Toma Zdravkovic
Encyclopedia
Toma Zdravković was a famous Yugoslav folk singer from Serbia
.
Toma Zdravković was an outstanding figure on Serbian folk scene; a bohemian
and a poet
, he lived up to his sad songs. The songs, although having the form of Serbian folk music, had spirit of chanson
s. He had a characteristic vocal, not too powerful but warm, resembling the one of Charles Aznavour
. The violin
underlined the melancholic atmosphere in most songs. Most of the lyrics
were written by Zdravković, devoted to unfortunate love, and love-suffering while drinking and singing in omnipresent kafana
s. He married four times, and settled only with his fourth wife Gordana in the late years.
Some of Zdravković's most renowned songs are Prokleta je ova nedelja ("Damn this Sunday"), Dotak'o sam dno života ("I Touched the Bottom of Life"), Ostala je samo uspomena ("Only a Memory Remained"), Pustite me da živim svoj život ("Let me live my own life") and testimonial Pesme moje ("My songs").
, Kingdom of Yugoslavia
. He had four siblings, and grew up in poverty. There was a high rate of unemployment in his village, and when he turned out 18 years old, he decided to look for a job as a singer in the town of Leskovac
. But, he didn't have any friends to help him find a job or someone who could make him a singer. In his biography book, it is mentioned that a popular Bosnian singer Silvana Armenulić
met him in a park in Leskovac
, and she liked him, helped him out and eventually Zdravković succeeded and became a singer in a kafana in Leskovac
called "Dubočica". His specific voice was interesting to hear and he became popular in the town. He wanted to see if people in other towns will like him, too, so he moved to Tuzla
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
where he sang in the Bristol hotel. His shows were sold out every single night, and he started thinking of composing songs by himself.
- Essagerata
- Žena moga druga (La Femme De Mon Ami)
- Deca Zemlje (Enfants De Tous Pays)
- Što te večeras nema
Three songs, "Essagerata", "Žena moga druga" and "Deca naše zemlje", were actually just translations of foreign songs of authors Neil Sedaka
and Enrico Macias
, but the song "Što te večeras nema" was composed and written by Zdravković, and it was his first published self-written song. His actual first written song was "Andjela", which was released later, in 1968.
Although he expected a major boom, there was almost no response from the audience and Toma was hugely disappointed.
But, he continued releasing albums and continuously changed places, kafana
s and hotels where he was the "house singer". He sang all over Yugoslavia
, from Bosnia to Serbia
, Montenegro
, Macedonia
and even Croatia
.
In 1964, his first true love, a girl named Slavica which Toma loved, although she cheated on him, died aged 20 after a tough disease. Zdravković was shocked, and wrote a song named "Buket belih ruža" ("A buquet of white roses"), but published it years later, and the song is still considered his saddest song, and one of the most depressing songs in Yugoslavian music history.
But still, he did not achieve the so wanted fame with his own songs. Until 1969, when he attended the "Ilidža 1969" music festival, and won the second place with the song "Odlazi, odlazi" written by Blagoje Kašanin. Later, around 100,000 copies of the album were sold. And, when Zdravković wrote a song for his friend, Meho Puzić
, and it sold around 500,000 (some sources say even 700,000) copies, Zdravković knew it will not be long until he made it to the big ones.
In 1969, he and Silvana Armenulić
sang in the same group, and Zdravković, to express his gratitude to her for helping him out, wrote the song "Šta će mi život".
The song became one of the biggest folk hits ever written in Yugoslavia and transformed Silvana Armenulić
, and Zdravković himself, into superstars. But Armenulić's life ironically ended seven years later.
Zdravković later published his own version of the song.
One of his most famous songs is "Kafana je moja sudbina" ( Bar is my destiny ). It is also maybe the most famous Serbian Bohemian song of all times. You can still hear that song in Serbian clubs and bars over the country.
s and hotels across Yugoslavia
. In 1982, he held his first concert in the Belgrade "Dom sindikata", after 26 year of singing. His major hits like "Danka", "Ciganka" ("A little Gypsy girl"), "Prokleta je ova nedelja" ("Damn this Sunday") and many others finally came to life, and with cassettes being introduced to the public, music was available to more people.
