Rodoljub Vulović (Serbian Cyrillic: Родољуб Вуловић; born on 1 May 1955), more commonly known by his stage name Roki Vulović (Serbian Cyrillic: Роки Вуловић), is a Bosnian Serb folk singer and songwriter. He is often described as a turbo-folk singer and is known for his Serbian nationalist songs.[1] He is best known for his 1992 album Semberski junaci and the single "Panteri – Mauzer" about the Garda Panteri, the most elite unit of the Army of Republika Srpska.[2]
Rodoljub Roki Vulović | |
|---|---|
Родољуб Роки Вуловић | |
 Vulović in 1993 | |
| Born | Rodoljub Vulović 1 May 1955 |
| Nationality | Bosnian Serb |
| Occupations |
|
| Notable work | Panteri – Mauzer (1992) Gavrina brigada (1992) Garda Panteri (1993) Srpska Garda (1995) Crni Bombarder (1995) |
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) |
| Spouse | Jelica Vulović |
| Children | 2 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1972–present |
| Labels | |
Early life
editVulović was born between the night of April 30 and morning of May 1, 1955 in Bijeljina,[3][4] PR Bosnia and Herzegovina into a Serbian-Montenegrin family. His grandfather was from Montenegro, and his father was a prisoner of war in Germany during World War II.
Musical career
edit
Vulović began his music career in 1975 with his first studio album Kristina (Christina).[5] In 1988, he released his second studio album Paša and started a concert tour across Western European countries with a significant population from the Serbian diaspora.[5]
1992–1997: Fame during the Yugoslav Wars
editDuring the Yugoslav Wars, his hometown of Bijeljina was destroyed, which subsequently compelled Vulović to join the 1st Brigade of Semberska. He released a studio album, Semberski junaci, (Heroes of Semberija) in 1992, dedicated to those injured during the Bosnian War. The album made him popular among Serbs across the Balkans in large part due the song "Panteri – Mauzer" (Panthers of Mauzer) praising the Garda Panteri, a nationalist unit of the Army of Republika Srpska. In part due to the notoriety that followed the album's release, Vulović enlisted into the Garda Panteri himself.[6]
Vulović went on to record additional studio albums with nationalist and anti-NATO overtones, including Panteri (Panthers; 1993)[7][8] and Crni Bombarderi (The Black Bomber; 1995). In the song Crni Bombarderi, Vulović sings about Operation Deliberate Force, an operation during the Bosnian War that took place on August 30, 1995.[8]
Vulović recorded his last studio album Zbog tebe (Because of you) in 1997 and ceased performing after its release. He consequently returned to his hometown to become a professor at the local Mihajlo Pupin Technical School and worked as a chairman of the Serbian Polytechnic and Pharmacy School until 2013.[9][10]
Vulović's Serbian nationalism and anti-NATO views during the war have made him a controversial figure, even though his lyrics are uncharacteristic among other Serb nationalist music in that they do not specifically mention any oppositional nations or countries, and avoid overt bias and xenophobia in the lyrics. However, the implicit bias of his music has made him a popular fixture amongst far-right factions. The recent availability of his music videos online, especially on YouTube, has made Vulović a popular target of meme culture in the ex-Yu diaspora due to their characteristic low-budget aesthetic.[11] [12]
Personal life
editHe is married to fellow Serbian musician Jelica Vulović and has two children, Vladimir and Milijana. He speaks French, German and Italian fluently. He is a fan of international travel, especially to Western European countries with a large Serbian population. Notably, his entry visa to the United States has been denied several times due to his anti-NATO views in the 1990s.[13]
Discography
editAlbums
edit- Paša (1988)
- Semberski Junaci (1992)
- Panteri (1993)
- Junaci Kozarski (1994)
- Crni Bombarder (1995)
- Zbog Tebe (1997)
- Otadžbini na dar (2001)
Solo
edit- Kristina (1972)
- U srcu te čuvam (2018)
- Ne plači (2020)
- Pukni zoro (2020)
- Majevica (2022)
References
edit- ^ Echoes of a Turbulent Past: Turbo Folk War Music in Serbia
- ^ "Gardijska brigada "Panteri"". Srpski Oklop (information and pictures related to Garda Panteri). Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ Srbijadanas/R.J. "SRBIN KOG OBOŽAVA CEO SVET: U mojim pesmama nema mržnje, to osećaju i Hrvati i muslimani! (VIDEO) – Alo.rs". alo (in Serbian). Archived from the original on 25 July 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ^ Potemkina Marija Nikolaevna, Čeremisin Anton Leonidovič (2017). "Serbia and the Serbs in the Russian press: Stereotypes and images". Nasledje, Kragujevac. 14 (37–1). Nasleđe, Kragujevac: 13–25. doi:10.5937/naslKg1701013N. Archived from the original on 2021-08-11.
- ^ a b Родољуб Роки Вуловић (Rodoljub Roki Vulovi) – Югославский, Сербский певец, автор и исполнитель песен о Югославских войнах
- ^ СРПСКА РАТНА МУЗИКА ОДЗВАЊА УКРАЈИНОМ: Роки Вуловић за све прилике (ВИДЕО)
- ^ "Udruženje "Garda Panteri": Smijenjeni predsjednik i rukovodstvo Udruženja /VIDEO/".
- ^ a b "Gardijska brigada "Panteri", Bijeljina". 2 December 2017.
- ^ Pechersky, Anton (6 December 2015). "Roki Vulovic, renowned singer of Serbia". Senica (in Serbian). Archived from the original on 23 September 2020.
- ^ "JU Tehnička škola "Mihajlo Pupin" Bijeljina" (Official site of Mihajlo Pupin Technical School) (in Serbian). Archived from the original on 23 September 2020.
- ^ "ZVEZDA ŽIVI NA INTERNETU Iz Rusije su ljudi dolazili samo da me intervjuišu, gledali su me kao čudo". Blic.rs. 25 July 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
- ^ "@yugoslav_posting". Instagram. 22 May 2022.
- ^ Anton Pechersky (26 October 2014). Роки – певец во стане сербских воинов.
External links
edit- Discography at Discogs
- Rodoljub Roki Vulović on YouTube