Vladimir Frumkin is a famous musicologist, journalist, now living in Washington, USA. Back in the Soviet era, he became a researcher of the phenomenon of art song and “guitar poetry.” In the first part of his book “Singers and Leaders,” V. Frumkin reflects on the relationship between art and the authorities in totalitarian states, about the influence of “official” songs on the masses. The second part is dedicated to uncensored, free song. Here, memories of the classics and founders of the genre Alexander Galich and Bulat Okudzhav are interspersed with conversations with remarkable Russian bards: Alexander Gorodnitsky, Julius Kim, Tatyana and Sergei Nikitin, director Mark Rozovsky. The book is illustrated with rare photographs and documents, and opens with a foreword by A. Gorodnitsky. The book uses photographs, documents and reproductions of works from the archives of the author, I. Karimov, T. and S. Nikitin, V. Price. Photos of V. Price, I. Karimov, Y. Lukin, V. Rossinsky, A. Boytsov, E. Glazycheva, E. Abramova, G. Shakina, A. Sternin, A. Smirnov, L. Rukhovets, as well as photographers whose names are unknown to the owners of the archive and the publishing house.