He started receiving different all kinds of offers; He acted in the movie "Balkan Express
" and in the TV series "Doktorka na Selu".
He organized a few concert tours around Yugoslavia and maintained the fame he gained. In the last years of his life he sang a lot, and enjoyed the singing as if he knew it would be over soon. He held his last concert in Titograd (now Podgorica
), Montenegro
, 20 days before he died.
, from prostate cancer. He is considered the last Serbian bohemian
, and one of the greatest Serbian singers of all time.
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...
.
Toma Zdravković was an outstanding figure on Serbian folk scene; a bohemian
Bohemianism
Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, with few permanent ties, involving musical, artistic or literary pursuits...
and a poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, he lived up to his sad songs. The songs, although having the form of Serbian folk music, had spirit of chanson
Chanson
A chanson is in general any lyric-driven French song, usually polyphonic and secular. A singer specialising in chansons is known as a "chanteur" or "chanteuse" ; a collection of chansons, especially from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, is also known as a chansonnier.-Chanson de geste:The...
s. He had a characteristic vocal, not too powerful but warm, resembling the one of Charles Aznavour
Charles Aznavour
Charles Aznavour, OC is an Armenian-French singer, songwriter, actor, public activist and diplomat. Besides being one of France's most popular and enduring singers, he is also one of the best-known singers in the world...
. The violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
underlined the melancholic atmosphere in most songs. Most of the lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
were written by Zdravković, devoted to unfortunate love, and love-suffering while drinking and singing in omnipresent kafana
Kafana
Kafana , kafeana , kavana are terms used in the former Yugoslav countries for a distinct type of local bistro which primarily serves alcoholic beverages and coffee , and which sometimes also has a live band.The concept of a social gathering place for men to drink...
s. He married four times, and settled only with his fourth wife Gordana in the late years.
Some of Zdravković's most renowned songs are Prokleta je ova nedelja ("Damn this Sunday"), Dotak'o sam dno života ("I Touched the Bottom of Life"), Ostala je samo uspomena ("Only a Memory Remained"), Pustite me da živim svoj život ("Let me live my own life") and testimonial Pesme moje ("My songs").
Biography
Zdravković was born in a village of Pečenjevce near LeskovacLeskovac
Leskovac is a city and municipality in southern Serbia. It is the administrative center of the Jablanica District of Serbia...
, Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
. He had four siblings, and grew up in poverty. There was a high rate of unemployment in his village, and when he turned out 18 years old, he decided to look for a job as a singer in the town of Leskovac
Leskovac
Leskovac is a city and municipality in southern Serbia. It is the administrative center of the Jablanica District of Serbia...
. But, he didn't have any friends to help him find a job or someone who could make him a singer. In his biography book, it is mentioned that a popular Bosnian singer Silvana Armenulić
Silvana Armenulic
Silvana Armenulić was one of the most prominent commercial folk music and traditional sevdalinka singers in former Yugoslavia...
met him in a park in Leskovac
Leskovac
Leskovac is a city and municipality in southern Serbia. It is the administrative center of the Jablanica District of Serbia...
, and she liked him, helped him out and eventually Zdravković succeeded and became a singer in a kafana in Leskovac
Leskovac
Leskovac is a city and municipality in southern Serbia. It is the administrative center of the Jablanica District of Serbia...
called "Dubočica". His specific voice was interesting to hear and he became popular in the town. He wanted to see if people in other towns will like him, too, so he moved to Tuzla
Tuzla
Tuzla is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the time of the 1991 census, it had 83,770 inhabitants, while the municipality 131,318. Taking the influx of refugees into account, the city is currently estimated to have 174,558 inhabitants...
