Zdravko Čolić
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Zdravko Čolić (, ; born 30 May 1951) is a Bosnian-
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
n pop singer and widely considered one of the greatest vocalists and cultural icons of the former
Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...
. Favourably compared to
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
and Tom Jones by music critics and the general public, he has garnered fame in Southeastern Europe for his emotionally expressive
tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...
voice, fluent stage presence and numerous critically and commercially acclaimed albums and singles. Among his songs, "Ti si mi u krvi" (from the eponymous album) is widely considered one of the most popular ballads of ex-Yugoslav music.


Early life

Born in
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
, PR Bosnia and Herzegovina, FPR Yugoslavia to Bosnian Serb parents, police administrator Vladimir Čolić from the Vlahovići village near
Ljubinje Ljubinje ( sr-cyrl, Љубиње) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in southeastern part of Herzegovina. As of 2013, the town has a population of 2,744 inhabitants, while the municipality has 3 ...
(
Herzegovina Herzegovina ( or ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Hercegovina, separator=" / ", Херцеговина, ) is the southern and smaller of two main geographical Regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being Bosnia (reg ...
) and homemaker Stana Čolić from
Trebinje Trebinje ( sr-Cyrl, Требиње, ) is a city and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the southernmost city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is situated on the banks of the Trebišnjica river in the region of East Her ...
( East Herzegovina), Čolić grew up with a younger brother Dragan. Showing an early interest in sports, the youngster was active as a football goalkeeper in FK Željezničar's youth system, before switching to
track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...
where he also excelled in the
100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...
and
long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...
. At one point he ran a 100-meter dash in 11.3 seconds, and continually placed high at various events he entered (finishing just behind future star Nenad Stekić at one of them). Čolić eventually gave up on a career in sports, feeling he lacked the discipline required to compete regularly. Growing up in Sarajevo, Čolić attended the Vladimir Perić Valter elementary school in the neighborhood near the adjacent neighborhood of Grbavica where he lived. He also attended music school, studying
guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
playing. As a hobby, he took part in various school recitals and also acted in a couple of plays at the Pionirsko pozorište (youth theatre).


Early career


Early years

From a very young age, Čolić showed an interest in music. With friend Braco Isović, he played guitar at informal and impromptu park gatherings around their neighborhood through which they became known locally as 'Čola i Isa sa Grbavice'. At the time, Čolić was trying to emulate pop schlager music that dominated Yugoslav and Italian festivals. His first love was Milena Mijatović from Belgrade. His first significant public singing experience occurred in 1967 while at the Montenegrin coast for the Yugoslav Republic Day celebrations. Staying in the wooden prefab vacation home his family owned in the coastal community of
Baošići Baošići (, ) is a village in the Municipalities of Montenegro, municipality of Herceg Novi Municipality, Herceg Novi, Montenegro. Demographics According to the 2011 census, its population was 1,346. References

Populated places in He ...
, seventeen-year-old Čolić was persuaded by a friend, Nedim Idrizović, to enter an amateur singing competition in nearby Bijela. The teenager won second prize singing " Lady Madonna" by
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
. Encouraged by the unexpected success, soon after returning to Sarajevo, Čolić entered his first band—a group called 'Mladi i lijepi'. This participation lasted until he graduated high school in 1969 when he decided to move on to the more established
Ambasadori Ambasadori (The Ambassadors) were a Yugoslav schlager pop band from Sarajevo, active from 1968 until 1980. The band is most notable for their 1975 hit single , as well as for representing Yugoslavia at the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest with " ...
, a band whose two incarnations Čolić would end up staying with for the next two and a half years.


