Alexander Nikolayevich Vertinsky, born on March 21, 1889, in Kiev, Ukraine, was a Russian and Soviet singer and actor. He gained prominence with his unique stage persona of Pierrot, which he began employing by 1916. During this time, he started performing miniature novellas-in-song known as ariettas, or "Pierrot's doleful ditties." Shortly before the October Revolution of 1917, Vertinsky began touring Russia and Ukraine with decadent elegies like "Kokainetka" and the Tango "Magnolia". In November 1920, he left Russia for Constantinople and later performed in Romania, Poland, Germany, and Paris. His 1926 recording of "Dorogoi dlinnoyu" became a major hit internationally when it was recorded with English lyrics by Mary Hopkin as "Those Were the Days" in 1968. Vertinsky returned to the Soviet Union in 1943 and performed extensively across the country until his death on May 21, 1957. His notable posthumous releases included Александр Вертинский (1969).
