Maria Yankova Neykova (), sometimes spelled Maria Neikova, (1945–2002) was a

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

n singer and composer.

Biography

Maria Neykova was born on 21 December 1945, in

Plovdiv Plovdiv (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, second-largest city in Bulgaria, 144 km (93 miles) southeast of the capital Sofia. It had a population of 490,983 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is a cultural hub ...

. Neykova graduated from the Academy of Music and Arts in Plovdiv. Known as the "Girl with the Guitar," she was in love with her native Plovdiv. Her career started in 1968. From 1969 to 1973, she was a soloist in the Sofia Symphonic Orchestra. Over the years, Maria composed more than 100 songs. One of her songs, "The World is for Two" (), is very popular in Bulgaria. After surviving a

plane crash An aviation accident is an event during aircraft operation that results serious injury, death, or significant destruction. An aviation incident is any operating event that compromises safety but does not escalate into an aviation accident. Pre ...

, a

terrorist attack Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war a ...

and eight operations, she died suddenly at her home in

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

on 1 August 2002. She outlived her husband Niki by only a year.

Discography

Small records

* 1973 - "Maria Neykova" (

Balkanton Balkanton () was a state-owned record manufacturing company in Bulgaria founded in 1952. Many of the produced records were, or still are available in the countries of the former Eastern Bloc. Balkanton's plant in Sofia was equipped for all aspec ...

- ''ВТМ'' 6522), tracks: "Зеленият Прозорец" (The Green Window), etc. * 1973 - "Maria Neykova" (Balkanton - ''ВТК'' 3018) * 1979 - "Maria Neykova" (Balkanton - ''ВТК'' 3477)

LPs

* 1975 - "Maria Neykova" (Balkanton - ''ВТА'' 1640), tracks: "Errand" (Заръка), etc. * 1990 - "For Herself and for the Others" () (Balkanton - VTA 12456, VTA 12457) (two records)

CDs

* 2009 - "Златните Хитове 1" (Golden Hits 1) (22 tracks), (BG Music company) * 2010 - "Светът е за двама. Мария Нейкова и приятели. Златните хитове 2" (BG Music company)

Digital albums

* 2010 - "Golden Hits" () (19 tracks), (Balkanton)

Awards

*First Place in

Golden Orpheus Golden Orpheus (, ''Zlatniyat Orfey'') was an international vocal competition and song contest, held annually from 1965 to 1999 in Sunny Beach, Bulgaria. The festival program included a Bulgarian song competition, an international vocal competi ...

(1969) for the song "Закъснели срещи"(Late dates) *First Place in Melody of the Year (Bulgaria, 1972) for the song "Добър вечер, лека нощ"(Good Evening, Good Night)

References

External links

Business Industry Capital - Discover Bulgaria: Maria Neikova

Business Industry Capital - Discover Bulgaria: Maria Neikova
1945 births 2002 deaths Bulgarian pop singers Bulgarian women pop singers 20th-century Bulgarian women singers Musicians from Plovdiv {{Bulgaria-singer-stub