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1970s rock music gets new life through Russian cover band

Leonid and Friends flawlessly recreate hits from Chicago and other groups

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Mark Huffman
Reporter

Mark Huffman has covered consumer issues since 2004, with a special focus on protecting and empowering older adults. A former news correspondent for the Associated Press Radio Network, Westwood One, and ConsumerAffairs, Mark brings decades of journalistic experience to RetirementLiving.com. He is passionate about giving consumers a voice and helping them make informed decisions. Mark has also created educational content, including Senior Scam Alert, a video resource designed to help seniors recognize and avoid fraud. He holds a B.A. from the University of Kentucky and lives with his family in Richmond, Virginia.

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Key Insights

  • Leonid and Friends, a Russian tribute band, has gained global acclaim for their faithful recreations of 1970s rock hits—especially by Chicago—using meticulous transcription and performances that even impressed the original band.
  • Founded by Leonid Vorobyev in retirement, the group’s viral success on YouTube propelled them to international tours and over 200 million video views, with a fanbase exceeding 700,000.
  • Despite geopolitical tensions, including the war in Ukraine affecting one of its vocalists, the band continues to thrive and was praised for its tribute album Chicagovich, hailed as possibly the best tribute album in rock history.

The 1970s rock group Chicago is still active, with three of its original members still performing. But if you can’t get a ticket to their concert, you might be able to catch Leonid and Friends, a Russian cover band that even Chicago’s most diehard fans admit sounds exactly like the original.

Leonid Vorobyev, the leader of the band, grew up in the Soviet Union, “behind the Iron Curtain,” as he says. But he was able to get access to American pop music by recording it on his reel-to-reel tape recorder. Among the most prized recordings, he says, were Chicago albums.

“Behind the Iron Curtain, Chicago the band was extremely popular with my musician friends,” Vorobyev said in an interview with Chicago radio station WGN.

Leonid and Friends are a social media creation. When the band uploaded its first Chicago cover on YouTube, the video went viral. The band got an additional lift when Chicago, far from taking offense, posted the video on its own official website, urging fans to check the group out.

Success in retirement

Vorobyev’s success came in retirement. According to the band’s website, Vorobyev, who plays bass, decided to celebrate his retirement in 2014 by recording a version of the Chicago song Brand New Love Affair.

Lacking any chart or score of the song, he transcribed the music by ear, then gathered his musician friends together to record it. Since then, the band has recorded dozens of hits by Chicago, as well as other 1970s groups such as Earth, Wind & Fire and Steely Dan.

It was almost an overnight success. The 11-piece band now has over 700,000 followers across social media, and its videos have been viewed more than 200 million times.

The band tours internationally, including at least 200 concerts at venues in the U.S. 

Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine posed a threat to the band’s success since one of its vocalists, Serge Tiagnyriadno, lives in Kyiv and records with the band remotely. Leonid & Friends, despite being a Russian band, has repeatedly stated its opposition to the war and its support for Serge and his family in Ukraine.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the band Chicago, Leonid & Friends released a tribute album entitled Chicagovich, earning critical acclaim. In a review, Phil Traynor, contemporary jazz musician, composer and recording artist, called it “Perhaps the best tribute album in the history of rock and roll.”

You can check out Leonid & Friends’ music here.

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