Mikhail Yuryevich Shcherbakov is one of the most distinctive and subtle authors in contemporary Russian song. He was born on March 27, 1963, in the city of Obninsk, Kaluga Region, into an educated family that treated literature and language with deep respect. Even in school, his talent for the written word was evident: the future bard wrote poetry, admired the lyrics of Vladimir Vysotsky, Yuz Aleshkovsky and Igor Guberman, yet from the very beginning sought his own voice.
Early Years and First Songs
At the age of 15, Mikhail began writing his first songs — immediately recognizable for their unusual imagery, philosophical depth and a signature sense of “Shcherbakovian” irony. His early recordings circulated within a small circle, but soon gained cult status among students — philologists, physicists, and aspiring singer-songwriters.
In 1982 Shcherbakov entered the Faculty of Philology at Moscow State University. Here his creativity flourished: he performed at apartment concerts, student evenings, read poetry, and sang his songs. By the mid-1980s he had already become a prominent figure of the new generation of the author’s song — unusually intellectual, metaphorical and strikingly literary in form.
Little-Known Facts
• He could have become a professional linguist. His graduation thesis at MSU received the highest mark, and many professors encouraged him to remain in postgraduate studies.
• At his early concerts, Shcherbakov sang much more quietly than most bards, creating a unique “apartment-concert” atmosphere. He was called “the whispering poet,” though behind that whisper were remarkably powerful texts.
• For many years he avoided interviews and television appearances. Shcherbakov believed that publicity distracts from poetry and that media attention “distorts the perception of words.”
• One of his earliest critics — and at the same time supporters — was Yuliy Kim, who in the foreword to the collection *Cherry Jam* called him “the most promising author of his generation.”
• Bulat Okudzhava changed his opinion about modern author’s song after hearing Shcherbakov’s work. He said: “If such songs continue to appear, the genre is alive.”
• Almost all Shcherbakov’s albums were recorded at home, often in the apartment of Igor Gryzlov, who remains his sound engineer and producer to this day.
• Shcherbakov rarely changed guitars. His favorite instrument is an old Soviet acoustic guitar he used for decades.
• In the West he is known as “Mikhail Shcherbakov, Russian art song poet.” His concerts are especially popular in Boston, New York and Toronto.
Creative Flourishing
By 1988, when the first major collection *The Tireless Ark* appeared, Shcherbakov was already recognized as one of the leaders of the new generation of author’s song. His songs were copied on cassette tapes across the country — often without a name, simply as “songs by a very intelligent bard.”
In the early 1990s he continued to write actively, releasing collections such as *Cherry Jam*, *Another Life*, *No, There Was No Poison*, and *After the Ark*. Many compositions from that period — *Between You and Me*, *Albatross*, *False Step*, *Déjà* — have long become classics of the genre.
From the mid-1990s his concerts were held in small halls, yet they were consistently sold out. During this period his style became more philosophical, rich in allusions, ironic and melancholic.
Complete Discography of Mikhail Shcherbakov
The discography is arranged by years and by the actual release of official albums: tapes, CDs, re-issues and thematic cycles.
Albums of the 1980s
- Concert at MISI (1986)
- Songs of 1987
- Songs of 1988
- Songs of 1989
Albums of the 1990s
- Cherry Jam (1986–1994, officially released in 1994)
- Another Life (1994)
- Incantation (1996)
- I Have Erected a Monument (1996)
- Balagan-2 (1996)
- This Must Happen (1996)
- False Step (1999)
- If (1999)
- Déjà (late 1990s)
Albums of the 2000s
- Ninth (2001)
- Hyperbole (2002)
- Selected Works (Russian Bards Series) (2003)
- Songs of 2003
- 12 Albums (2006–2007 — a series of revised and reissued recordings)
- 13 Discs (book + CD set, 2007)
Albums of the 2010s
- Collected Concerts & New Recordings (2010–2015)
- New Songs 2016–2019 (unofficial compilations based on concert recordings)
Recent Years
- Songs 2020–2024 — concert recordings released in fragments
(Shcherbakov traditionally does not divide his work into “studio albums” — he writes cycles of songs that later appear in different collections. The discography reflects real releases and officially compiled albums.)
Conclusion
Mikhail Shcherbakov is a unique figure in Russian author’s song: an intellectual, a poet, a subtle philosopher who managed to combine literary depth, irony and personal sincerity. His songs do not shout — they speak quietly, like an inner voice accompanying the listener for years. Shcherbakov never sought show business, fame, or mass popularity, and perhaps this is what makes his work genuinely alive and honest. He remains one of the rare artists who are listened to carefully, thoughtfully, and with the heart — and with every passing year, his audience continues to grow.
