Zlatni Dečaci | |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | The Tigers, Golden Boys |
| Origin | Belgrade,SR Serbia,SFR Yugoslavia |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1962-1967 |
| Labels | Fontana Records,Jugoton |
| Spinoffs | Tomi Sovilj i Njegove Siluete,Korni Grupa |
| Past members | Boba Stefanović Velibor Kacl Predrag Lukić Dušan Banović Vidoje Brajović Gradimir Janković Moma Davidović |
Zlatni Dečaci (Serbian Cyrillic: Златни дечаци, trans.The Golden Boys) were aYugoslavrock band formed inBelgrade in 1962. The band were one of the pioneers of theYugoslav rock scene.
At the beginning of their career the band performed covers of foreign hits andinstrumental versions ofclassical pieces. With their instrumental tracks they gained attention of aDutch record label, releasing their debut record in the Netherlands, thus becoming the first Yugoslav rock band to release a record for the foreign market. In Yugoslavia the band enjoyed large mainstream popularity, being one of the most popular Yugoslav bands of the 1960s. The band's frontmanSlobodan "Boba" Stefanović left Zlatni Dečaci in 1967, the group disbanding soon after. After his departure from the band, Stefanović would start a successful career as apop singer and composer.
The band was formed in 1962 by high school friendsSlobodan "Boba" Stefanović (vocals), Velibor "Borko" Kacl (guitar), Predrag Lukić (organ), Dušan Banović (drums) and Vidoje "Vili" Brajović (bass guitar).[1] All the forming members went to the same class in Belgrade's 14th Gymnasium.[2] Initially the band was named The Tigers, because they, as they stated in an interview, "wanted a scary name which would be easily remembered and which would frighten the competition".[2] They decided to change their name after the suggestion by nationalchess champion andradio personalityNikola Karaklajić, who did much to promote rock music in Yugoslavia.[1] When Karaklajić made a visit to their school, they were introduced to him by their principal Stanijka Radošević, who described them to Karaklajić as "zlatni dečaci" (literally "golden boys", also an expression meaning "good kids"). After Karaklajić suggestion, they adopted this as the band's new name.[2] Initially the band held rehearsals in their school'sgym. They had their first live appearance after only two months of rehearsals, on a celebration in their school.[3]
Soon after, in February 1963, the band got an invitation to perform on Sundaydances in Belgrade club Euridika.[3] The band rehearsed in the club. The members of Saša Radojčić'sjazz trio also held their rehearsals in the club, and would occasionally give some lessons and advice to the members of Zlatni Dečaci.[3] On the dances held at Euridika, Stefanović performed both with Zlatni Dečaci and with Saša Radojčić's jazz trio.[1] Initially Zlatni Dečaci performed in yellow shirts with a "ZD" emblem, and later got black and gold suites, while Banović played a set of gold-colored drums.[3] Vocalists Moma Davidović andTomi Sovilj performed with the band occasionally, but after some time Stefanović remained the band's only vocalist.[1] The band gained large popularity, so, in 1964, they played as abacking band for singerMiki Jevremović on his highly successful EP18 žutih ruža (18 Yellow Roses).[1] They started to perform regularly in Gradski podrum club, and in 1964 they performed, alongside Safiri,Iskre, Lutalice and Ivanka Pavlović & Valjevski Dečaci onParada ritma (Parade of Rhythm), the first rock festival held in Yugoslavia and arguably the first rock festival in acommunist country.[4]
Zlatni Dečaci wanted to break through to Yugoslav radio stations, which were at the time reserved towardsbeat music, so they started recording beat covers ofclassical music pieces.[1] Karaklajić took those recordings to theNetherlands, where he participated in achess tournament, managing to persuade local radio stations to broadcast them.[1] This got the editors of Dutch labelFontana Records interested in the band.[1] For Fontana Records the band, under the name Golden Boys, released the single "Swan Lake" (a version of atheme fromPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky'soperaSwan Lake) and "Humoresque" (a version ofa humoresque byAntonín Dvořák),[1] thus becoming the first Yugoslav rock band to release a record for the foreign market.[5][6] A year later, in 1966, those two recordings, alongside versions of a theme fromCharles Gounod's operaFaust andIon Ivanovici'swaltz "Waves of the Danube", were released by Yugoslav record labelJugoton on theEPHumoreska (Humoresque).