一唱成名的“国宝级”农民朱之文

2011年6月14日，央视《我要上春晚》录制了今年第一期节目“开播盛典”，第一位登台的草根明星，刚开唱就把评委们惊呆了：这位朴实而又土气的农民，竟拥有一副浑厚、华丽的嗓音，把一曲《滚滚长江东逝水》演绎得大气磅礴！他正是今年爆红网络的“大衣哥”，小学没毕业却识五线谱，懂乐理，精通美声唱法。他是谁？有着怎样的人生故事？

草根“大衣哥”一炮走红

2011年2月13日，天刚蒙蒙亮，家住山东菏泽市单县郭村镇朱楼村的朱之文就起床了，他对妻子说：“今天早点做饭，我要到临沂市参加比赛去。”吃过饭，妻子李玉华把仅有的200元钱递给朱之文，默默干起了家务。这位温厚贤良的农村女子知道，唱歌是丈夫唯一的爱好及狂热追求，结婚12年来她从无怨言，一直默默支持着丈夫。

天上大雪飞舞，格外寒冷，出门前，妻子把一件军大衣披在了朱之文身上。这件大衣是朱之文3年前在河北打工时花70元钱买的，至今仍是他冬天最好的衣服。朱之文要参加山东电视台综艺频道《我是大明星》的选秀比赛，坐大巴赶往附近的临沂市参赛。

到了人头攒动的海选现场，只见黑压压的报名者多达两三千人，朱之文苦等两小时后产生了放弃比赛的念头。他跺着脚在电视台大门口转了好几圈，心里想：“如果就这样回去，往返90块钱的车费不是白扔了吗？”正当他内心纠结时，海选导演从朱之文身边经过，他当即迎上去壮着胆子说：“我给你唱几句歌吧，行就行，不行我就回家，再晚些我就赶不上回去的车了。”

听朱之文清唱了两句后，导演让他提前上台比赛。前奏响起，朱之文紧张地直用手搓话筒，脚步左右挪动，反复检查自己是否站到了舞台中央。然而，当他开始唱“滚滚长江东逝水，浪花淘尽英雄”的时候，却迅速进入了状态，昂首挺胸，精神饱满，每一句都唱得字正腔圆。他嗓音磅礴、雄浑、悠扬，且高低音兼备，是业余选手中难得一见的美声歌者。主持人和评委也都听得目瞪口呆。

一曲唱完，一位评委问道：“你是哪个歌舞团的吧？”朱之文说：“不是不是，我只是一个普通农民。”评委还是怀疑他的真实身份，便当场考验他种田知识，见朱之文对答如流，主持人又亲自检验了他那双布满老茧的粗糙大手。

接下来，在朱之文演唱《驼铃》时，评委突然掐掉音乐，听他清唱。在确定不是音响师“错放了原声带”后，评委们面露喜色，现场观众也都激动地站了起来，报以雷鸣般的掌声。

2011年3月5日，当这期节目在山东卫视播出后，迅速引起了极大反响。一个地地道道的农民，外表朴实，打扮土气，一开口唱歌，却是优美的男中音，很多观众都被这种强烈反差深深地震撼了。因演唱时身着军大衣，人们称朱之文“大衣哥”。很快，就有网友把他参赛的那段视频传到了网上。没想到，短短几天时间，这个名为《山东大衣哥，真正的歌手》的视频，网上点击率就突破了10万，留言上万条。

朴实农民夺冠《星光大道》

著名歌唱家于文华看到微博上的视频后，也被朱之文真诚的歌声所吸引，同时感动于一个农民对歌唱的执着，决定去看望朱之文。

3月18日，于文华带着《星光大道》栏目的美女导演王爱华，专程从北京赶赴山东。听说大明星于文华要来朱楼村看望自己，朱之文激动得不知说什么好。

于文华在朱之文的带领下参观了简陋的“练歌房”，这是一间不足10平方米的泥筑小屋，里面放着旧电子琴。当大家让朱之文现场弹奏时，“大衣哥”难为情地说，琴上的电线已经被家里的羊给咬断了。于文华感慨地说：“虽然这个琴房很简陋，条件十分艰苦，但他仍然每天坚持练声三个小时以上，这种执着精神，让我感到汗颜。尤其能通过自学，达到如此高的水平，太了不起了！”

