Mikhail Tanich, the co-founder and lead songwriter of Lesopoval, was born on September 15, 1923, in
Taganrog, Russia. When Joseph Stalin died, Tanich was granted amnesty, and he would leave to become a
Russian poet. He wrote many poems that would, after he met
Sergey Korzhukov in 1990, become the music of Lesopoval. The two met while Tanich was searching for a soloist to sing his songs; Tanich's wife had recommended Korzhukov. Sergey Korzhukov turned the poems into music by incorporating a melody, musical notes and a guitar accompaniment. He also sang the early songs of Lesopoval. The reason they named their
musical group "Lesopoval" was that this was the term that people commonly used to refer to the
Soviet Siberian labor camps, and the musical group was created from Tanich's experience in these Siberian camps. Together, Mikhail Tanich and Sergey Korzhukov wrote the early songs of Lesopoval. In 1994, Sergey Korzhukov died at the age of 35 after falling from the balcony of his house, but he was still listed as a co-author of all the songs through the 1996 album "New Lineup" (Новый состав.) After the death of Sergey Korzhukov, many other writers and singers helped write the music for the songs, including
Aleksandr Fedorkov. In 2008, Tanich died in the hospital from kidney disease. Until his death, Mikhail Tanich continued to write the lyrics for all the Lesopoval songs, including the latest album - "Our life," (Наша Жизнь) which was produced and released after his death. In his honor, the group performed in the
Kremlin to memorialize his death. ==Musical style==