Tomi Sovilj i Njegove Siluete
Encyclopedia
Tomi Sovilj i Njegove Siluete (Serbian Cyrillic: Томи Совиљ и Његове Силуете; trans. Tommy Sovilj and His Silhouettes) were a Serbia
n and former Yugoslav beat
group from Belgrade
, notable for being one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav rock scene.
(The Golden Boys). On Autumn of the same year, he had become the member of Siluete
(The Silhouettes), but on mid-1964 he left the band, forming a band also called Siluete. For a while, there were two groups working under the same name, but the case was settled after a court verdict after which Sovilj lost the right to use the name. However, he did manage to keep the name somewhat similar by renaming it to Tomi Sovilj i Njegove Siluete.
At the time, the band beside him featured the former Bele Zvezde members Slobodan Saničanin (guitar), Branislav Rakočević (bass), Milorad Tomić (guitar) and Ðino Maljoković (drums). Later on, the band members were also Tomislav Ðurković (rhythm guitar), Boba Voratović (bass) and Hamadija Vladović (drums). Owing to their attractive performances, they had become one of the most popular live acts in Belgrade, which provided them with often live performances at the Belgrade Mažestik hotel tea parties and at the cafe bar Terazije.
In 1966, the band released their debut EP
Vule bule through Diskos, featuring the songs "Vule bule", a cover version of the Sam The Sham and The Pharaos
song "Wooly Bully
", "Hej, o Slupi", a cover of The McCoys
song "Hang On Sloopy
", "Džini Džini", a cover Little Richard
's "Jenny, Jenny", all three having lyrics rewritten in Serbian language
, and a cover of the starogradska muzika
standard "Za jedan časak radosti" ("For a Moment of Joy"), written by Darko Kraljić. The release had been sold in more than fifty thousand copies, thus becoming a silver record.
On Autumn of the same year, Sovilj went to serve the Yugoslav People's Army
, and was replaced by the former Juniori (The Juniors) vocalist Dušan Prelević. On his return, the band released their second EP Stoj Džoni featuring the title track, a cover version of Chuck Berry
's "Johnny B. Goode
", which had also reached high sales and went silver. After the EP release, the band popularity had slowly decreased and Sovilj disbanded the band in 1970.
military music compilation album Kad truba zove (When the Trumpet is Calling) in 1974, and his last live appearance was at the Rock naše mladosti (Rock of Our Youth) concert held at the Belgrade Dom Sindikata on December 1985. He had moved to Switzerland
where he currently lives.
n garage rock
/punk rock
band Partibrejkers
on their eponymous debut album
in 1985. On February 1992, as guest on the Partibrejkers concert at the Belgrade SKC appeared Johnny Depp
, an actor and former The Kids and Rock City Angels
member, performing "Stoj Džoni" with the band. The song "Vule bule" was covered by the Serbian alternative rock
band Bjesovi
on their debut album U osvit zadnjeg dana
(At Dawn of the Last Day) in 1991.
Both "Stoj Džoni" and "Vule bule" were included on the six CD box set Kad je rock bio mlad (When Rock Was Young), featuring the selected recordings of the pioneering Yugoslav rock bands, on the CD Priča sa istočne strane (1956-1970) (The Story from the East Side (1956-1970)), released by Croatia Records
in 2005.
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n and former Yugoslav beat
Beat music
Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a pop and rock music genre that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1960s. Beat music is a fusion of rock and roll, doo wop, skiffle, R&B and soul...
group from 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...
, notable for being one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav rock scene.
History
Vocalist Tomislav "Tomi" Sovilj, born in Belgrade in 1941, started his career in 1963 at the dance parties held by Zlatni DečaciZlatni Dečaci
Zlatni Dečaci were a former Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade, notable as one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav rock scene.- History :...
(The Golden Boys). On Autumn of the same year, he had become the member of Siluete
Siluete
Siluete was a former Yugoslav and Serbian rock band from Belgrade, notable for being one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav rock scene.-1961 - 1971:...
(The Silhouettes), but on mid-1964 he left the band, forming a band also called Siluete. For a while, there were two groups working under the same name, but the case was settled after a court verdict after which Sovilj lost the right to use the name. However, he did manage to keep the name somewhat similar by renaming it to Tomi Sovilj i Njegove Siluete.
At the time, the band beside him featured the former Bele Zvezde members Slobodan Saničanin (guitar), Branislav Rakočević (bass), Milorad Tomić (guitar) and Ðino Maljoković (drums). Later on, the band members were also Tomislav Ðurković (rhythm guitar), Boba Voratović (bass) and Hamadija Vladović (drums). Owing to their attractive performances, they had become one of the most popular live acts in Belgrade, which provided them with often live performances at the Belgrade Mažestik hotel tea parties and at the cafe bar Terazije.
In 1966, the band 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...
Vule bule through Diskos, featuring the songs "Vule bule", a cover version of the Sam The Sham and The Pharaos
Sam the Sham
Sam the Sham is the stage name of the American rock and roll singer Domingo “Sam” Samudio . Sam the Sham was known for his camp robe and turban and hauling his equipment in a 1952 Packard hearse with maroon velvet curtains...
song "Wooly Bully
Wooly Bully
"Wooly Bully" is a popular song originally recorded by novelty rock 'n' roll band Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs in 1965. Based on a standard 12-bar blues progression, it was written by the band's leader, Domingo "Sam" Samudio. It was released as a single on the Memphis-based Pen label and...
