Mikhail Krug: biography and interesting facts from life. Famous chanson performer

Mikhail Krug, whose biography is full of interesting, sometimes inexplicable facts, earned the status of “King of Chanson” during his lifetime. He was a cheerful, purposeful, talented, generous person, had a cool disposition and clearly knew what he wanted from life.

Childhood and adolescence

The birthday of Mikhail Krug (Vorobiev) is celebrated by his family and fans on April 7. In 1962, a boy was born in one of the Tver maternity hospitals. The baby was born a real hero: 4800 kg is a decent weight for a baby. The midwives immediately nicknamed the burly little boy “Mishutka,” and his mother did not object.

Misha Vorobyov's childhood unfolded according to the standard scenario of average Russian families. Living in a “small family”, working days of parents, kindergarten, life from “paycheck to paycheck”. At the age of one, Misha started talking, at three he went to kindergarten, at seven - to school.

The future bard did not like to study and often skipped classes. As a child, he told his mother that he wanted to be a driver. He studied accordion at a music school, but dropped out. When, at the age of 11, his parents gave their son a guitar, he became seriously interested in music. Having mastered the instrument on his own, Mikhail began writing poetry. The young talent became fascinated by Vysotsky’s work and imitated his style of performance, fortunately his vocal abilities allowed it.

Studies

After school, Mikhail entered college and decided to master the profession of an auto repairman. After graduating, the young man joined the army and served in Ukraine. After a while, his childhood dream came true - he got a job as a driver at the Association of Freight Transport. Worked as a driver for 10 years. Thanks to his leadership abilities, extensive experience and responsibility, he was appointed head of the convoy.

The company sent him to study at the local Polytechnic. Mikhail did not want to master the basics of science; long classes were too tiring for his cheerful disposition. Vorobyov left the institute, and replaced the place of honor as a boss with the driver’s wheel. Many of Mikhail Krug’s songs were written during this period, although he composed them “on the table.” An interesting fact from this period: one day, returning from work, Mikhail saved a neighbor’s boy who accidentally fell out of a window and was hanging on the railing from the street.

First wife

The first wife of the future artist, Svetlana, decided to promote the talented guy to the big stage. She was a creative person and performed in a local ensemble. Misha's compositions touched her to the depths of her soul, and she decided to produce her chosen one. Svetlana sent her husband to song competitions, persuaded her to record songs on cassettes, and sewed concert costumes. In 1987, the lovers got married. A year later their son was born, and the following year the couple divorced.

The parting turned out to be painful for Svetlana. When leaving, Mikhail sued her son. The woman cited the reason for the breakup as her husband’s constant infidelities, and Mikhail, in turn, stated that his wife was not a real housewife and did not know how to manage everyday life.

Carier start

In 1987, thanks to his first wife, Mikhail began to study music seriously. In 1994, his first album, “Zhigan-Lemon,” was released. Mikhail Krug’s songs were so heartfelt that both romantic girls and thieves in law found something personal in them.

Interesting fact: Mikhail took the pseudonym Krug, believing that this geometric figure could protect him from trouble. The audience enthusiastically greeted all the bard's new compositions. The singer-composer began active touring. In 1998, he received the prestigious Ovation music award and became second in the Russian Chanson show jumping competition. After several albums by the composer, it became clear who sits on the Russian chanson Olympus. The circle constantly topped all the charts.

Mikhail and Irina

Mikhail Krug, whose biography is full of interesting facts, in 1999 met a girl, Irina, who worked as a waitress in one of the restaurants in Chelyabinsk. The famous singer had a concert in this city. After the performance, the musician planned to stop for dinner at one of the city’s restaurants. The director of the establishment assigned his cutest waitress to serve the star's table. At the end of the evening, Mikhail invited Irina Glazko to work as a costume designer for him. The girl did not agree. A few months later, the singer came again and offered to work together again. For a long time, their relationship did not develop. After some time, Mikhail and Irina decided to live together.

They lived in a civil marriage for two years, and when Mikhail found out that Irina was pregnant, he immediately offered to formalize the relationship. According to close friends of the family, they were very happy. After the birth of their son, the couple moved to Mikhail Krug’s house, which he built himself. It's a pity that their happiness did not last long.

