Lidia Andreyevna Ruslanova (sometimes spelt Lidiya or Lydia, Russian: Лидия Андреевна Русланова; 27 October 1900, Saratovskaya gubernia – 21 September 1973, Moscow) was one of the greatest and best-loved performers of Russian folk songs. She was born in Chernavka near Saratov, into a peasant family, and was christened "Agafia Leykina" (Russian: Агафья Лейкина)[2] By the time she was five, both her parents had died; her father in the Russo-Japanese War and her mother soon after. Read more on Last.fm