Slobodan Kovačević

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Slobodan "Bodo" Kovačević (29 December 1946 – 22 March 2004) was one of the greatest rock guitarists in former Yugoslavia, with unprecedented virtuosity even to these days. He began his musical career in early sixties with the Sarajevo band "Wanderers" and few years later in the mid sixties joined Indexi, where Davorin Popović was already a singer.

Biography[]

The birth certificate is registered as a Slobodan A. Kovačević, with middle letter representing the name of his father - Adem. During the musical career he became widely known by his nickname "Bodo". He graduated architecture at the Sarajevo University, but the love for music won his heart. He started musical career in early sixties, first as a guitarist of "Lutalice" ("Wanderers") and since 1965 in the band of "Indexi" where he spent most of his life. In his spare time he liked painting and watercolors were his favorite technique of expression.

In 1978 he received together with other members of "Indexi", prestigious "6th April Award" from the city of Sarajevo. The same year he won the award of JRT (Yugoslav Radio and Television) for his thematic masterpiece concept album "Dark-Blue River", who was declared as an album of the year in Yugoslavia. In 2004 he got award Davorin as a best instrumentalist in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Music career[]

He took his first musical steps as a high school student auditioning as a singer with well-known Yugoslavian composer-musician Kornelije Kovač (later a member of "Indexi" and leader of "Korni Grupa", Belgrade). Only when he began taking guitar lessons with professor Mile Praljak was his true talent discovered - for guitar playing.

He founded the group "Wanderers" in 1963 year, which already accounted rhythm guitarist Slobodan M. Kovačević (later in the group "More" ), Duško Čorlija, bassist, drummer Vojo Šimšić and vocalist Zoran Vidović - Cojo. Members also included female singers Selma Koluder and Gordana Magaš (later a well-known Sarajevo ballerina and choreographer). The second set consisted of bassist Fadil Redžić and drummer Miroslav Šaranović, who both later joined the "Indexi". A recording from this period is Slobodan Kovačević's first instrumental composition "Snježni kristali" (Snow Crystals), which was recorded in the studio of Radio Sarajevo on 16 April 1965.

Kovačević moved into "Indexi" in the summer of 1965 and soon took with him the bassist Fadil Redzic from "Wanderers" . Both of them, along with the singer Davorin Popovic stayed in the band as a core members, until Popovic's death 2001.

The first major composition Bodo Kovačević made for "Indexi" was titled "Pružam ruke" (I Reach Out) with lyrics by Nikola Borota. It was written in late 1966 and was recorded at Radio Sarajevo on 13 February 1967. With this composition "Indexi" took the part in the Yugoslav selection for the Eurovision Song Contest, which was organized in Ljubljana (winner was Slovenian singer with Vse rože sveta).

The composition "Pružam ruke" (I Reach Out) is significant in Yugoslavia's pop-rock scene because is considered to be the first domestically copyrighted pop / rock composition, and the first authentic pop / rock composition that has been played in their native language.

Slobodan Kovačević was the most prolific author in the Indexi^{[citation needed]}, signing many of their most significant songs or composer, arranger and producer who dragged the group toward constant innovation and experimentation . Greatest musical songs and hits of Indexi were signed by Bodo alone ("Somewhere at the End of the Lull" with lyrics by Želimir Altarac Čičak, "Tide", "Dark-Blue River") or in cooperation with Fadil Redžić ("The World in Which I Live" with lyrics by Želimir Altarac Čičak, "Ballad").

The band's masterpiece is a 1978 concept album "Modra Rijeka" (The Dark-Blue River) based on the eponymous poem by Mak Dizdar. The idea was of Slobodan Kovačević, who was also the author of almost all songs on the album. The album was co-produced by Nikola Borota, who was the lyricist and composer turned into one of the most important music producers of the region.

Slobodan Kovačević has worked extensively for other artists and various projects outside of pop and rock music . Among other things, he played guitar and participated in arranging the first and according to many, actually the best album of Croatian female singer Josipa Lisac, "Dnevnik jedne ljubavi" (Diary of One Love) in 1973. He composed theme music for the ceremony of the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, collaborated with Esad Arnautalić on his project "Muzika razpoloženja" (Music for Good Mood), wrote the music for the play " Mandragola " for "Chamber Theatre 55" in Sarajevo and "Posljednja potraga za zlatom" (Last Quest for Gold) for the National Theatre in Sarajevo. In the last two years of life he was music producer of B&H Eurosong.

At the beginning of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina he moved to Prague and returned to Sarajevo after the Dayton Agreement in 1995. In late March 1998, "Indexi" performed in Podgorica (Montenegro) and Belgrade (Serbia).

After the death of Davorin Popović in 2001, he devoted himself to jazz music and joined the "Sinan Alimanović Quintet" and played in the Dance Orchestra B&H .

Slobodan Kovačević wrote a total of more than 300 compositions. Most of these opuses is related to "Indexi", and then for theater performances and songs for other artists .

Slobodan Kovačević died on 22 March 2004 in Sarajevo and was buried in the "Alley of Greats" close to his band playmate and singer Davorin Popović. From 2006, in his honor, the Bodo Kovačević Award was founded for the best guitarist.

He was married with Edina Filipović (July 1981) and has a daughter, Hana.

Slobodan Kovačević's songs[]

• Pružam ruke (I Reach Out)
• Prazne noći, a beskrajni dani (Empty Nights and Endless Days)
• Plima (Tide)
• Negdje na kraju u zatišju (Somewhere at the End of the Lull)
• Balada (Ballad, with Fadil Redžić)
• Ana (Hannah)
• Budi kao more (Be Like the Sea)
• Brod (The Ship)
• Ja odlazim sutra (I'm Leaving Tomorrow)
• Crno bijela pjesma (Black and White Song)
• Da l' smo ljudi (Are We the People)
• Dvojnik (Doppelganger)
• I bit ću lud (I Will Be Mad)
• I još deset (And Ten More)
• I tvoje će proći (And Yours Will Be Gone)
• Kameni cvjetovi (Stone Flowers)
• Leptiru moj (My Butterfly)
• Zašto je prazan čitav svijet (Why Is the Whole World Empty)
• Mjesto pod suncem (My Place Under the Sun)
• Modra rijeka (Dark-Blue River)
• More (Sea)
• Najljepše stvari (Most Beautiful Things)
• Noćni susreti (Night Encounters)
• Oko malih stvari svađamo se mi (The Small Things We Argue About)
• Pogrešan broj (Wrong Number)
• Poslije tebe (After You)
• Prošli dani (Last days)
• Pustinja (Desert)
• Ruže i suze (Roses and Tears)
• Samo jednom (Only One)
• Samoćo, ljubavi moja (Loneliness, My Love)
• U inat godinama (In Spite of the Years)
• Zamak (Castle, instrumental)

References[]