Pojuschie Gitary (Russian: Поющие гитары [pɐˈjʉɕːɪɪ ɡʲɪˈtarɨ], The Singing Guitars) are among the most popular bands of Russia and the former USSR. They were the Soviet Union's first rock band to reach a phenomenal rate of success and popularity in the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and in other countries. The band was founded in 1966 in Petersburg by Vladimir Vasilyev - (guitar, vocal) and Evgeny Bronevitsky (vocal, bass guitar) and other pro-western Russian musicians. Initially inspired by the music of The Beatles and other bands of the 60es the band also played in a manner not that different from Hungary's Illés and Poland's Czerwone Gitary, whose name means "Red Guitars". In the course of their career spanning almost 60 years, Pojuschie Gitary are often nicknamed "the Soviet Beatles"
