Yuri Naumov is a poet, composer, singer and acoustic guitar player, a unique Russian bluesman.
He was born into the family of a doctor. Naumov grew up listening to bootleg records of The Beatles and Led Zeppelin and at age 8 decided to become a rock guitarist. In 1970 he with his family moved to Novosibirsk. In 1978, while playing in a school-band, he met the future members of Kalinov Most, one of Russia's most influential indie-rock bands, also one of the creators of what is called Russian blues.
In January 1983 Naumov formed a band named Prokhodnoy Dvor, the line-up of which also included Vladimir Zotov and Oleg Kurokhtin. Soon, after a bootleg released by the band became popular in the USSR, KGB forced Naumov to leave Novosibirsk Medical University for "promulgation of decadent western values," and he sought safety first in Leningrad and later in Moscow. In 1990 Naumov moved to New York City, United States.
Naumov plays a unique 9-string guitar custom-built for him by famous violin maker Sergei Nozdrin in the 1980s.
Naumov usually once or twice a year tours in Russia.