Ambasadori

When Čolić joined them, Ambasadori employed an unusual setup: being essentially a
military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...
cover band as all the musicians, except for bandleader Slobodan Vujović, were
Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA/; Macedonian language, Macedonian, Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian language, Croatian and ; , J ...
(JNA) ranked officers. Their repertoire centered around the 1960s rhythm & blues (
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...
,
Wilson Pickett Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter. A major figure in the development of soul music, Pickett recorded more than 50 songs that made the US R&B charts, many of which crossed over to the '' ...
, etc.) along with obligatory Yugoslav hits of the day and years past, and finally even a few original numbers written by the bandmembers thrown into the mix. Over time, the group started getting more gig offers, which presented a problem since its army part was not available for many of them, and those offers had to be declined. Seeing their opportunities limited by the strange situation, Vujović and Čolić decided to step out and form Novi ambasadori in 1970, bringing in drummer Perica Stojanović, organist Vlado Pravdić, saxophonist Lale Stefanović, and bassist Zlatko Hold. With the almost all-new lineup, the band also expanded its repertoire so that in addition to R&B they now also played covers of
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...
,
Blood, Sweat & Tears Blood, Sweat & Tears (also known as "BS&T") is an American jazz rock music group founded in New York City in 1967, noted for a combination of brass with rock instrumentation. BS&T has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and ...
,
Creedence Clearwater Revival Creedence Clearwater Revival, commonly abbreviated as CCR or simply Creedence, was an American Rock music, rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty, h ...
, etc. In the summer of 1970, Novi ambasadori scored a month-long gig with
Indexi Indexi was a Bosnian and former Yugoslav rock band popular in Yugoslavia. It formed in 1962 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and disbanded in 2001 when singer Davorin Popović died. Some of their most notable songs are "Svijet u kome ži ...
in
Dubrovnik Dubrovnik, historically known as Ragusa, is a city in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, by the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, a Port, seaport and the centre of the Dubrovni ...
, which was their first tour-like experience. Next step was competing at the 1971 annual festival in Sarajevo where they finished in 7th place with a song "Plačem za tvojim usnama" that songwriter Zdenko Runjić claimed to have composed and officially signed his name under, even though it was a blatant rip-off of The Tremeloes' "Suddenly You Love Me" (which is a cover of Riccardo Del Turco's "
Uno tranquillo "Uno tranquillo" ("Quiet One") is a song by Italian singer Riccardo Del Turco, released as a single in 1967. The song is notable for being covered in English as "Suddenly You Love Me" by the Tremeloes and in French as "Siffler sur la colline" by ...
" ). No one from the festival noticed this plagiarism and the band avoided the controversy. The song was even released on a 7-inch single "Plačem za tvojim usnama" / "Zapjevaj" by Beograd Disk and sold surprisingly well. The performance at Vaš šlager sezone was also significant since it marked the band's first television appearance, exposing them to a much larger audience. One of the people in that TV audience was
Kornelije Kovač Kornelije "Bata" Kovač ( sr-Cyrl, Корнелије "Бата" Ковач, ; ; 1 January 1942 – 13 September 2022) was a Serbian composer. Early life Born in Niš during World War II in the Nazi-occupied Serbia to a Hungarian father an ...
, an already influential and established figure in Yugoslav music circles, who immediately was intrigued by Čolić's "clean tenor and good stage presence". Čolić was soon offered a "bench role" with Indexi, to fill in for their singer Davorin Popović, and even performed with them a couple of times.


Korni grupa

In the meantime, during the summer of 1971, Čolić finally met face to face with Kornelije Kovač who came to see Čolić play in
Mostar Mostar () is a city and the administrative centre of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina. Mostar is situated on the Neretva Riv ...
and invited him to join his band
Korni Grupa Korni Grupa ( sr-cyr, Корни Група, trans. ''Korni Group'') was a Yugoslav rock band formed in Belgrade in 1968. Launched and led by, as well as named after, the keyboardist Kornelije Kovač, the band was one of the first Yugoslav ro ...
as a replacement to their departed singer
Dado Topić Adolf "Dado" Topić is a Croatian rock musician. He was the lead singer and founder of Time, a 1970s progressive rock band from the former Yugoslavia. From 1970 to late 1971, he was also the lead singer of the popular prog-rock band Korni Grupa ( ...
. Unlike Amabasadori, Korni grupa performed their material and generally had a much more studious and serious approach to music, so Čolić immediately jumped at the opportunity. On 10 September 1971, twenty-year-old Čolić left his hometown and moved to the capital
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
to join his new band. However, his stint with Korni grupa ultimately proved to be very short and largely unsuccessful as he never meshed well enough with the rest of the group musically, finding it hard to fit into their
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...
style. He recorded three tracks with them, "Kukavica, "Gospa Mica gazdarica", and "Pogledaj u nebo", all of which were released on the 7-inch single by PGP-RTB. Track "Gospa Mica gazdarica" managed to create minor controversy due to the slightly risque lyrics written from the perspective of a young man imploring his older female landlord to allow him into her bed—a nod to Čolić's life at the time since he was living away from home in sublet apartments. Due to numerous complaints, the song was taken off radio playlists. Soon, however, Čolić and Kovač agreed that it would be better for Čolić to go solo. Only six months after his arrival to Belgrade, he returned to Sarajevo determined to give his solo career a try.