Songs of Mikhail Krug

Mikhail Krug made his soulful compositions in the chanson style truly folk. They were known to everyone who at least once, going through the waves of radio stations, ended up on the Russian Chanson channel. His cult composition was the song “Vladimir Central”. The hit “Golden Domes” immediately gave rise to a lot of gossip around the person of the famous bard. Fans began to attribute to him a criminal past, although in fact Krug was a law-abiding citizen.

Songs such as “Girl-pie”, “Come to my house”, “We drink vodka”, “The stage is underway”, “Kolshchik”, “One, two, three in the kidneys”, “Let’s talk” and many other fans could listen for hours, and at the bard’s concerts the whole audience sang them. During his lifetime, the composer recorded eight albums. According to his wife Irina Krug, who after her husband’s death decided to continue his songwriting, Mikhail had dozens of drafts with unfinished compositions. An interesting fact is that Mikhail Krug dedicated songs from four albums in the chanson style to his first love, Marina. This girl was his youthful, but very strong attachment.

Death of Mikhail Krug

Mikhail Krug, whose biography tells about forty years of the performer’s life, died under unclear circumstances. In the summer of 2002, the singer’s house, located in the suburbs of Tver, was attacked. Three unknown persons entered the home and opened fire. The events of this tragic evening on June 31 unfolded very quickly. Almost at midnight, when the Krug couple were putting their children to bed, they heard a noise on the third floor of their house. At that moment, Irina’s mother was there. Mikhail's mother-in-law said that while she was watching TV, masked people burst into the room. The woman was hit on the head, one of the attackers tried to strangle her, at that moment the spouses came running. A shot rang out, then another.

Mikhail Krug covered his wife and received two wounds. Irina started to run. Mikhail lost consciousness, when he came to his senses, he was able to walk to the neighbors and call an ambulance. Doctors were unable to save him; he died in the hospital. No one knows how the events unfolded on that ill-fated night. The narrow corridor in the star's house was completely smeared with bloody footprints. The singer's dog was shot, leaving a piece of fabric from one of the criminals' clothes in its teeth.

Versions of the crime

The death of Mikhail Krug was a real shock for his loved ones and fans. Theories of the crime began to emerge. The police, friends and admirers of the singer’s talent were looking for those involved in the murder of this man. One of the versions was the singer’s disputes with the Tver “thieves in law”, but, as it turned out, Mikhail Krug was friends with many of them, and at the singer’s grave some vowed to punish the culprits.

The second, most plausible version is an accidental murder for the purpose of robbery. During that period, several rich cottages were robbed in Tver. There was a group of people wearing masks. The singer just happened to be at home by accident. On this day there was a big holiday on the embankment; the robbers thought that the owner of the house would not be there.

The third version is that Mikhail Krug, whose biography is full of interesting facts, became a victim of a contract murder. There were rumors that the mega-popularity of the performer haunted some of his colleagues in the music industry.

Another theory is that Krug’s death could have been planned by his wife Irina. This version is similar to “yellow press” gossip, but it still happened. The wife of the deceased even testified on a lie detector test. Many noted that immediately after the death of her husband, Irina began to organize her solo career and took his pseudonym. On the fortieth day after the death of the bard, a concert in memory of Mikhail Krug was organized in Tver. The singer's group "The Fellow Traveler" did not participate in this concert, but Irina sang. Some close to Mikhail’s family claim that the spouses have recently had serious disagreements amid creativity. Irina wanted to sing solo, but Mikhail was categorically against it. After all, the popular singer was a conservative to the core and believed that a woman’s destiny was everyday life, children and family.

Ten years after the death of the artist, his friends said that they had found out who committed this daring crime and punished the perpetrators. They clarified that the murder of the beloved performer of millions of people around the planet was an accident.

Mikhail Krug is a famous Russian performer who has received the status of the king of Russian chanson. His hit “Vladimir Central” became a unique example of musical works in the “prison romance” genre. Even people far from chanson know Krug’s songs by heart, not only in Russia, but also far beyond the country’s borders.

Childhood and youth

Mikhail Vorobyov, better known as Mikhail Krug, was born on April 7, 1962 in Tver. He grew up in an intelligent Soviet family: his father Vladimir worked as a civil engineer, and his mother worked as an accountant at a cotton mill. The boy was named after his grandfather, a front-line soldier. As a child, he dreamed of becoming a chauffeur and driving a car.