随后，朱之文找出在旧书摊上买来的一本乐理方面的书，向于文华请教发声技巧，并几近完美地清唱了《草原上升起不落的太阳》。王爱华导演听后问他是否想过上星光大道？朱之文坦言，想过，不过他只是一个普普通通的农民，星光大道汇集了全国各地的高手，“天外有天，人外有人，我一个农民没有信心。”于文华当即鼓励他：“你拥有一副金嗓子，并掌握了一定的发音技巧，绝不比别人差！”

更让大家惊奇的是，朱之文抱着自家的鸡高歌时，鸡像是能听懂似的，居然一动不动地站在他的肩头。 原来，朱之文对小动物很有感情，常常对着自家的鸡、鸭、鹅放声歌唱，久而久之，拉近了人与动物之间的距离。

于文华和朱之文互留了联系方式临行前真诚地说：“如果我这位农民兄弟能成为央视舞台上的‘红花’，我甘为‘绿叶’，一定会尽力帮助他！”

几天后的一个清晨，朱之文打电话把于文华从睡梦中唤醒。“于老师，我是之文，我在去济南比赛的路上。”于文华说：“之文，要相信自己，你是最好的！另外，让你参加《星光大道》的事已经定下来了，导演还建议，由我客串你的搭档呢，你觉得怎么样？”朱之文受宠若惊，感动不已。事后朱之文感慨地说，热心的于文华不仅是自己的“伯乐”，更像他的亲人。

4月上旬，朱之文受《星光大道》栏目组邀请来到北京。为了给他筹备参赛的新歌，于文华特意邀请朱之文和著名作曲家孟文豪到家中做客，为《驼铃》重新编曲，并为朱之文精心打造了多首伴奏带。

于文华除了音乐上的追求外，生活中也别有情趣。她家的后院有一块菜地。这让农民出身的朱之文有了用武之地，利用现成的砖头给于文华家砌了一个花坛，展示了自己的泥瓦匠手艺，让“搭档”吃惊不小。在于文华家的后院里，还有朱之文家的一只鸡、一只鸭子和一只鹅，它们就是曾多次在电视上亮相的“小黄”、“小花”和“小白”，正是它们增加了舞台的视觉效果和表演气氛，是于文华特意让朱之文带到北京参赛的。于文华还开心地说：“今天它们三个都给我下一个蛋，乐坏我了……”离开北京时，朱之文就把这些小动物送给了于老师。

4月中旬，朱之文第一次登上了央视《星光大道》的舞台，出场曲目仍是那首气壮山河的《滚滚长江东逝水》，身上穿的依然是那件半旧大衣。毕福剑笑称：“大衣哥的行头该换换了。”说着，他将自己的红色中国风衣当场脱下，送给朱之文，并表示：“希望周赛时，你还能穿上这件衣服回到《星光大道》。”

评委席上的男中音歌唱家杨洪基，正是朱之文的“成名曲”《滚滚长江东逝水》的原唱者，在听完朱之文的现场演绎之后，杨老师赞叹不已，大方地表示：“这首歌以后你来唱吧，我赠送给你”。

4月20日，朱之文以过人的演唱实力，获得《星光大道》周冠军。5月12日，这位农民歌手又凭借《弹起我心爱的土琵琶》，以及同于文华合演的《纤夫的爱》《泰坦尼克号》《龙船调》，加上一锤定音的《滚滚长江东逝水》，夺得了《星光大道》月赛冠军。当月，他还成了山东电视台《我是大明星》赛场上的年度总冠军。至此，“大衣哥”彻底红遍全国。

