Eduard Khil was a Russian baritone singer who was born in Smolensk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, in 1934. He achieved early professional recognition in 1962 after winning the All-Russian Competition for Performers and is famous for being referred to as the “Symbol of Leningrad” and for the 2010 internet phenomenon of his 1976 recording “I Am Very Glad, as I Am Finally Returning Back Home”. Khil graduated from the Leningrad Conservatory in 1960 and performed various operatic roles, including Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro, before focusing on popular music. His discography includes the tracks “Woodcutters”, “Moonstone”, and “Blue Cities”, and he was the first artist to perform many compositions by Andrei Petrov and Arkady Ostrovsky. In 1965, he attained second place at the Sopot International Song Festival. For his contributions to music, Khil was named a People's Artist of the RSFSR (1974) and received the Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1971) and the Order “For Merit to the Fatherland”, 4th class (2009). Khil died in Saint Petersburg in 2012.