The young man was interested in music, he liked songs. Having received a guitar as a gift from his parents, the guy soon performed songs in front of the children in the yard. On the recommendation of teachers from the music school, Mikhail began attending button accordion lessons, but Vorobyov only had enough patience for six months. The teenager was never particularly interested in education; even in high school, he often skipped classes.

Death

Krug’s life ended suddenly: on the night of July 1, 2002, his house was attacked by unknown assailants. The criminals beat the singer's mother-in-law, and he himself was shot with pistols. The wife managed to hide in a neighbor's house, and the children were not harmed because they were sleeping in their rooms. Having recovered from his injuries, Mikhail managed to walk to the nearest house, from where a neighbor took him to the hospital. Doctors provided the singer with the necessary assistance, but in the morning the musician died from his injuries.

The death of the bard came as a big surprise to everyone. Relatives, colleagues, fans mourned. On the day of the funeral, a farewell to the author took place in the hall of the Tver Drama Theater. The funeral cortege, which went to the Dmitrovo-Cherkasy cemetery, where the musician’s grave is located today, was several kilometers long.

Biography

Mikhail Vladimirovich Vorobyov (best known under the pseudonym Krug). Born April 7, 1962. A native of the Republic of Russia, the ancient city of Tver, located on the Volga River. During the Soviet era, the city was called Kalinin. Krug's activities are singer and poet (popularly he was called the king of Russian chanson). Died July 1, 2002.

Life with a guitar

Born as the second child, Mikhail lived all his youth in the Proletarsky district. The family was housed in a small room in the barracks. Growing up in an accounting and engineering family, the boy did not perform well in a regular school and regularly missed classes. In addition, he studied at a music school. However, he quickly abandoned accordion lessons - he liked the game, but solfeggio lessons were very tiring. He was fond of playing hockey (Mikhail was a goalkeeper), and enjoyed playing football with the guys.

At the age of six, when he first heard Vladimir Vysotsky, Mikhail immediately fell in love with his work. Krug mastered the guitar given by his father for his birthday by the age of eleven, after a neighbor showed him a few simple chords. Written at the age of fourteen, the first poems were dedicated to a classmate. One day, a terrible scandal broke out at school; it was caused by Mikhail’s performance of one of his idol’s songs.

Having received a matriculation certificate, Krug entered the Kalinin Art School, where he mastered the profession of a car mechanic. Here my studies were much more successful, since Mikhail always liked cars. After graduation, he was drafted into the army. He served in Ukraine, in the village of Lebedin. After serving, he returns to his native Tver and gets a job delivering dairy products. In this position, Krug almost ended up on trial. He swapped the milk and sour cream cans that were delivered to the party nobility with those intended for commoners. Naturally, the difference in quality was huge. The action infuriated the authorities. But everything worked out, and a decade later Krug was even appointed to a leadership position.

He was married and his father-in-law and mother-in-law categorically insisted that he receive a higher education. To avoid conflicts, Mikhail went to the Polytechnic, where, by the way, his solo career began. However, the chansonnier was of little interest in training, as well as in a leadership position. Soon he drops out of school and returns to work as a simple driver.

Stages of creativity

In 1987, Mikhail learned about a competition for performers of original songs, with Evgeniy Klyachkin on the jury. Excessive excitement ended with a drink for courage. He sang a song about Afghanistan and eagerly awaited the results of the judging. The talent of the young singer was appreciated, and he rightfully received first place among the performers who came to the competition from all over the country.

The success greatly inspired Mikhail and, having recorded under the pseudonym “Krug”, he released “Tver Streets” at a recording studio. The song “Morozovsky Town” was written by the singer in honor of the Proletarsky district, where he spent his youthful life. Subsequently, two more albums were recorded, which were later stolen by “pirates”. The theft led to a huge circulation of albums and their enormous popularity. His next official recording, “Zhigan-Limon,” brought true fame to the singer. It was recorded in 1994 at the Soyuz recording studio. Krug personally financed the recording, which cost him a lot of money, but he himself did not receive any money.

