ArtistInfo

Dušan Jovanovič

Folk and World

Dusan Jovanovich was an early tamburitza giant who helped sustain our musical heritage with his great talent and early recordings. While not much is known about Dusan's personal life, he is believed to be from the Banat area bordering Romania. Blessed with a rich baritone voice, steeped in the traditional style of Banation prima playing, and possessing a unique sense of delivery, Dusan experienced a popularity among Serbian, Croatian, Romanian, and Hungarian audiences that may never be matched. Along with the Orao Tamburitza Orchestra of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dusan began recording for the Columbia and R.C.A. Victor recording companies as early as 1924. Among newly-arrived immigrants, Dusan's name became a household word as his 78 rpm platters were played on the wind-up victrolas used in every Slavic home that could afford the luxury. On many of these recordings, talking skits accompanied the music from the homeland. Inevitably, Dusan played straight man to his wife Mara, who often delivered the punch line in their comedic skits. In a tragic accident, Dusan and the entire Orao group were killed in a traffic collision. Despite his premature departure from the tamburitza scene, Dusan Jovanovich remains an icon among aficionados of tamburitza music.

Genres

• Folk
• World

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