Bora Đorđević

Đorđević was born in Čačak in 1952 to machinist father Dragoljub[1] and mother Nerandža, professor of Serbian.[1][2]

At age thirteen, he formed his first band, Hermelini (trans. The Ermines), with Borko Ilić (lead guitar), Prvoslav Savić (rhythm guitar), and Aca Dimitrijević (drums). Đorđević played bass guitar and the band's sound was influenced by the Zagreb-based beat band Roboti.

Two years later Đorđević switched to rhythm guitar and began writing lyrics/poetry. One of his earliest songs/poems, "Moje tuge", would later be recorded and released on Suncokret's debut single "Kara Mustafa" / "Moje tuge" as well as included on their debut album Moje bube. After Hermelini, Đorđević played with numerous Čačak-based bands: Vesnici Ljubavi, Safiri, Dečaci sa Morave, and Čačanski Plemići. For a time, he was a member of PORS (Poslednji Ostatak Romantičnog Sveta, trans. Last Remnants of Romantic World) with Radomir Mihailović Točak on guitar.

Simultaneously, teenage Đorđević, along with a group of friends, began breaking and entering into apartment units around his hometown Čačak, looking for money and other valuables. Some of the stolen funds obtained this way were used to purchase musical equipment. After three years of committing burglaries, they were arrested and charged as juvenile delinquents. Đorđević spent seven days in prison detention before being released to await the sentencing. The sentence was soon delivered in the form of an order for "enhanced parental supervision and occasional control of the social services". Upon being released from prison detention, he got promptly expelled from the gymnasium he had been attending.

Đorđević's parents decided to move the family to Belgrade where he enrolled at the Fifth Belgrade Gymnasium. For three years after arriving to Belgrade he didn't participate in any music-related activities.

At the time of his matriculation, nineteen-year-old Đorđević auditioned for the staging of the Jesus Christ Superstar rock opera at Atelje 212, getting one of the apostle roles.[3] Featuring Korni Grupa singer Zlatko Pejaković in the lead role of Jesus Christ, Branko Milićević as Pontius Pilate, and acoustic singer-songwriter Srđan Marjanović as one of the priests, the show premiered in June 1972. It was performed 21 times over the next year until its last show in June 1973.

Đorđević would continue acting in theatre, mostly as an extra, appearing in Atelje 212 plays Purpurno ostrvo,[4] Tom Pejn,[5] and Caca u metrou.

In late March 1973, twenty-year-old Đorđević formed the acoustic rock band Zajedno (Together) with three female vocalists — Ivana Kačunković alongside twin sisters Vukica "Viki" and Gordana "Goca" Stefanović — and keyboardist Đorđe Petrović, all fellow students at the Fifth Belgrade Gymnasium. The band often recorded jingles for radio shows. On invitation from actor Zoran Radmilović, whom Đorđević had met while participating in the Jesus Christ Superstar staging at Atelje 212, the band joined a conceptual theatre tour named Selu u pohode. Featuring a somewhat hippie vibe, the summer 1973 tour, that in addition to Zajedno members and Radmilović also featured painter Zagorka Stojanović, visited numerous remote Socialist Republic of Serbia villages with the aim of exposing its inhabitants to various forms of arts and culture such as acoustic music, painting, and theatre.

Zajedno's debut release, seven-inch single with tracks "Vizija" and "Goro moja", was released in 1974 by PGP RTB. Đorđević composed the music for the A-side track while the B-side track used the lyrics from the eponymous poem by Aleksa Šantić. With liner notes written by radio disk jockey Zoran Modli who used the opportunity to draw comparisons to YU Grupa's debut single from four years prior, the release brought Zajedno a small measure of prominence. In May 1974, Zajedno members wrote the music for the theatre play Bonton (ili kako se ponašati prema osobama suprotnog pola), starring Feđa Stojanović and Ružica Sokić, that was staged on Atelje 212's secondary 'Theatre in the Basement' stage.[6] The play was performed 43 times over the following two years until the last show in May 1976 with Zajedno members — Đorđević, Petrović, and Ivana Kačunković — in addition to Kačunković's sister Jasna appearing in acting roles as singers and musicians on stage.