All his songs instantly became hits, which quickly made him a chanson star. The abundance of thieves' slang led many to think about the singer's prison past, however, his awareness was not related to the arrest. He drew all the phrases for his songs from the specialized NKVD dictionary, which was released in 1924 for internal use by employees. Mikhail acquired this “treasury of information” quite by accident at a local flea market.

Only singers performing in the chanson style reacted favorably to Krug’s work. Representatives of the so-called “official” stage accused Mikhail of the fact that his work is aimed at meeting the needs of people from the criminal world. Adding heat to the fire was the fact that the singer’s songs were really liked by criminals. In addition, he often traveled to prisons and colonies, where he performed concerts for prisoners.

1996 was marked by the release of the next album, called “Live String”. The singer’s high popularity in his homeland led to Mikhail Krug’s participation in the Russian chanson festival in Germany. The Russian-speaking public warmly accepted Krug. That same year, soloist Svetlana Ternova appeared in his team, and he began performing songs from the repertoire of Alexander Belolebedinsky.

The album “Madame” was the fourth album in a row, released in 1998. It included one of the most famous songs of the Circle, “Vladimir Central”. The song was rated ambiguously by listeners: some listeners received the new hit with a bang, the other half of the audience criticized the work for being too “romanticized” about crime. Based on unconfirmed information, Krug dedicated this song to his friend, the authority Sasha Sever.

In 1998, the chansonnier went on tour across America, his concerts were organized in several towns. The tour brought the bard “Ovation” in “Russian Chanson”. In 2000, Krug’s next album, “Mouse,” was released and he went on another tour, this time in Israel. As always, Mikhail’s songs are extremely popular among listeners. The album “Confession” was released posthumously, in 2003. Krug managed to record it, but did not live to see its release.

Actor career

Mikhail Krug was so famous in 1995 that a film was made about his life called “The Bard Mikhail Krug.” This is not the singer’s only film role. On February 20, 2002, Russian cinemas released the feature film “April”, with Krug in the title role. It is not surprising that the film is about criminal showdowns.

In 2005, the film “Vladimir Central” was released, starring Alexander Severny, and the plot describes the life stories of the heroes from the songs of Mikhail Krug. Naturally, the singer himself did not take part in the filming, however, all the sound tracks belong to him, and the tape is thoroughly pierced with the spirit of chanson from Mikhail Krug.

Personal life

Krug met his first wife in 1986. The student played solo guitar in the institute’s band. Svetlana supported her husband in everything - she closely followed the planned competitions and chanson festivals in order to take part in them and develop her talent further. As a matter of fact, the first All-Union chansonnier festival also came about thanks to Svetlana. In love with each other and united by a common love of music, they got married the next year and soon had a son.

However, oddly enough, family life did not work out. Constant scandals and the division of leadership in the family, coupled with the acute dislike of Svetlana’s parents for their son-in-law, took their toll and in 1991 the couple separated. Mikhail took custody of his three-year-old son. Many consider an additional reason for the divorce to be the fact that, unlike Svetlana, Mikhail did not graduate from a prestigious university.

Krug met his next wife, one might say, at work. Irina Glazko was the team's costume designer. Both previously divorced and with children from previous marriages in their arms, they found kindred spirits in each other. Two years later they had a common son, named Sasha.

Death of a chansonnier

Little Sasha was not destined to recognize his father's affection. Krug’s life was tragically cut short on a summer night from June 30 to July 1. Unknown people broke into his house in Mamulino near Tver. At that time, the whole family was gathered: Mikhail’s mother-in-law, wife and children were getting ready for bed. Having immediately penetrated the top floor of the house, the criminals first attacked Irina’s mother. The spouses came running to the scream. At that moment the attackers started shooting. The bullets hit Krug, who was covering Irina. Irina ran away, and Mikhail received two wounds incompatible with life. Deciding that the singer was dead, the criminals fled, the chansonnier’s strong body was able to overcome the leaden severity of the wounds and reached a neighbor, to whom his wife fled. It was Vadim Rusakov who took Krug to the Tver hospital, but all the efforts of the doctors were in vain, and on the morning of July 1, Krug died.

