Goran Bregovic

Balkan folk music stylist and film composer Goran Bregovic was born in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia on March 22, 1950, beginning his music career in 1966 as bassist with the local rock band Bestije. After a three-year stint as a member of Kodeks, in 1971 he joined the underground trio Mica, Goran and Zoran. Three years later Bregovic founded Bijelo Dugme, one of Yugoslavia’s most successful and influential bands until their breakup in 1988. He first turned to film work in 1978, composing the score to Mica Milosevic’s Nije Nego, though Bregovic’s most fruitful collaboration was with director Emir Kusturica, for whom he scored 1988′s Time of the Gypsies, 1993′s Arizona Dream, and 1995 Palme d’Or winner, Underground. His other scores during this period included 1994′s Queen Margot, 1996′s A Chef in Love, and 1997′s A Serpent’s Kiss. Meanwhile, his exuberant solo folk-pop recordings included 1996′s P.S., the 1998 live album Silence of the Balkans, and 1999′s Ederlezi. The latter two were his first for Mercury and Polygram. The Songbook compilation followed in 2000 and offered a mix of score highlights and songs, including collaborations with Iggy Pop. Bregovic released Tales and Songs from Weddings and Funerals in 2002, re-emerging in 2007 with the concept album Karmen (With a Happy End). His score to Mustafa, a documentary about Mustafa Atatürk, arrived on Sony in 2009, the same year he issued the live LP Alkohol. He was joined by several guests, including Gipsy Kings and Stephan Eicher, on 2012′s Champagne for Gypsies, and 2017′s Three Letters from Sarajevo featured musicians such as Rachid Taha and Asaf Avidan. ~ Marcy Donelson & Jason Ankeny