Leonid and Friends is a Chicago tribute band based in Moscow. They began as a YouTube band, and now occasionally go on tours as well. Leonid Vorobyev (b. 1957 in Moscow, Russia), is the founder and leader of the band. Vorobyev is a multi-instrumentalist, a recording studio sound engineer and choir conductor by training, at the East Siberian Institute of Culture. Vorobyev made his first Chicago video recording of the song "Brand New Love Affair" in 2014. With former Kyiv Ukraine vocalist, Serge Tiagniryadno, Leonid and Friends' YouTube videos have gone viral, with views in the millions. Leonid & Friends have recorded three Chicago tribute albums, titled Chicagovich. After touring in Russia, the band first toured the United States in 2019. Starting in 2018, songs by Earth, Wind, & Fire, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Tower of Power, The Ides of March, Lighthouse and Steely Dan were added to the playlist. In 2022 Chaka Khan's Ain’t Nobody cover with Ksenia Buzina was added to Leonid & Friends tribute. Leonid Vorobyev's son, Roman Vorobyev (b.1991), is the band’s manager. The band's instrumental setup features bass and lead guitars, drums, keyboards, saxophone, trumpet and trombone, with occasional flugelhorn, French horn, flute, metal clarinet, cello and violin and miscellaneous percussion.
Discography
Albums
Three self-released albums (vich is Russian for son of): Chicagovich - 50th Anniversary of the Band Chicago Chicagovich II Chicagovich III
Singles
"The Speck of Dust" - a Leonid and Friends original single with lead vocals by Buzina Kseniya Yurievna, released in 2021 (written by Alexey Ashtaev, lyrics by Leonid Vorobyev and Roman Vorobyev)
Superstar by Ksenia Buzina and Leonid & Friends, a Carpenters cover was released in September 2023.
Tours
In 2019 Leonid and Friends did their first tour outside Russia and followed with two more sold out tours in 2019, Fancy Colours Tour. The 2020 tour was canceled due to the covid shutdown. Leonid and Friends toured in the USA again in 2021, the Feeling Stronger Every Day Tour and a 2022 tour. The band tours with about 11 musicians and artist form Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus. Before 2019 the band did tours in Russia. The 2023-2024 tour dates were released in September 2023. In 2024 Leonid and Friends will do their first Cruise Tour: On The Blue Cruise, The World’s Greatest Classic Rock Music Cruise from Miami to Puerto Plata and Nassau with other bands. The Cruise is on the Norwegian Pearl from April 5-10, 2024.
Members
Current members
Leonid Vorobyev – transcribes, bass guitar, keyboards, piano, synth, backing and lead vocals Igor Javad-Zade – drums, percussion Vasily Akimov – lead and backing vocals, percussion, occasional rhythm guitar Ksenia Buzina – backing and lead vocals, percussion Andrey Zyl – trumpet, flugelhorn Oleg Kudryavtsev – tenor and alto saxophones, flute, percussion, backing vocals Maxim Likhachev – trombone, percussion Sergey Kurmaev – keyboards, backing vocals Konstantin Kovachev – lead guitar Danil Buranov – lead and backing vocals, percussion Mikhail Puntov (Michael Puntov) – lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion
Past members
Serge Tiagnyriadno – lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, percussion Serge returned to Ukraine to fight in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine Dmitry Maximov – bass guitar Sergey Kashirin – lead guitar, lead and backing vocals Alexey Batychenko (1972-2021) – trumpet, flugelhorn Alexandr Michurin – trombone, percussion Konstantin Gorshkov – tenor saxophone Vladimir Popov – baritone and alto saxophones, flute, percussion, backing vocals Vlad Senchillo – keyboards, backing vocals