At this time, the police were working in the bard’s house, and an ambulance team was providing assistance to Irina’s beaten mother. Fortunately, the singer's children were not harmed. The farewell service was held on July 3. The funeral procession of people who came to see Mikhail Krug off on his last journey stretched for several kilometers. At the funeral there were not only colleagues, fans and numerous friends, but also politicians and government officials.

Versions of the investigation and acquaintances

Both the investigative authorities and Krug’s acquaintances put forward two main versions of the murder. According to the first, the singer died as a result of a failed robbery attempt. It was during this period that Krug recorded “Vladimir Central 2” in a duet with Tsyganova, for which the singer was entitled to an impressive fee. The second version speaks of a carefully planned contract murder.

6 years later in Tver, the Tver Wolves gangster formation, which was directly related to the murder, was arrested. It was in the gang member, Alexander Avgeev, that Irina identified the man at whose hands her husband died. However, the fact of the crime was not proven and Avdeev received life imprisonment for other crimes.

The investigation lasted for more than ten years, and only in 2014, information was received from the leader of the detained gang that Krug was killed by the hand of Dmitry Veselov, who had died by that time.

Not forgotten...

Despite the fact that Krug’s life was short and tragically cut short in his prime, he is not forgotten. His songs do not lose their relevance at all, the number of fans is only growing. In 2007, a bronze monument was erected in his city. Krug, sitting on a bench, leans on his guitar and seems to be resting before presenting his audience with another masterpiece.

In memory of the Circle, a mini-series was filmed, repeating the biography of the singer. Mikhail Krug lived a short but bright, eventful life. An avid homophobe who rejected any manifestations of feminism and conservatism, he was a member of the Liberal Democrats. Moreover, he was an assistant to the leader of education, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, for culture.

The Investigative Committee of Russia said that it has completely restored the picture of the murder of the legendary chansonnier 17 years ago in his house in Tver. The bandits wanted to impose the services of a criminal roof on Krug, they did not intend to kill him, but everything did not go according to plan

Mikhail Krug. Photo: video screenshot Mikhail Krug/YouTube

Investigators have established in detail the circumstances of the murder of singer Mikhail Krug, according to the website of the Investigative Committee of Russia.

New details were told by Alexander Ageev and Alexander Osipov, members of the Tver Wolves gang who were specially transported from the colonies. They have been sentenced for life for various crimes.

The robbery of the singer’s house was ordered by criminal leader Alexander Kostenko, known as Lom, who died in 2006. The performers were members of the Tver Wolves gang Alexander Ageev and Dmitry Veselov. They entered the singer's house on June 30, 2002. The criminals intended to steal antiques and valuables. According to the customer’s plan, Mikhail Krug, having discovered the loss of property, will turn to authority for help, who will allegedly find
stolen, after which the singer will become obliged to him and will pay part of the fees from concert activities. It was assumed that no one would be home. However, Krug and his relatives (wife and mother-in-law) unexpectedly returned home and caught the robbers. As Ageev said, Veselov shot the singer with a TT pistol, and then shot the dog guarding the first floor hall. Then the criminals fled.

“The third floor, where we immediately went up to look around. They heard that someone had entered the house and decided to hide. Then footsteps were heard on the stairs, and a woman entered. A fight ensued. And she ran to the door, jumped back, and hit her in the head with a pistol. At that moment the door opens and Krug’s wife comes in. She saw that I was wearing a mask, Veselov with a pistol, she screamed and ran downstairs. Well, we ran down the stairs, Veselov ran first, I followed him. From some door, I didn’t see which one, Krug came out, they shot, and that’s it,” said Ageev.

In March 2003, Veselov himself was killed out of revenge by another gang member, Alexander Osipov, who admitted that he knew Krug and was a fan of his work. Having learned that Veselov was to blame for the death of the chansonnier, Osipov shot him in the forest in the Tver region.

Taking into account the death of the suspect, the investigation decided to discontinue the criminal case for the murder of Krug. The legality of this decision will be checked by the Tver prosecutor's office.

Singer and friend of Mikhail Krug Vika Tsyganova, in an interview with the telegram channel “Rise,” doubted the veracity of the new data in the murder case. “If the person responsible was killed in 2003, why hasn’t it been revealed yet? Maybe this is just another canard to be written off like this because of the statute of limitations? But if this consoles the family, thank God,” Tsyganova said.