苦难歌王“星”途灿烂

朱之文一夜蹿红，令许多人充满好奇，一个地地道道的农民，怎么就拥有一副金嗓子并掌握了美声唱法呢？事实上，朱之文并非传说中的“神农”，他的成功离不开30年如一日的坚持和付出。

30多年来，朱之文不仅守着录音机学唱歌，还研究乐理知识，遇到不认识的字，他就抱着字典边查边自学。掌握了一些练声理论后，朱之文开始认真实践，每天凌晨4点就起床，为了不影响邻居休息，到离家1公里的河堤上、树林里练声。时至今日，“大衣哥”每天依然早起晚睡，风雨无阻地坚持练嗓子。

对于丈夫的成名，李玉华始终面带着朴实的笑容。她说：“当初嫁给他，就是冲着人老实、心眼好，歌不歌的不重要。”尽管如此，前不久当她带着两个孩子，随朱之文一起到山东电视台领大奖时，看到老实巴交的丈夫被人众星捧月般簇拥着，俨然是个“大明星”，李玉华还是流下了激动的泪水。更令她感动的是，当主持人问“大衣哥”出名后的打算时，一向腼腆的朱之文竟然幽了一默，说：“出名，不出轨。”

日前于文华已邀请著名作曲家赵季平和词作家车行和，为朱之文创作《一亩三分地》，这位农民歌手即将拥有自己的第一首原创歌曲。更让朱之文惊喜的是，由于很欣赏他的唱功，前不久，著名男高音歌唱家乔军正式收其为徒，并特意把他带到自己的录音棚，这也是“大衣哥”首次在录音棚听到自己的歌声。他决心唱出更多好听的歌，以此回报帮助过他的人和广大听众。

A Rural Singer Considered National Phenomenon

By Wang Li

Zhu Zhiwen, a villager from Shandong Province, got up early on February 13, 2011. That day the 44-year-old singing enthusiast planned to go to Linyi City and compete in a grassroots reality show titled “I am a Star” hosted by the Shandong Television Network. With 200 yuan in cash in his pocket and tightly wrapped up in a second-hand military overcoat, he set out, without knowing that he was going to open a new chapter in his life.

Upon his arrival, Zhu was surprised to find that there were about 3,000 enthusiastic artists of all kinds waiting outside the television building to sign up with the show. Zhu registered and waited for his time to show. Two hours later, he began to wonder whether he should go home or wait for his turn patiently. If he chose to go home now, the 90 yuan he spent for the two-way bus travel would be a waste. No sooner had he had this idea than he ran into the program director. He approached the director and said, “Please allow me to sing a few lines now and here. If I am not good enough, just tell me so and I will go home immediately. Stay longer here and I will miss the bus for home today.”

Zhu sang a few bars. The director was so impressed that he requested Zhu to come to the stage immediately. Wearing the second-hand overcoat and a wool hat, Zhu looked different from all the other competitors dressed in fancy dresses, but as soon as he stood in the center of the stage and waited for the music, confidence came back to him. He sang “Yangtze River Flows Eastward Forever”, the theme song of “The Romances of the Three Kingdoms”, a television series adapted from the namesake classic novel of about 600 years ago.

The three jurors were too amazed to believe their ears. They had never expected to encounter such an opera-singing baritone at this level of the reality show. Their mouths all hang in perfect “O”. A juror asked Zhu if he was from a professional troupe. Zhu replied he was a farmer. Still incredulous, a juror quizzed the singer about farming. Zhu gave all the right answers. The jurors examined his hands: the hands were full of calluses. When Zhu was about to sing his second song “Camel Bells”, the jurors requested the music technician to switch off the music and asked Zhu to sing without the accompaniment because they wanted to make sure that it was really his singing. His voice was stunningly beautiful. The jurors were convinced and the audience burst into roaring approval and excitement.

The program was screened on Shandong Satellite Television on March 5, 2011, causing huge sensations across the province. An extraordinarily normal-looking farmer with an exceptional opera voice wowed the audience. Shortly afterwards, a video clip of Zhu’s performance was uploaded to a video website and within days the video clip became viral. It received more than 100,000 hits and about 10,000 comments, all praising the beauty of Zhu’s singing. On the internet, Zhu is endearingly nicknamed Brother Overcoat.