Solo career


Early activity: Schlager festivals

On 15 April 1972 Čolić's first solo move was taking part in the competitive festival in Sarajevo. He won the third audience prize as well as the interpretation award with Kemal Monteno written song "Sinoć nisi bila tu" that was originally meant to be sung by Josipa Lisac who opted out at the last moment. Right away, under Kovač's guidance Čolić managed to establish a fair amount of prominence as a solo act—and on 20 May 1972 the two appeared as guests on the very popular TV Belgrade variety show hosted by Milena Dravić and
Dragan Nikolić Dragoslav "Dragan" Nikolić ( sr-cyr, Драгослав Драган Николић, ; 20 August 1943 – 11 March 2016) was a Serbian and Yugoslav actor. Nikolić studied at Dramatic Arts Academy in Belgrade. In 1967 he starred in the film ' ...
. The same year, Čolić made further appearances at the
Split Festival The Split Festival (officially ''Festival zabavne glazbe Split'' or ''Splitski Festival'') is a pop music festival held annually, in July, in Split, Croatia. It has been held since 1960. It is one of the premier Croatian music festivals. Since its ...
(with song "Stara pjesma"),
Priština Pristina or Prishtina ( , ), . is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and district. In antiquity, the area of Pristina was part of the Dardanian Kingdom. The heritage of th ...
festival, and Skopje Festival (with song "Moj bol"), before embarking on a tour of
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
together with
Indexi Indexi was a Bosnian and former Yugoslav rock band popular in Yugoslavia. It formed in 1962 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and disbanded in 2001 when singer Davorin Popović died. Some of their most notable songs are "Svijet u kome ži ...
, Bisera Veletanlić, Sabahudin Kurt, and Sabina Varešanović.


Eurovision and more festivals

Then came the first big break that launched him on the road to stardom. By winning at the
Opatija Opatija (; ; ) is a List of cities and towns in Croatia, town and a municipality in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in northwestern Croatia. The traditional seaside resort on the Kvarner Gulf is known for its Mediterranean climate and its historic bu ...
festival with the song "Gori vatra" written by Kemal Monteno, Čolić got to represent
SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...
at the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest on 7 April 1973 in
Luxembourg City Luxembourg (; ; ), also known as Luxembourg City ( or ; ; or ), is the capital city of Luxembourg and the Communes of Luxembourg, country's most populous commune. Standing at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers in southern Luxe ...
. The song placed poorly but became a well-respected hit at home. Riding the wave of exposure the Eurovision appearance afforded him, Čolić continued entering competitive festivals throughout SFR Yugoslavia over the next two years with plenty of success. At Hit parada festival in Belgrade on 23 November 1974, he won with the song "Ona spava", composed and written by Kornelije Kovač. Next year, 1975, Čolić bagged a few more festival wins with Kovač's songs—Beogradsko proleće with "April u Beogradu", and Vaš šlager sezone with "Zvao sam je Emili". Other songs he performed at various festivals in those years were "Bling blinge blinge bling" (1973 Vaš šlager sezone, composed by Zdenko Runjić), "Ljubav je samo riječ" (1974 Beogradsko proleće, composed by
Vojkan Borisavljević Vojislav "Vojkan" Borisavljević (5 May 1947 – 23 February 2021) was a Serbian composer and conductor. He composed more than five hundred songs for the most famous Yugoslav singers - Leo Martin, Zdravko Čolić, Đorđe Marjanović, Miki Jevre ...
), and "Zelena si rijeka bila" (1974 Vaš šlager sezone, composed by Kemal Monteno). Around the same time, he also signed a deal with the German arm of WEA record label and did two singles for that market. German producers thought that his name was too difficult to pronounce for their consumers so they marketed him as Dravco. Soon, however, Čolić decided not to pursue his options in that country further mostly because he was unwilling to move to
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
.