Singer, composer and businessman Slava Medyanik also does not believe in the combination of robbery with subsequent tribute to authority for the valuables found.

Slava Medyanik singer, composer, businessman“From my long musical life, I know that for authorities, thieves, this is very petty. Even this is beyond comprehension. If they listen and like the work of this or that person, there is someone to receive from, besides the one whose genre orientation is close. This guy has four murders on his record, and he’s in prison for life, I just wanted, it seems to me, to promote himself. Still, he understands that he won’t make it, but at least he will become famous. This is some kind of too complicated combination. If Misha Krug had acted incorrectly in some situation, they could have told him directly: “We thought you were this way, but you turned out to be different. You will have to help our captive brothers, the camps.” They could have done this, but such a combination is complicated... I think one hundred percent that this is some kind of nonsense.”

According to the managing partner of the law firm Sokolov, Trusov and Partners, Fyodor Trusov, the gang members hardly wanted to extract any preferences for themselves with their confessions. Perhaps it was a matter of the desire to break out of the colony for lifers, at least for a while, and catch the hype.

Fedor Trusov Managing partner of the law firm "Sokolov, Trusov and Partners"“As for the person who admitted to the murder, without knowing the case materials, it is difficult to conclude whether he is involved or not. He will not receive any preferences, but the fact that he will receive part of the hype is a fact. Maybe a person wants to become famous in this way and gain the glory of a modern Herostratus, who set fire to the temple. To say: “I am involved in the murder of such a person” - and thereby receive intra-system dividends. It is quite possible that he may be involved, but after so many years it’s like helping in the assassination of Kennedy: no matter how it was, no one will know, and people, in any case, have already drawn conclusions for themselves even then. In the colony for life prisoners there is a very harsh regime. And so they will drag him around the pre-trial detention center. Perhaps there will be a trial, thereby somehow he will take another breath of freedom, and this may well be the case.”

Until recently, the murder of Mikhail Krug was considered one of the most notorious unsolved murders of new Russia. In 2002, it was not possible to find the criminals in hot pursuit. Investigators came to the attention of members of the Tver Wolves gang; Alexander Ageev was also tested for involvement in the murder, but he completely denied his guilt, and at that time there was no direct evidence. This year, investigators received additional information about the circumstances of the murder, and the investigation was resumed. Now, taking into account the death of Dmitry Veselov, suspected of murdering the singer, the investigation decided to discontinue the criminal case.

Mikhail Vladimirovich Krug(real name - Vorobyov; April 7, 1962, Kalinin - July 1, 2002, Tver) - poet, author and performer of songs in the Russian chanson genre, one of the most popular representatives of the genre.

Mikhail Vladimirovich Vorobyov was born on April 7, 1962 in Kalinin (now Tver), in the old district of the city, which was called Morozovsky town, now called “Proletarka’s Courtyard” about which the song “My Dear City” was written.

Father - Vladimir Mikhailovich Vorobyov worked as a civil engineer (head of communications at the Moscow-Riga highway department in the city of Tver). Died in 1995.

Mother - Zoya Petrovna Vorobyova (06/18/1936 - 01/09/2018) worked as an accountant, on January 7, 2018 she had a heart attack, 2 days later she died in the hospital.

He was the second child in the family (the first was Mikhail’s sister, Olga).

I studied accordion at a music school, but didn’t finish my studies and dropped out. He played hockey and was a goalkeeper.

Mikhail wrote his first poems at the age of 14, which he dedicated to his classmate. At that time, Mikhail’s idol was V.S. Vysotsky. After the army, Mikhail, impressed by his songs, began to play the guitar and sing in his style.

Mikhail graduated from College No. 39 in the city of Tver on Sominka by profession as an auto repairman. Coming from the army, Mikhail got married, his wife’s parents insisted that he go to college, because their daughter graduated with honors from the Institute of Light Industry, and his education did not correspond to their principles. In 1987, Mikhail successfully entered the institute, where he learned about an art song competition, took part in it and took first place. After that, he seriously engaged in writing songs, but E.I. Klyachkin played a significant role in this, who was the chairman of the jury at the 8th art song festival, where he saw the hidden talent in Mikhail and said: “Misha, you need to work...”

