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About Zvonko Bogdan

Guardian of our memories

Zvonko Bogdan was born in Sombor on 5 January 1942. He grew up on a farm of his grand-father, where he spent the time until his school period, and as it turned out, the most beautiful part of his childhood and life. The memories of those days are still vivid and of bright colors.

Zvonko Bogdan could be an actor, but he chose music. Besides being known as a performer, he is also a composer, poet and one of the best trainers and drivers of trotting horses in the former Yugoslavia and Serbia. Besides the horses, the letter carrier pigeons are his love as well.

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All compositions of Zvonko Bogdan are related to his significant moments, people and events.

In 1971 he wrote one of his first songs – “Ej salaši na severu Bačke” (eng. “Hey farms in the north of Backa”). Followed by: “Govori se da me varaš” (eng. “It is spoken that you are cheatingon me”) (devoted to his uncle), “Već odavno spremam svog mrkova” (eng. “I am preparing my eclipses for a long time”), “Ne mogu se tačno setit leta” (eng. “I cannot remember exactly the summer”), “Jedan stari kontrabas” (eng. “An old double bass”) “Markova čežnja” (eng. “Marko’s Desire”), “Otvori prozor ljubavi moja” (eng. “Open the window, my love”), “Tamburice moja” (eng. “My tambura”), “Prošle su mnoge ljubavi” (eng. “There have passed many loves”) (dedicated to his daughter Evelina), “Život teče u laganom ritmu” (eng. ”Life goes on in slow rhythm”) ...

Zvonko Bogdan has recorded 11 LPs, 5 single records and lots of cassettes and CDs in various editions. He has most of recordings with the Tambura orchestra of Radio Television of Vojvodina (formerly Tambura Orchestra of Radio of Novi Sad, under the direction of Janika Balaz).

He has worked with orchestras such as “Veseli Vojvođani” (eng. “Merry people from Vojvodina”) under the direction of Lucijan Petrovic and zimbalist Mirce Ardeljanu from Romania, Orchestra of Radio Belgrade under the direction of Ljubisa Pavkovic, Orchestra of Branko Belobrk ...

Crown of musical creativity of Zvonko Bogdan is his LP recorded in 1974 with the best Primate of Hungary, Sandor Lakatos.

In the last few decades, Zvonko Bogdan mostly performs with tambura players from Radio of Novi Sad. He had sporadic performances with “Zagrebačkim tamburašima” (eng. Tambura players from Zagreb) from Croatia, as well as with tambura players from Subotica called “Hajo” and “Ravnica” (eng. Plain).

He participated in hundreds of charity concerts.

Zvonko Bogdan has received countless awards and recognitions:

- 1976 - Golden Badge of Tourist Association of the City of Belgrade for the best entertainer;
- 2007 - The “Pro urbe” Suboticaaward;
- 2007 - Silver Award for the album “Koteima, tajtenema” (eng. “Who has you, doesn’t have you indeed”);
- 2009 - Special Recognition of the European Alliance of Tambura music (Kumanovo);
- 2011 – Subotica’s Oskar of popularity awarded Zvonko Bogdan a special plaque and a medal as the most popular “son of the Pannonian Plain” and the “legend of the earth.”

Others about Zvonko Bogdan:

Lucijan Petrovic: “A star that does not darken ...”

LjubisaPavkovic: “All I remembered him is the beauty of God ..."

Dzeri Grcevic: “He gives people hope...“