Crni Biseri
Encyclopedia
Crni Biseri was a former Yugoslav rock band
, notable as one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav rock scene.
, and was named after Toma Janić's film Crni biseri (Black Pearls) which dealt with juvenile delinquency
. The band consisted of Goran Vukićević (acoustic guitar
, keyboards, accordion
and harmonica
), Dragan "Krcko" Jovanović (drums
) and Božović brothers, Ivan (guitar
) and Slavko (saxophone
). In the beginning, the band performed without a bass guitar
ist, but were soon joined by the bassist and singer Vladimir Janković, also known as "Vlada Džet", who got his nickname ("Džet" being a transliteration
for Jet) after The Shadows
bass guitarist Jet Harris
. The band was soon joined by the singer Radan Valčić. This lineup of the band performed until the Autumn of 1965, when they moved to rhythm and blues
and started performing in the following lineup: Goran Vukićević (guitar), Vlada Džet (bass guitar, vocals), Zoran Petković (rhythm guitar), Radan Valčić (vocals) and Dragan "Krcko" Jovanović (drums).
Crni Biseri released their debut EP
in April 1966, featuring Vlada Džet's song "Ne odlazi", which was the result of the band's desire to be one of the first former Yugoslav bands to record their own songs instead of cover versions. The B-side featured a cover of Manfred Mann
's "Pretty Flamingo
", with lyrics in Serbian language
entitled "Lepi flamingo". The band won the first place on second Gitarijada festival held at the Belgrade
Sajmište
(not to be confused with Gitarijada
festival held in Zaječar
). At the time Jovanović left the band and was replaced by Jovan "Kića" Ljubisavljević (later a Vlada Džet Band member). In 1968, Valčić left the band and was replaced by a former Duka & Čavke frontman Nenad Dukić. Dukić was a band member for only three months, and provided vocals for three cover songs released on the band's second EP (the fourth song, "Nisam više taj" was previously recorded with Valčić). After Dukić's departure, Valčić returned to the band and remained the band's frontman until 1970, when he was replaced by the former Juniori vocalist Dragan Baletić. During 1973, the band made a break in their work due to Džet's and Baletić's army obligations.
After Vlada Džet's and Baletić's return from the army, the band continued their activity without Petković. For a certain time the keyboardist Dragan Batalo performed with the band, but was soon replaced by the keyboardist and singer Dragan Rajičević (a former Juniori member). In October 1976, Ljubisavljević left the band due to his army obligations and was replaced by a former Plavi Dečaci, Duka & Čavke, Džentlmeni
, YU grupa
, Opus
and Dah
member Velibor "Boka" Bogdanović. Having released their only full-length studio album, Motorok, and the single "Ti si uvek htela sve", Dragan Baletić left the band and was replaced by a former Op Cup member Branislav "Cile" Živančević. In 1977. the band recorded a single featuring the songs "Hush Hush Maria" and "Night In Casablanca" under the name Denis. Three years later, on January 1, 1980, Crni Biseri officially disbanded.
. The following year, the compilation album Crni Biseri was released, featuring previously unreleased songs "Mesto pod suncem", which is the band's first studio recording, "Moja draga", "Kamena vizija", "Hey girl".
's film The Girl in the Park. They wrote songs for the plays of the Belgrade Drama Theatre.
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
, notable as one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav rock scene.
1963 - 1980
The band was formed in 1963 in BelgradeBelgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, and was named after Toma Janić's film Crni biseri (Black Pearls) which dealt with juvenile delinquency
Juvenile delinquency
Juvenile delinquency is participation in illegal behavior by minors who fall under a statutory age limit. Most legal systems prescribe specific procedures for dealing with juveniles, such as juvenile detention centers. There are a multitude of different theories on the causes of crime, most if not...
. The band consisted of Goran Vukićević (acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, keyboards, accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
and harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
), Dragan "Krcko" Jovanović (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
) and Božović brothers, Ivan (guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
) and Slavko (saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
). In the beginning, the band performed without a bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
ist, but were soon joined by the bassist and singer Vladimir Janković, also known as "Vlada Džet", who got his nickname ("Džet" being a transliteration
Transliteration
Transliteration is a subset of the science of hermeneutics. It is a form of translation, and is the practice of converting a text from one script into another...
for Jet) after The Shadows
The Shadows
The Shadows are a British pop group with a total of 69 UK hit-charted singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s. Cliff Richard in casual conversation with the British rock press frequently refers to the Shadows by their nickname: 'The Shads'...
bass guitarist Jet Harris
Jet Harris
Jet Harris, MBE was an English musician. He was the bass guitarist of The Shadows until April 1962, and had subsequent success as a soloist and as a duo with the drummer Tony Meehan....
. The band was soon joined by the singer Radan Valčić. This lineup of the band performed until the Autumn of 1965, when they moved to rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
and started performing in the following lineup: Goran Vukićević (guitar), Vlada Džet (bass guitar, vocals), Zoran Petković (rhythm guitar), Radan Valčić (vocals) and Dragan "Krcko" Jovanović (drums).
Crni Biseri released their debut EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
in April 1966, featuring Vlada Džet's song "Ne odlazi", which was the result of the band's desire to be one of the first former Yugoslav bands to record their own songs instead of cover versions. The B-side featured a cover of Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann was a British beat, rhythm and blues and pop band of the 1960s, named after their South African keyboardist, Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band...
's "Pretty Flamingo
Pretty Flamingo
"Pretty Flamingo" is a song written by Mark Barkan, which became a hit in 1966 when Manfred Mann's recording of it was released as a single. The single reached number one in the UK singles chart on 5 May 1966....
