Boris Fomin
Boris Ivanovich Fomin (Russian: Бори́с Ива́нович Фоми́н, IPA: [bɐˈrʲis ɨˈvanəvʲɪtɕ fɐˈmʲin]; 12 April 1900 – 25 October 1948) was a Russian and Soviet musician and composer who specialized in the Russian romance. Several of Fomin's songs became popular in 1920s, most notably "Dorogoi dlinnoyu" ("Дорогой длинною", "By the long road"), commonly known for its English version "Those Were the Days", made world-famous in 1968 by Mary Hopkin and credited to Eugene Raskin, who in 1962 wrote the English lyrics for the tune and claimed the song for his own. It was composed by Boris Fomin in 1924, first interpreted and recorded by Tamara Tsereteli (1925) and Alexander Vertinsky (1926); it was the latter who popularized it abroad. |
Birth and Death Data: Born April 12, 1900 (Saint Petersburg (federal city and former capital of Russia)), Died October 25, 1948 (Moscow (capital and most populous city of Russia) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1928
Roles Represented in DAHR: composer
Notes: Disc label for Vi 81919 credits "B. Fomin." Forename from Russian-records.com.
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | XVE-01822 | 10-in. | 5/14/1928 | Chasy schitatʹ (Часы считать) | M. A. Sadovskaya | Female vocal solo, with piano | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Fomin, Boris," accessed December 25, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/315736.
Fomin, Boris. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 25, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/315736.
"Fomin, Boris." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 25 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Fomin, Boris Ivanovich, 1900-1948 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2011059806
Wikidata: Борис Фомин - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2000854
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/76501286
MusicBrainz: Борис Фомин - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/c20e4f7c-ff00-4c53-8da9-cbe887e096bf
ISNI: 0000 0001 2028 8193 - http://www.isni.org/isni/0000000120288193
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