Yu Wenhua, a Beijing-based prominent singer, watched the video clip at the website. Deeply impressed by Zhu’s rare talent, she decided to do something for the man and to make sure more people could hear his singing.

On March 18, Yu Wenhua and Wang Aihua, a woman director of Starlight Boulevard, a popular CCTV reality show, came with some colleagues all the way to visit Zhu at his home. They had to see the musical miracle with their own eyes. Zhu was just back home from his appearance as a guest at an entertainment show at Hunan Satellite Television.

Zhu Ziwen was speechless when he actually saw Yu and her friends from Beijing. Zhu showed the visitors a less-than-10-square-meter adobe studio where he spends three hours practicing and singing every day. Inside his studio stood a keyboard in a sorry-looking condition, a gift from a granny in Beijing who liked his singing. When the visitors wanted Zhu to play a song on the keyboard, Zhu was embarrassed to explain that the electric cord had been gnawed into pieces by his sheep.

Director Wang Aihua asked if Zhu Zhiwen had ever considered appearing in Starlight Boulevard. Zhu confessed that he had never dared to dream of such a big show. The show was full of talents from all of the country and he was nothing but nobody. He was invited to sing at the show.

On March 20, 2011, Yu Wenhua and Zhu Zhiwen said goodbye to each other. A few days later, Zhu called Yu Wenhua, notifying her that he was on the way to Jinan, the capital city of Shandong Province. Yu said arrangements had been made for him to appear at the Starlight Boulevard.

Zhu came to Beijing in early April at an invitation of the program. Yu Wenhua invited Zhu and the songwriter Meng Wenhao who wrote the melody of “Camel Bells” to her home. Meng Wenhao later rewrote the orchestration for Zhu and prepared all the tape music for the village singer’s songs.

In mid April, Zhu Zhiwen appeared at the Starlight Boulevard. The first song he sang was still “Yangtze River Flows Eastward Forever”, the song that catapulted him to national stardom. Bi Fujian, the star presenter, joked about Zhu’s signature military overcoat, saying that it was time he had changed his costume. Bi took off his red suit and gave it to Zhu, hoping Zhu would come back wearing the red coat to compete in the weekly championship final.

Yang Hongji, a juror for the competition that day, was the original singer of the television theme song. After hearing Zhu’s singing, Yang expressed his appreciation and said he would let Zhu Zhiwen sing the song in the future and he himself would never sing it.

April 20 saw Zhu Zhiwen win the weekly championship and May 12 saw him win the monthly championship. Winning the two championships means that he will come back in the yearend championship final. It was also in May that he became the 2011 champion of “I am a Star” held by Shandong Satellite Television.

Zhu’s miraculous stardom makes people curious: how could a commonplace farmer become a national singing phenomenon? He is by no means a genius. He has worked hard every day of the past 30 years to be a good singer.

If he has talent, he has a greater zeal. Though a primary school dropout, he has learned to sing by singing after his cassette recorder. He studied singing theories and practiced hard. For years, he got up at four o’clock every morning, walked a kilometer to a river dike, and practiced singing there. He still practices hard every day.

His success opens doors to prominent singers and songwriters. With the help of Yu Wenhua, songwriters Zhao Jiping and Che Hanghe will write a song for Zhu Zhiwen. Soprano Qiao Jun has taken Zhu under his wing. From now on, Zhu will study under the guidance of Qiao. Zhu Zhiwen has visited the master’s recording studio where for the first time in his life, he heard himself singing.

Now Zhu Zhiwen is ambitious enough to try to enter the most important gala: the Spring Festival Variety Show for next year. On June 14, 2011, he appeared at “I Want to Get My Show in the Spring Festival Gala”, a selection show of the CCTV. With no exception, he amazed the jurors as well as audiences. Now he is looking forward to the yearend finals at Starlight Boulevard.