 October 1961.

By the late 1980s, the relationship between the musicians and Zhanna Aguzarova became strained, and the singer left the band.

Anna Salmina briefly replaced her, followed by Tatyana Ruzaeva.

He is best known as the founder of the Russian rock band Bravo, which was formed in 1983, and Los Havtanos project, which was formed in 2018.

Khavtan has released 18 studio albums with his bands.

In 1983 Khavtan and "Postscriptum" drummer Pavel Kuzin founded their own band.

They played a mix of new wave and 50s–60s rock.

Khavtan and Kuzin, without a band name, were joined by saxophonist Alexander Stepanenko, bassist Andrey Konusov, and singer Ivonna Anders (real name Zhanna Aguzarova).

After one of their earliest performances, which was held at the "Krylatskoe" disco venue in December 1983, the band decided to keep the name Bravo.

The new band had no official registration, so they performed illegally.

On 18 March 1984, after a performance in a Moscow suburb, the band members were detained for "illegal entrepreneurial activity" (since all ticket proceeds were not declared).

A criminal case was initiated against the musicians, and Khavtan was expelled from the University.

During the investigation, it came out that Zhanna's passport was counterfeit, and after imprisonment in ‘Matrosskaya Tishina’, Zhanna was expelled from Moscow to Siberia.

A few years later, the criminal case was closed for "lack of evidence", and the band joined Moscow Rock Laboratory (twin brother of Leningrad Rock Club), but they didn't stay with it for long.

After being awarded as the "Best New Artist" at the Rock Panorama-86 festival, they were invited to work officially at the Moscow Regional Philharmonic.

The record label ‘Melodiya’ sold 5 million copies of the band's debut album released in 1986.

In 1986 the record label ‘Melodiya’ released the first official Bravo album in the USSR – a vinyl record ‘Ensemble Bravo’.

The songs were recorded by Alexander Kutikov in Mashina Vremeni band's studio.

The album included re-recorded songs from the first two tape albums.

Khavtan was reinstated at the University and finally graduated in 1987.

The day after receiving his higher education diploma he went on tour with Bravo.

In 1987 the Finnish recording label Polarvox re-released the band's debut album for the Finnish market.

A tour in Finland and performances at summer rock festivals in Sweden, Denmark, and Italy followed.

At the Smukfest festival (Denmark), Bravo opened for Duran Duran.

Aguzarova eventually returned to the group but permanently departed at the end of 1988 to focus on her solo career.

In 1989, Evgeny Osin joined Bravo as the lead singer and took part in the "Let's Say 'Bravo!' to Each Other" album.

After a tour around the Baltics, Osin left the band.

In the beginning of 1990, a new singer Irina Epifanova joined Bravo and recorded two singles with the band.

Later that year, musician, singer, and songwriter Valery Syutkin joined the group.

In 1999, seven Bravo songs were ranked on the list of "100 Best Russian Rock Songs of the 20th Century" according to listeners vote of the rock radio station in Russia, Nashe Radio.

His mother was interned with her family in the Sharhorod ghetto in Transnistria during World War II and in 2004 wrote a book 'Memoir' about her experience.

Khavtan spent his childhood and youth in the Moscow district of Kuzminki, to which he later dedicated the song "From Taganka to Kuzminki" (‘Fashion’ album).

Influenced by general trends of the time, he started playing guitar at a young age and graduated from a classical six-string guitar class at music school.

In 2011, their album "Fashion" (Russian: "Мода") was named as "Album of the Year" by NASHE radio.

Bravo's musical career began 40 years ago in the USSR, and the band still tours and releases albums.