"Ladybug" (Bozhya korovka) is a famous Russian pop group of the 90s. Their dance hits were played at all discos, bringing positivity and zador to the world. At concerts they radiated incredible energy, surprised with colorful performances, created an atmosphere of joy and fun. It was one of the most memorable bands in the USSR. They boldly experimented with genres, supplementing the usual pop with rhythmic latino, chanson, folk and rock. The subject matter of the songs was extremely simple: love, lyrics, nature, Christianity - everything that is close to everyone.
Formation period and composition
The idea of creating a musical collective belongs to Vladimir Volenko. In 1988 he started to write the history of the band, which initially was to play in the style of punk and underground rock. In 1989 he published a trial album called "The Beginning of the Sixth Signal", but this work did not bring him success. He did not develop his project further - together with guitarist Nikolay Yurov they joined Mirage. For some time he performed with this popular band, then he changed several other projects. And in 1994 he decided to try again and revive his band.
The first performance of "Ladybug" was on the TV program "Star Rain". There they performed the song "Granite Stone", which not only brought great success, but also became their calling card.
Their debut did not do without scandal. Some critics accused the group of plagiarism. They found similarities with Chris Rea's composition "Road to Hell". Claims were also heard from residents of Yakutia, who claimed that the author of the text is a reindeer herder Andrei Gromov. But Vladimir Volenko refuted all the accusations, substantiated his point of view and proved the rightness.
Having received the first portion of fame, the band immediately started to create a debut album. And in 1994 they released a hit record under the same name. The compositions immediately spread among the listeners. Rattling mixture of pop, folk and pop was something new on the musical platform of that era and attracted the attention of the audience.
For the entire history of the existence of "God's Cow" about 20 participants passed through them. For some time the place of the soloist was occupied by Stepan Razin, Robert Lenz was in the team for a short time. The position of guitarist at different periods belonged to Ivan Tkachev, Andrey Androsov, Vadim Khavezon, the saxophone was played by Vladimir Gritsyk and others. Female parts were performed by Inna Morozova, Lyudmila Morozova, Alena Khoroshailova.
The current line-up includes:
- Vladimir Volenko (vocals, guitar, keys);
- Natalia "Shokoladkolkina" Volenko (vocals, keys, accordion);
- Nikolay Kanischev (guitar, backing vocals);
- Oleg Fedotov (drums).
Such a team they continue their creative activity till today.
Popularity and fame
After the release of the first album, "Ladybug" went on tour. In parallel with this, there was active work on the creation of new projects. In 1996, the disk "Fly to the sky" was released, followed by "My Korolevishna".
When the songs spread on radio stations, "BK" began to sound from everywhere. The public raved about their work and attended concerts with pleasure. During the period of popularization of rock, pop music was pushed to the background. People lacked kindness, optimism and humor in music. Present in all the compositions of stereotype and irony amused. And in combination with bright stage images (red suits with black polka dots, glasses, umbrellas) and uncomplicated lyrics "Ladybug" became a discovery and a joy for many people.
In 1997 the band collaborated with the famous producer Iosif Prigozhin. With his easy hand another successful album "Dream Woman" was released. In terms of style, it was a little different from the previous ones, as most of the songs were lyrical.
In the late 90's - early 2000's they toured a lot, filmed videos, wrote songs. But with the arrival of the new soloist Inna Anzorova, the activity slightly decreased. She conquered Vladimir not only with her vocals, but also with her inner world. A stormy romance erupted, which ended in a wedding. Two years they devoted to their personal life, had children, and then returned to work together.
A new stage of creativity
The next page in the biography of the group was not as parodic and humorous as the previous ones. For several years, the Volenko family was actively engaged in charity, plunged headlong into the spiritual-Christian sphere. In this theme they recorded two albums: "Born Again" and "Book of Life".
But we can't say that "Ladybug" went into religion with their head. They periodically wrote covers of songs they liked. One of the most popular was a composition parody of Paul McCartney's "Mrs. Vanderbilt", in the clip of which the cows danced... cows.
Over time, the popularity of the band began to fade. They began to replenish the discography less often, to give concerts. But the activity of the group did not stop.
After the anniversary performance in 2018, interest woke up to them again. They reissued the last album "Gospel!", released a completely different in style - "Nostalgia", re-sang "Granite Stone" on a new way. They are often invited to various TV and radio programs, thematic concerts "Disco 80's and 90's".
What other surprises will give us unpredictable "Ladybug", read in the catalog of artists on the website kontramarka.de.
Discography:
1989 - "The Beginning of the Sixth Signal"
1994 - "Granite Stone".
1996 - "Fly to the Sky"
1997 - "My Queen".
1998 - "Meeting the woman I love".
2000 - "Another Life"
2003 - "Born From Above"
2004 - "Legendary Songs"
2005 - "Grand collection"
2006 - "The Book of Life"
2007 - "Wings Behind My Back"
2008 - "Everything new... is the old reworked well."
2012 - "All New ... Is Good Old Revised 2"
2016 - "Gimme Money Girl!"
2017 - "Gospel!"
2019 - "Nostalgia."