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
where he sang in the Bristol hotel. His shows were sold out every single night, and he started thinking of composing songs by himself.
Music career
Zdravković's first album was named Essagerata, released in 1964. The album consisted of 4 songs:- Essagerata
- Žena moga druga (La Femme De Mon Ami)
- Deca Zemlje (Enfants De Tous Pays)
- Što te večeras nema
Three songs, "Essagerata", "Žena moga druga" and "Deca naše zemlje", were actually just translations of foreign songs of authors Neil Sedaka
Neil Sedaka
Neil Sedaka is an American pop/rock singer, pianist, and composer. His career has spanned nearly 55 years, during which time he has sold millions of records as an artist and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collaborating mostly with lyricists Howard...
and Enrico Macias
Enrico Macias
Gaston Ghrenassia, known by his stage name Enrico Macias, is an Algerian French Pied noir singer and musician...
, but the song "Što te večeras nema" was composed and written by Zdravković, and it was his first published self-written song. His actual first written song was "Andjela", which was released later, in 1968.
...The first time I saw the album was in the "Albanija" record store in Belgrade. I got in, too see if somebody would buy my album. And there were these 2 girls looking for an album, but the saleswoman did not know the song. "...something like: my friend, and a woman, and my friend again..." I realised that it was my album, "Le Femme De Mon Ami", from Enrico Macias. The saleswoman said that they don't have the album. It was a little unpleasant for me, since it was mine, but I knew that they did have it: "Up there, there it is," I said. The saleswoman put it on so they could listen to it. The girls were delighted. One of them commented, while holding and looking at the album cover: "It's true, he sings fine, but he is nasty!" I got out as quickly as I could, so they wouldn't recognize me...
Although he expected a major boom, there was almost no response from the audience and Toma was hugely disappointed.
But, he continued releasing albums and continuously changed places, kafana
Kafana
Kafana , kafeana , kavana are terms used in the former Yugoslav countries for a distinct type of local bistro which primarily serves alcoholic beverages and coffee , and which sometimes also has a live band.The concept of a social gathering place for men to drink...
s and hotels where he was the "house singer". He sang all over Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, from Bosnia to Serbia
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...
, Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
, Macedonia
Socialist Republic of Macedonia
The Socialist Republic of Macedonia was a socialist state that was a constituent country of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
and even Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
.
In 1964, his first true love, a girl named Slavica which Toma loved, although she cheated on him, died aged 20 after a tough disease. Zdravković was shocked, and wrote a song named "Buket belih ruža" ("A buquet of white roses"), but published it years later, and the song is still considered his saddest song, and one of the most depressing songs in Yugoslavian music history.
But still, he did not achieve the so wanted fame with his own songs. Until 1969, when he attended the "Ilidža 1969" music festival, and won the second place with the song "Odlazi, odlazi" written by Blagoje Kašanin. Later, around 100,000 copies of the album were sold. And, when Zdravković wrote a song for his friend, Meho Puzić
Meho Puzic
Meho Puzić was a famous sevdalinka performer from Bosnia and Herzegovina.-Discography:* 1971 - Jednom se živi* 1974 - Pusti majko jos veceras* 1979 - Majko, majko* 1979 - Šta cu kuci tako rano* 1980 - Pruži mi ruke ljubavi...
, and it sold around 500,000 (some sources say even 700,000) copies, Zdravković knew it will not be long until he made it to the big ones.
In 1969, he and Silvana Armenulić
Silvana Armenulic
Silvana Armenulić was one of the most prominent commercial folk music and traditional sevdalinka singers in former Yugoslavia...
sang in the same group, and Zdravković, to express his gratitude to her for helping him out, wrote the song "Šta će mi život".