", "Hej, o Slupi", a cover of The McCoys
The McCoys
The McCoys were a rock group that started in Union City, Indiana, in 1962.-Career:The original members, all from Union City, were guitarist Richard Zehringer , his brother Randy on drums, and bassist Dennis Kelly. This first line-up was known as The Rick Z Combo, and later known as Rick and the...
song "Hang On Sloopy
Hang on Sloopy
"Hang on Sloopy" is a song by the pop group The McCoys which was #1 in America in October 1965 and is the official rock song of the state of Ohio and The Ohio State University...
", "Džini Džini", a cover Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
's "Jenny, Jenny", all three having lyrics rewritten 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....
, and a cover of the starogradska muzika
Starogradska muzika
Starogradska muzika is an urban traditional folk music of Macedonia and Serbia.-In Serbia:...
standard "Za jedan časak radosti" ("For a Moment of Joy"), written by Darko Kraljić. The release had been sold in more than fifty thousand copies, thus becoming a silver record.
On Autumn of the same year, Sovilj went to serve the Yugoslav People's Army
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can...
, and was replaced by the former Juniori (The Juniors) vocalist Dušan Prelević. On his return, the band released their second EP Stoj Džoni featuring the title track, a cover version of Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
's "Johnny B. Goode
Johnny B. Goode
"Johnny B. Goode" is a 1958 rock and roll song written and originally performed by American musician Chuck Berry. The song was a major hit among both black and white audiences peaking at #2 on Billboard magazine's Hot R&B Sides chart and #8 on the Billboard Hot 100.The song is one of Chuck Berry's...
", which had also reached high sales and went silver. After the EP release, the band popularity had slowly decreased and Sovilj disbanded the band in 1970.
Post-breakup
After the band disbandment, Sovilj recorded a solo single "Nojeva barka" ("Noah's Arc"), with "Plava pesma" ("A Blue Song") as the single B-side, released by Diskos in 1970. Afterward, he had moved to the United States where he performed at local clubs. His last recording was the song "Veseli vod" ("A Cheerful Squad"), released on the PGP-RTBPGP-RTB
PGP-RTB was a major record label and chain record store in the former SFR Yugoslavia based in Belgrade, Socialist Republic of Serbia. PGP-RTB was established in 1958...
military music compilation album Kad truba zove (When the Trumpet is Calling) in 1974, and his last live appearance was at the Rock naše mladosti (Rock of Our Youth) concert held at the Belgrade Dom Sindikata on December 1985. He had moved to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
where he currently lives.
Legacy
The song "Stoj Džoni" was covered by SerbiaSerbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
/punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Partibrejkers
Partibrejkers
Partibrejkers is a prominent Serbian rock band from Belgrade, as well as an acclaimed act of the former Yugoslav rock scene....
on their eponymous debut album
Partibrejkers I
- Personnel :Partibrejkers* Goran Bulatović "Manzanera" — drums, percussion* Ljubiša Kostadinović "Ljuba" — guitar* Nebojša Antonijević "Anton" — organ, guitar, percussion, artwork by* Zoran Kostić "Cane" — vocals, percussionAdditional personnel...
in 1985. On February 1992, as guest on the Partibrejkers concert at the Belgrade SKC appeared Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp
John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
, an actor and former The Kids and Rock City Angels
Rock City Angels
The Rock City Angels started out in the early 1980s as the punk rock band "The Abusers", the product of singer Bobby Bondage and original bassist Andy Panik's chance meeting at a late night showing of the movie "The Decline of Western Civilization" ....
member, performing "Stoj Džoni" with the band. The song "Vule bule" was covered by the Serbian alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Bjesovi
Bjesovi
Bjesovi are a Serbian grunge/alternative rock band from Gornji Milanovac.- Formation and breakup :...
on their debut album U osvit zadnjeg dana
U osvit zadnjeg dana
U osvit zadnjeg dana is the debut album by the Serbian rock band Bjesovi, released in 1991.- Tracklisting :All tracks by Goran Marić and Zoran Marinković except where noted....
(At Dawn of the Last Day) in 1991.
Both "Stoj Džoni" and "Vule bule" were included on the six CD box set Kad je rock bio mlad (When Rock Was Young), featuring the selected recordings of the pioneering Yugoslav rock bands, on the CD Priča sa istočne strane (1956-1970) (The Story from the East Side (1956-1970)), released by Croatia Records
Croatia Records
Croatia Records is the largest major record label in Croatia, based in Dubrava in Zagreb.-Summary:Croatia Records d.d. is a joint stock company currently led by the Chairman of the Board of directors Želimir Babogredac, a notable sound engineer...
in 2005.
Other appearances
- "Stoj Džoni" / "Vule bule" (Kad je rock bio mlad: Priča sa istočne strane (1956-1970); 2005)
External links
- Tomi Sovilj i Njegove Siluete at YoutubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Tomi Sovilj i Njegove Siluete at Last.fmLast.fmLast.fm is a music website, founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. It has claimed 30 million active users in March 2009. On 30 May 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for UK£140m ....