Debut album

His first solo album was ''Ti i ja'' (You and I), released in 1975 by Jugoton. Closely overseen by Kornelije Kovač, the album brought Čolić more hits like "Vagabund", "Igraš se vatrom", and "Loše vino" (written by Arsen Dedić and
Goran Bregović Goran Bregović ( sr-Cyrl, Горан Бреговић; born 22 March 1950) is a recording artist born in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is one of the most internationally known modern musicians and composers of the Slavic speaking countries in the ...
). Cover sleeve was done by Dragan S. Stefanović, another collaborator who would remain with Čolić for years to come. Čolić's image especially appealed to girls and women, something that would remain a staple of his entire career. The same year, cashing in on his sudden popularity upswing, PGP RTB released a compilation of his festival singles under the name Zdravko Čolić. Despite, achieving great prominence already, Čolić continued appearing at the occasional festival such as the Zagreb one in 1976 where he surprisingly finished in fourth place singing "Ti si bila, uvijek bila". At the end of that year, he went on a Yugoslavia-wide tour with
Indexi Indexi was a Bosnian and former Yugoslav rock band popular in Yugoslavia. It formed in 1962 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and disbanded in 2001 when singer Davorin Popović died. Some of their most notable songs are "Svijet u kome ži ...
. After the Belgrade concert, the measure of his sudden fame was on public display during autograph-signing at the Jugoton store as the cordon of girls rushed the store, breaking a window glass in an attempt to get closer to him. The next year, 1977, he did the festival circuit for the last time, first in Zagreb with "Živiš u oblacima", followed by an appearance at the Festival of Patriotic Songs also in Zagreb, where he performed . That song was soon released on a 7-inch and sold 300,000 copies.


Mass popularity

His second album, ''
Ako priđeš bliže ''Ako priđeš bliže'' is the second studio album by Zdravko Čolić, released in 16.01.1978. The album remains Čolić's most critically acclaimed album, and it’s List of best-selling albums by country#Yugoslavia, one of the best selling albu ...
'' (If You Come Closer), released later that year, was even more successful, creating mass hysteria among girls for his music. The copies were extremely sought-after, as 50,000 sold in the first two weeks alone. The album contained some of his best-known and liked songs such as "Glavo luda", "Zagrli me", "Juče još", "Pjevam danju, pjevam noću", "Jedna zima sa Kristinom", and "Produži dalje". On 1 April 1978, he started an ambitious tour of SFR Yugoslavia with Lokice Dance Group in support of the album that had already sold 150,000 copies. Čolić also started to play the guitar occasionally on stage. Putujući zemljotres (Traveling Earthquake Tour) produced and organized by
Maksa Ćatović Maksut "Maksa" Ćatović ( sr-cyr, Макса Ћатовић, born 9 October 1950) is a Serbs, Serbian film producer and former president of production company Komuna Belgrade, Komuna. Biography Born in Despotovac, People's Republic of Serbia, ...
moved all over the country, soon becoming a phenomenon the likes of which the country had not seen before. The scenes of screaming girls rushing the stage were repeated in city after city. The tour's climax took place in Belgrade at Red Star FC
stadium A stadium (: stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage completely or partially surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit ...
on 5 September 1978 with 70,000 people in attendance even though Čolić already played two sold-out shows in Belgrade a few months earlier on 4 and 8 April at Hala Pionir. Supporting Čolić on stage that night were Chris Nicholls on keyboards and Dado Topić on bass guitar, with old favorites Kornelije Kovač, Arsen Dedić, Kemal Monteno, Josip Boček, Trio Strune, and RTV Belgrade singing quintet appearing as guests. Čolić and the great tour essentially became a cultural phenomenon transcending musical boundaries such that in the lead-up to the big Belgrade concert journalist Dušan Savković and film director Jovan Ristić decided to make a movie about Čolić. Savković wrote a rudimentary screenplay, but the movie ended up being a 90-minute feature documentary titled ''Pjevam danju, pjevam noću'' that follows Čolić from the Belgrade concert onwards and looks back on his career up to that point. Two days after the Belgrade concert, Čolić was in his hometown Sarajevo at Koševo Stadium for the tour's grand finale; however, the rain interrupted much of the concert. By the end of its promotion cycle, the album sold more than 700,000 copies and with later re-releases during the 1990s went over the million mark. Čolić also got the attention of Ziggy Loch, director of German WEA, who immediately after watching the Belgrade concert wanted to renew his contract. Singles with songs "Jedina" and "Zagrli me" were released for the German market as well as the disco single "I'm Not a Robot Man" / "Light Me". However, Čolić refused to move to Germany for the second time, and instead on 14 November 1978 went to serve his mandatory Yugoslav Army stint. Twenty-seven years of age at the time, Čolić was assigned to a unit in
Valjevo Valjevo (Serbian Cyrillic: Ваљево, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Kolubara District in western Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a population of 56,145 while the city admini ...
, before getting transferred to Belgrade, and finally
Požarevac Požarevac ( sr-cyr, Пожаревац, ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative centre of the Braničevo District in eastern Serbia. It is located between three rivers: Danube, Great Morava and Mlava and below the hill Čač ...
. After serving 10 months, he got out of the military service on 14 September 1979.