", with lyrics in Serbian language
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
entitled "Lepi flamingo". The band won the first place on second Gitarijada festival held at the Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
Sajmište
Staro Sajmište
Staro Sajmište is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Novi Beograd and it was the site of the World War II Sajmište concentration camp ....
(not to be confused with Gitarijada
Gitarijada
Gitarijada is a musical festival held in Zaječar, Serbia in order to promote demo bands. Held since 1969, Gitarijada is one of the longest lasting festivals in Serbia and in South Eastern Europe and the largest festival of young and unsinged bands in South Eastern Europe...
festival held in Zaječar
Zajecar
Zaječar is a city and municipality in the eastern part of Serbia. According to the 2011 census the town has a population of 36,830, and its coordinates are 43.91° North, 22.30° East...
). At the time Jovanović left the band and was replaced by Jovan "Kića" Ljubisavljević (later a Vlada Džet Band member). In 1968, Valčić left the band and was replaced by a former Duka & Čavke frontman Nenad Dukić. Dukić was a band member for only three months, and provided vocals for three cover songs released on the band's second EP (the fourth song, "Nisam više taj" was previously recorded with Valčić). After Dukić's departure, Valčić returned to the band and remained the band's frontman until 1970, when he was replaced by the former Juniori vocalist Dragan Baletić. During 1973, the band made a break in their work due to Džet's and Baletić's army obligations.
After Vlada Džet's and Baletić's return from the army, the band continued their activity without Petković. For a certain time the keyboardist Dragan Batalo performed with the band, but was soon replaced by the keyboardist and singer Dragan Rajičević (a former Juniori member). In October 1976, Ljubisavljević left the band due to his army obligations and was replaced by a former Plavi Dečaci, Duka & Čavke, Džentlmeni
Džentlmeni
Džentlmeni were a Serbian beat band from Belgrade.- Band formation and split :...
, YU grupa
YU grupa
YU grupa is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. One of the pioneers in combining rock music with the elements of the traditional music of the Balkans, YU grupa is considered the longest-lasting rock band to come from Serbia....
, Opus
Opus (progressive rock band)
-Band history:The band was formed in Belgrade in 1973 by Miodrag "Mive" Okrugić , Miodrag "Bata" Kostić and Dušan Ćućuz . The band got their name after the song "Opus No...
and Dah
Dah (band)
Dah was a former Yugoslav/Belgian progressive rock band. Originally formed in Yugoslavia in 1972, the band, in 1975, moved to Belgium and changed the name to Land...
member Velibor "Boka" Bogdanović. Having released their only full-length studio album, Motorok, and the single "Ti si uvek htela sve", Dragan Baletić left the band and was replaced by a former Op Cup member Branislav "Cile" Živančević. In 1977. the band recorded a single featuring the songs "Hush Hush Maria" and "Night In Casablanca" under the name Denis. Three years later, on January 1, 1980, Crni Biseri officially disbanded.
Reunion
In 1997, the band reunited with vocalists Dragan Baletić and Branislav Živančević in order to perform in the club Crna Maca in ZemunZemun
Zemun is a historical town and one of the 17 municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia...
. The following year, the compilation album Crni Biseri was released, featuring previously unreleased songs "Mesto pod suncem", which is the band's first studio recording, "Moja draga", "Kamena vizija", "Hey girl".
Theatre and film activities
Crni Biseri appeared in Žika Pavlović's film Kad budem mrtav i beo and in Stole JankovićStole Janković
Stole Janković was a Serbian film director and screenwriter.In a career spanning more than two decades between the late 1950s and early 1980s Janković is mainly known for directing a number of partisan films and television series produced by Avala Film and Radio Television...
's film The Girl in the Park. They wrote songs for the plays of the Belgrade Drama Theatre.
Singles
- "Moja mala ledi" / "Moj svet nije tvoj svet" (1968)
- "Tražimo sunce" / "Ram-dam-dam" (1969)
- "Poučna priča / "Čekanje" (1970)
- "Ona zna" / "Povratak" (1972)
- "Lutalica" / "Pismo devojci" (1973)
- "Večiti rok" / "Želim" (1975)
- "Dar-mar" / "Šta ću sad" (1975)
- "Džudi, Džudi" / "Nikada" (1976)
- "Mlinarev sin" / "Tiho muzika svira" (1976)
- "Ti si uvek htela sve" / "Moj brat i ja" (1977)
- "Katarina (Ne želi da živi više sa mnom)" / "Moreplovac" (1977)
- "Aspirin" / "Susret na uglu" (1978)
- "Tašta" / "Zimski dan" (1979)
Band members
- Goran Vukićević - guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards, accordion, harmonica (1963–1980)
- Ivan Božović - guitar (1963–1965)
- Slavko Božović - saxophone (1963–1965)
- Dragan Jovanović "Krcko" - drums (1963–1968)
- Vladimir Janković "Vlada Džet" - bass guitar, vocals (1964–1980)
- Radan Valčić - vocals (1964–1968); / (1968–1970)
- Zoran Petković - guitar (1965–1973)
- Jovan Ljubisavljević "Kića" - drums (1968–1976)
- Nenad Dukić - vocals (1968)
- Dragan Baletić - vocals (1970–1977)
- Dragan Batalo - keyboards (1974)
- Dragan Rajičević - keyboards, vocals (1975–1980)
- Velibor Bogdanović "Boka" - drums (1976–1980)
- Branislav Živančević "Cile" - vocals (1977–1980)