...We met a lot, in different towns of Yugoslavia, and in 1969, we sang in the same band. I was already a well known and requested composer. She was completely down. She was depressed all the time and wanted me to write her a song. But what? All of my songs were inspired by my sympathies and love-life, but we were good ol' friends. I had no inspiration. Until one day, I went drinking with my friends, we were drunk for 3 days in a row, and the fourth day I woke up at a hotel, went down to the lounge, ordered a cup of coffee and just like that, i was hungover and wrote "Šta će mi život". I recorded the song in the studio and wanted to use it for a festival coming up, but when she heard it, she wanted to have it. And what could I do? It was her song, inspired by her life, and her problems. I gave her the song and it was a bingo. I wish i had never written it. She died 7 years later, it was like the song came true...
The song became one of the biggest folk hits ever written in Yugoslavia and transformed Silvana Armenulić
Silvana Armenulic
Silvana Armenulić was one of the most prominent commercial folk music and traditional sevdalinka singers in former Yugoslavia...
, and Zdravković himself, into superstars. But Armenulić's life ironically ended seven years later.
Zdravković later published his own version of the song.
One of his most famous songs is "Kafana je moja sudbina" ( Bar is my destiny ). It is also maybe the most famous Serbian Bohemian song of all times. You can still hear that song in Serbian clubs and bars over the country.
Breakdown
In 1972, he married for the third time and after a few months, the marriage broke. Zdravković fell into alcohol addiction and his old bohemian life, and near to dying. In two years, he spent all the money he earned in his 10-year music career. He decided for a move to Canada and a try of settling down. He met his last, fourth wife Gordana and later, his son Aleksandar was born. In 1978, he and his family decided for a move back to Yugoslavia for a new try.Return to Yugoslavia
Zdravković returned to Yugoslavia and published a song "Umoran sam od života" ("I am tired of living") and immediately became a best-selling artist again. He couldn't believe that the crowds didn't forget him and continued making hits and returned to singing in kafanaKafana
Kafana , kafeana , kavana are terms used in the former Yugoslav countries for a distinct type of local bistro which primarily serves alcoholic beverages and coffee , and which sometimes also has a live band.The concept of a social gathering place for men to drink...
s and hotels across Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. In 1982, he held his first concert in the Belgrade "Dom sindikata", after 26 year of singing. His major hits like "Danka", "Ciganka" ("A little Gypsy girl"), "Prokleta je ova nedelja" ("Damn this Sunday") and many others finally came to life, and with cassettes being introduced to the public, music was available to more people.
He started receiving different all kinds of offers; He acted in the movie "Balkan Express
Balkan Express
Balkan Express is a 1983 Yugoslavian film by director Branko Baletić. In this entertaining, clever satire, it is the beginning of World War II and a group of con artists and thieves decide to pose as musicians under the rubric "The Balkan Express"....
" and in the TV series "Doktorka na Selu".
He organized a few concert tours around Yugoslavia and maintained the fame he gained. In the last years of his life he sang a lot, and enjoyed the singing as if he knew it would be over soon. He held his last concert in Titograd (now Podgorica
Podgorica
Podgorica , is the capital and largest city of Montenegro.Podgorica's favourable position at the confluence of the Ribnica and Morača rivers and the meeting point of the fertile Zeta Plain and Bjelopavlići Valley has encouraged settlement...
), Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
, 20 days before he died.
"He sat all the time and at the end, he said: 'Your Toma Zdravković has just held his last concert.' The hall just fell in shock and 20 days after that, he died."
Death
Toma Zdravković died on September 30, 1991, aged 52, in Military Medical Academy, 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...
, from prostate cancer. He is considered the last Serbian bohemian
Bohemianism
Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, with few permanent ties, involving musical, artistic or literary pursuits...
, and one of the greatest Serbian singers of all time.
Discography
- О мајко, мајко (1971)
- Никад нећу да те заборавим (1976)
- Уморан сам од живота (1979)
- Чекај ме (1981)
- Проклета недеља (1982)
- Два смо света различита (1983)
- Дотак'о сам дно живота (1984)
- Е мој брате (1986)
- Да ли је могуће (1987)
- Ево ме опет (1988)
- Кафана је моја судбина (1990)