1980s

Upon his return from the army, Čolić started work on his third album—which came out in the spring of 1980, entitled '' Zbog tebe''; it brought more hits as Čola further secured his position of the most popular pop performer in Yugoslavia. In 1984, Čolić moved from his hometown
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
to
Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...
where he started a private business with
Goran Bregović Goran Bregović ( sr-Cyrl, Горан Бреговић; born 22 March 1950) is a recording artist born in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is one of the most internationally known modern musicians and composers of the Slavic speaking countries in the ...
through their Kamarad label. He then lived in
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
for five years. 1988 saw his hit "Jastreb". In 1989, he moved back to
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
.


Comeback

After his 1990 album "Da ti kažem šta mi je", Čolić didn't make another album until late 1997, when he embarked on a comeback with Komuna label album ''Kad bi moja bila'', and regained much of his popularity. The following year, he had nine sold-out concerts at
Sava Centar Sava Centar ( sr-cyr, Сава центар) is an international congress, cultural and business center of various multi-functional activities located in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is the largest audience hall in the country and the enti ...
. In October 2005, Čolić performed two concerts at the
Belgrade Arena The Belgrade Arena ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Београдска арена, Beogradska arena, separator=" / ") is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Belgrade, Serbia. It is designed as a universal hall for sports, cultural events and other programs. ...
. Čolić voiced Shelby Forthright (originally played by
Fred Willard Frederick Charles Willard Jr. (September 18, 1933 May 15, 2020) was an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his work with Christopher Guest in his mockumentary films ''This Is Spinal Tap'' (1984), ''Waiting for Guffman'' (1996), ''Be ...
) in the Bosnian dub of the acclaimed 2008 Pixar release ''
WALL-E ''WALL-E'' (stylized with an interpunct as ''WALL·E'') is a 2008 American animated Romance film, romantic science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by Andrew Stanton, produced b ...
''. In 2010, he had a big concert on the Asim Ferhatović Hase Stadium in
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
, during his ''Kad pogledaš me preko ramena'' tour, in front of over 60,000 people. On 25 June 2011, he had the biggest concert of his career: on Ušće, in
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
, with over 100,000 visitors. His biggest concert to date celebrated his 40-year career milestone.


Personal life

At the outbreak of the
Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...
, Čolić moved to
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
, and has lived there ever since. He holds a degree in economics from the
University of Sarajevo The University of Sarajevo (Bosnian language, Bosnian, Croatian language, Croatian and Serbian language, Serbian: ''Univerzitet u Sarajevu'' / Sveučilište u Sarajevu / Универзитет у Сарајеву) is a List of universities in Bo ...
. Čolić is married to wife Aleksandra Aleksić and has two daughters.