[1] With these compositions the band gained nationwide popularity and soon started performing across Yugoslavia.[1] However, a part of the public criticized the fact that uneducated musicians performed and recorded classical music.[7] On the other hand, a part of Yugoslav rock musicians in interviews accused Zlatni Dečaci of pandering to broad audience with their covers of classical pieces.[8] This did not affect the band's popularity; they held sold-out concerts in Euridika club, appeared on Yugoslav television on numerous occasions and recorded over 20 tunes forRadio Belgrade.[5]
In April 1966, thanks to Karaklajić, Zlatni Dečaci performed inGreat Britain, where Karaklajić participated in a chess tournament.[1] In order to acquirevisas for Zlatni Dečaci more easily, he presented the band members as young chess players.[1] In Great Britain the band held several performances. They performed inBognor Regis in front of some 1,500 people. They performed covers of rock hits, but their cover ofMacedonian folk song "Jovano Jovanke" saw greatest success with the audience.[1] Upon returning home, the band released their second EP. It featured the songs "Čudna devojka" ("Strange Girl", a cover ofMarty Robbins' song "Devil Woman"), "Sadko" (a theme fromNikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's operaSadko), "Napušteni dom" ("Deserted Home", a cover ofThe Four Pennies song "A Place Where No One Goes"), and "Foxtrot Oriental".[1] The single was sold in more than 100,000 copies.[1] During this year the band also appeared in the TV showKoncert za ludi mladi svet (Concert for Crazy Young People), performing an instrumental version ofGioachino Rossini'sWilliam Tell Overture. In a video recorded for the show, the members of the band played while riding horses.[9] Later that year Brajović left the band, and was replaced by Gradimir Janković.[1]
In 1967, the band released their third and the final EP with the songs "Sam" ("Alone", a cover ofBobby Vinton song "Mr. Lonely"), "Samo ti" ("Only You", a cover ofThe Who song "It's Not True"), "Pamtim taj dan" ("I Remember the Day", a cover of the song "Skokiaan" written byAugust Msarurgwa), and "Ne želim kraj" ("I Don't Want the End to Come", a cover ofThe Zombies song "Kind of Girl").[10] In 1967 the band also played as the backing band for the singer Zlatko Golubović on his EPOp hop[10] and recorded the songs "Ti, samo ti" ("You, Only You") and "Jovano Jovanke" forVladan Slijepčević's filmWhere to After the Rain?. The songs from the film were released by Jugoton on aflexi disc entitledMuzika iz filma Kuda posle kiše (Music from the Film Where to After the Rain?).[10]
At the time of these releases, the group was going through a crisis. The band members themselves admitted in interviews that their studies distanced them from each other, and a part of youth press wrote that the band lost contact with younger audience.[11] Soon after he appeared on the Belgrade Spring festival without the band, Stefanović left Zlatni Dečaci.[12] Lukić left the band soon after.[12] Kacl, Banović and Janković continued to perform with the vocalist Moma Davidović for a while, but soon ended their activity.[1]
Stefanović started a successful career as apop music singer and composer, recording five studio albums 29 EPs and 7" singles, winning numerous awards at Yugoslav and international pop music festivals.[10] He graduated at the BelgradeFaculty of Dramatic Arts.[10] He wrote the bookPrva ljubav Dušana Silnog (First Love ofDušan the Mighty), which he illustrated with his own paintings, which was released with the music Stefanović composed as the soundtrack to the story.[10] In 2015 he died in Belgrade, at the age of 69.[13]
In 1968 Kacl joined the newly formed bandKorni Grupa.[10] After leaving Korni Grupa, he retired from music.[10] He died in acar accident in 1984.[10] Banović would for a while perform with the bandDžentlmeni.[14]
Moma Davidović moved toFrance, where he recorded several 7" singles under the names David Colsberry and David Loris.[10]
Brajović moved to theUnited States.[10] He self-released a CD with all the recordings made by Zlatni Dečaci in a limited number of copies.[10] He wrote the bookAlbum sa sličicama iz mog života (Album with Pictures from My Life), originally published inWashington, D.C. (1985), and later in Belgrade (2000).[10]
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