Zvonko Bogdan

Zvonko Bogdan (Serbian Cyrillic: Звонко Богдан; born January 5, 1942 in Sombor, Serbia) is an eminent performer of traditional folk songs of Serbia, Croatia, Hungary and Romania. Apart from being famous as a singer, he is also a composer, painter and harness racer. Zvonko Bogdan is of Bunjevac origin.

Biography

He was born in the city of Sombor (present day Vojvodina, Serbia) during the World War II, when that part of Yugoslavia was under Axis Hungarian occupation, to a Bunjevac family. He spent the childhood on salaš (farm) of his mother-side grandfather Stipan Kukuruzar; his other grandfather Franja was a coachman, tamburitza musician and bon viveur. After a brief adventure in local Sombor theatre, he headed for Belgrade, in age of 19, to enter the drama academy, and started singing in Belgrade kafanas to earn for living, and he found himself in this job. His first solo concert was held at Kalemegdan terrace. In 1971, he recorded "Hej salaši na severu Bačke", the song he would be forever remembered for. From 1972, he performed with Janika Balázs' orchestra on Novi Sad's Petrovaradin fortress, a hallmark of tamburitza...
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