In parallel with being in Zajedno, young Đorđević worked numerous temporary side jobs. He was part of the production crew of the Radio Belgrade show Veče uz radio that was created, hosted, and produced by the Yugoslav rock'n'roll media pioneers Nikola Karaklajić and Peca Popović. Đorđević additionally filed radio reports from acoustic music festivals in Sivac, wrote articles for the Džuboks magazine about Yugoslav acoustic rock scene, and wrote a number of jingles for Beograd 202 and Studio B.

He left Zajedno in late 1974.

In January 1975, Đorđević formed acoustic rock band Suncokret (Sunflower). They gained popularity with folk rock-oriented songs and Đorđević's humorous lyrics.

Suncokret worked with disk jockey Zoran Modli (whom Đorđević met as a member of Zajedno when Modli produced Zajedno's first single) with whom they released the seven-inch single "Na putu za Stambol" / "Anđelija, čuvaj se Turaka" under the name Hajduk Stanko i Jataci. Another single with Modli, "Rock and roll duku duku" / "Gili, gili bluz", was released under the name Zoran Modli i Suncokret.

With Suncokret, Đorđević recorded three more singles and album Moje bube.

Đorđević left Suncokret after the band refused to perform his song "Lutka sa naslovne strane". He accepted Đorđe Balašević's invitation and, with another former Suncokret member, female vocal Bilja Krstić, became a member of Balašević's band Rani Mraz. This was the most famous, but a short-lasting Rani Mraz lineup, and besides Đorđe Balašević, Bora Đorđević and Bilja Krstić featured female vocal Verica Todorović. This lineup held several performances in Dom omladine and Student's Cultural Centre in Belgrade. Đorđević performed songs "Lutka sa naslovne strane", "Mirno spavaj" and "Zvezda potkorvlja i suterena" (all of them will later be recorded on Riblja Čorba's debut album Kost u grlu) and Balašević entertained the audience with his humorous stories. This Rani Mraz lineup recorded famous song "Računajte na nas", which praised People's Liberation War from a slightly different perspective than habitual socialist realism, and soon became an anthem of Yugoslav youth. This lineup also recorded single with songs "Oprosti mi, Katrin" and "Život je more".

• "Vizija" / "Goro moja" (1974)

• Moje bube (1977)

• "Kara Mustafa" / "Moje tuge" (1975)
• "Gde ćeš biti, lepa Kejo" / Pusto more, pusti vali" (1976)
• "Rock 'n' Roll duku duku" / Gili gili blues" (1976)
• "Oj, nevene" / "Tekla voda" (1976)

• "Računajte na nas" / "Strašan žulj" (1978)
• "Oprosti mi Katrin" / "Život je more" (1978)

• Kost u grlu (1979)
• Pokvarena mašta i prljave strasti (1981)
• Mrtva priroda (1981)
• Buvlja pijaca (1982)
• Večeras vas zabavljaju muzičari koji piju (1984)
• Istina (1985)
• Osmi nervni slom (1986)
• Ujed za dušu (1987)
• Priča o ljubavi obično ugnjavi (1988)
• Koza nostra (1990)
• Labudova pesma (1992)
• Zbogom, Srbijo (1993)
• Ostalo je ćutanje (1996)
• Treći srpski ustanak(1997)
• Nojeva barka (1999)
• Pišanje uz vetar (2001)
• Ovde (2003)
• Trilogija 1: Nevinost bez zaštite (2005)
• Trilogija 2: Devičanska ostrva (2006)
• Trilogija 3: Ambasadori loše volje (2006)
• Minut sa njom (2009)
• Uzbuna! (2012)
• Da tebe nije (2019)

• Njihovi dani (1996)

• Arsen & Bora Čorba Unplugged `87 (with Arsen Dedić, 1987)
• Bora priča gluposti (1988)