Discography


Studio albums

*'' Ti i ja'' (You and Me) (1975) *''
Ako priđeš bliže ''Ako priđeš bliže'' is the second studio album by Zdravko Čolić, released in 16.01.1978. The album remains Čolić's most critically acclaimed album, and it’s List of best-selling albums by country#Yugoslavia, one of the best selling albu ...
'' (If You Come Closer) (1977) *'' Zbog tebe'' (Because of You) (1980) *'' Malo pojačaj radio'' (Turn Up the Radio a Bit) (1981) *'' Šta mi radiš'' (What Are You Doing to Me?) (1983) *'' Ti si mi u krvi'' (You Are in My Blood) (1984) *'' Rodi me, majko, sretnog'' (Birthed Me as a Lucky Man, Mother) (1988) *'' Da ti kažem šta mi je'' (To Tell You What's Up with Me) (1990) *'' Kad bi moja bila'' (If You Were Mine) (1997) *'' Okano'' (2000) *''
Čarolija ''Čarolija'' is the eleventh studio album by Zdravko Čolić, released in 2003. Bora Đorđević, Momčilo Bajagić Bajaga, Bajaga, Nikša Bratoš, Arsen Dedić, Kemal Monteno, Đorđe David, Aleksandra Kovač and Đorđe Balašević took part i ...
'' (Enchantment) (2003) *''
Zavičaj ''Zavičaj'' () is the twelfth studio album by Zdravko Čolić Zdravko Čolić (, ; born 30 May 1951) is a Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian-Serbian Pop music, pop singer and widely considered one of the greatest vocalists and cultural icons of th ...
'' (Homeland) (2006) *''
Kad pogledaš me preko ramena ''Kad pogledaš me preko ramena'' ''(When you look at me over the shoulder)'' is the thirteenth studio album by Zdravko Čolić, released in 2010. It was released after a 4-year pause, when in 2006 the album "Zavičaj" (Homeland) was released. Th ...
'' (When You Look At Me Over the Shoulder) (2010) *'' Vatra i barut'' (Fire and Gunpowder) (2013) *'' Ono malo sreće'' (That Bit of Luck) (2017)


Singles

*"Sinoć nisi bila tu" / "Tako tiho" (1972) *"Stara pisma" / "Pod lumbrelon" (1972) *" Gori vatra" / "Isti put" (1973) *"Bling, blinge, blinge, bling" / "Julija" (1973) *"Dome moj" / "Ljubav je samo riječ" (1974) *"Ona spava" / "Zaboravi sva proljeća" (1974) *"Zelena si rijeka bila" / "Ne dam ti svoju ljubav" (1974) *"Madre Mia" / "Rock n roll himmel" (1974) *"Zvao sam je Emili" / "Sonata" (1975) *"April u Beogradu" / "Svitanje" (1975) *"Alles was ich hab" / "Lampenfieber" (1975) *"Ti si bila, uvijek bila" / "A sad sam ja na redu" (1976) *"Ljubav ima lažni sjaj" / "Balerina" (1977) *"Živiš u oblacima" / "Zašto spavaš" (1977) *"Light me" / "I'm not a robot man" (1978) *"Loš glas" / "Ne mogu biti tvoj" (1978) *"Druže Tito, mi ti se kunemo" / "Titovim putem" (1980)


Live albums

*''Stadium Marakana'' (2001) /Live, 2xDVD/ *''Belgrade Arena'' (2005) /Live, 2xDVD/ *''Stadium Marakana'' (2007) /Live, 2xDVD/ *''Stadium Koševo'' (2010) /Live, 2xDVD/ *''Belgrade Ušće '' (2011) /Live, 2xDVD/


Compilations

*Pjesme koje volimo (The Songs We Like) (1984) *Poslednji i prvi (The First And the Last) (1994) *Zauvek (Forever) (1998) *Zauvek 2 (Forever 2) (1999) *7X Čola Box Set (2000) *Balade (The Ballads) (2002) *The Best of Zdravko Čolić (double-CD set) (2004) *The Best of Zdravko Čolić (2008)


Tours

* Okano Tour (2001–02) * Zavičaj Tour (2006–09) * Kad pogledaš me preko ramena Tour (2010–13) * Vatra i barut Tour (2014–17) * Ono malo sreće Tour (2018–19)


Note


References


Sources

* * *


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Colic, Zdravko 1951 births 20th-century Bosnia and Herzegovina male singers 21st-century Bosnia and Herzegovina male singers Ballad musicians Bosnia and Herzegovina emigrants to Serbia Bosnia and Herzegovina pop singers Bosnia and Herzegovina rock singers Bosnia and Herzegovina singer-songwriters Indexi Award winners Living people Musicians from Sarajevo Serbian male singer-songwriters Serbian male singers Serbian pop singers Serbian singer-songwriters Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina University of Sarajevo alumni Yugoslav male singers Yugoslav musicians Eurovision Song Contest entrants