Mikhail recorded his first album “Tver Streets” at the “Tver” studio, then the second album “Katya” was recorded, and the third album without a title, all of them had no release, but were stolen and distributed pirated. Almost all the songs from these albums were rewritten and sung in the albums: “Green Prosecutor”, “Madame”, “Rose”, “Mouse”.
In 1994, the first official album “Zhigan-Lemon” was released.

The first performance of the Circle took place in Moscow, at the Variety Theater at the Russian Chanson festival in November 1996.
In the same year, the first video “It Was Yesterday” was shown.

On the cover of the Zhigan-Lemon disc, Mikhail is depicted with his musicians. On the left is Vladimir Ovcharov (left for Israel), on the right is Vlad Savosin, accordion player.

For the release of audio cassettes with the album “Zhigan-Limon” from the Soyuz studio, Mikhail did not receive a penny, but for the release of laser discs with the same album he received three thousand dollars ($3,000), although he spent much more on the recording.

Mikhail gave his first big interview, answering questions in an hour-long program in the A.L.S. cable television studio. March 9, 1998 (Moscow, Goncharova St. 17).

In the summer of 2000, filming of the film “April” was completed, in which Mikhail Krug played a crime boss.

There was prohibition in his group for three years.

Mikhail gave money for a new video, but they returned it to him because... his songs were banned from television.

The ring with three diamonds that he always wears was given to him by thief in law Khobot.

Mikhail takes the criminal expressions for his songs from a 1924 dictionary for internal use of the NKVD, which he acquired by accident.

The second video, “A Day Like a Day,” was made by his friends. It can be seen on the videotape "Songs of Mikhail Krug".

The song "Kolshchik" took three years to write, and had three different versions. The last option on the album "Zhigan-lemon".

At a concert in Boston, the Italians gave Mikhail cool trousers.

Mikhail dedicated all his songs in his first four albums to his first love, Marina. The song "Pie Girl" was written in 1987 and dedicated to her.

The first time Mikhail Krug performed abroad was in 1997 at the Russian Chanson in Germany festival, where he sang four songs, one of which “Madame” was sung in a guitar version. It can be heard on the disc "Russian Chanson in Germany" released by the German company "Solo-Florentin".

Since February 1997, a new soloist has been working with Mikhail, Svetlana Ternova, whom he heard at the Zavolzhye song festival and took her into the group. In parallel with his work, he is writing an album for her in a pop style.
Mikhail wrote the songs “Green Field” and “My Queen”, which Sveta sings, at the age of 16 and also dedicated them to Marina. He remade them to be performed from a female perspective.

A number of songs for Krug were written by Alexander Belolebedinsky; before that, Mikhail Krug performed only his own songs. Songs “I went through Siberia”, “Hello, Mom”, “The process is over (I’m crying bitterly)”, “Sparks in the fireplace”, “Chaim”, “Cry, violin (In every city)”, “Student”, “When you and I met” - folk, previously sung by Arkady Severny. The song “Svetochka” was written by singer-songwriter Leonid Efremov. However, the text of Krug's version differs slightly from the original.

In 1994, the film "Bard Mikhail Krug" was filmed and shown on the "Culture" channel only in 1999.

On March 27, 1998, at the Cosmos Hotel, Mikhail took part in the presentation of the Ovation Award and received it in the Russian Chanson category.

In November 1999, Mikhail took part in the “Musical Ring,” a friendly competition with Sergei Trofimov, and won.

In January 1999, he took second place in popularity in the Russian Chanson competition.

In April 1999, he was again nominated for the Ovation Award.

After the release of his debut album, Mikhail Krug began to actively tour Russian cities.
Abroad, Krug first performed in 1997 at the Russian Chanson in Germany festival with the Zhemchuzhny brothers, where he sang four songs, one of which, “Madame,” was sung in a guitar version. In 1998, Krug performed in the USA - Miami, Boston, New York, Jacksonville.
From February 22 to March 6, 2000, a tour of Israel was successfully completed. Concerts were given in the cities of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Nazareth, Haifa, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ariel and others. Krug also performed in Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, etc.
Mikhail Krug has repeatedly given charity concerts, including in prisons.

Lived in Tver, was married for the second time, has a son Dmitry (b. 1984) from his first marriage with Svetlana and a son Alexander (b. 2002) from his second