Korni Grupa

Infobox musical artist
Name = Korni Grupa


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Origin = Belgrade, Serbia, Yugoslavia
Genre = Rock Folk rock Progressive rock Symphonic rock
Years_active = 1968 – 1974 (Partial reunion: 1987)
Label = PGP RTB, Casa Ricordi, Philips Records, Jugoton, Komuna Belgrade
Associated_acts = Indexi, Seka Kojadinović, Dušan Prelević, Dalibor Brun, Dado Topić, Time, Zdravko Čolić, Zlatko Pejaković, Furda, YU grupa, Drago Mlinarec, R.M. Točak Band
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Past_members = Kornelije Kovač Miroslava Kojadinović Borko Kacl Bojan Hreljac Vladimir Furduj Dušan Prelević Dalibor Brun Dado Topić Zdravko Čolić Zlatko Pejaković Josip Boček

Korni Grupa (Serbian Cyrillic: Корни Група; trans. "Korni Band") were a former Yugoslav rock band. Formed by famous composer Kornelije Kovač, band's various lineups included a number of famous musicians - singers Dado Topić, Zdravko Čolić and Zlatko Pejaković among others.

Band history

1968 - 1974

Korni Grupa was formed in September 1968 in Belgrade by former Indexi keyboardist Kornelije Kovač. The first lineup of the band included guitarist Borko Kacl (a former Zlatni Dečaci member), bass guitarist Bojan Hreljac, (a former Elipse member), drummer Vladimir "Furda" Furduj (a former Elipse member) and female singer Miroslava "Seka" Kojadinović. The band had its live appearance in Belgrade's Dom sindikata at the sportsman-of-the-year award ceremony. Korni Grupa performed with female dancers which pleasently suprised the audience. Soon afterwards the band was invited to perform in Radio Belgrade show "Studio VI vam pruža šansu". Miroslava Kojadinović did not like the choise of the songs and she refused to sing, so on the band's appearance in the show Kovač provided the vocals. After this performance Miroslava Kojadinović was excluded from the band and started a short-lasting solo career.

New Korni Grupa vocalist became soul singer Dušan "Prele" Prelević. At the time Kovač wanted to perform progressive rock but the critics expected simple and commercial songs, so Kovač wrote simple song "Cigu-ligu" with which Korni Grupa performed at 1968 Jugovizija festival in Zagreb. Prelević arrived drunk to the performance and went into an argument with Kovač, so soon afterwards he was excluded from the band. New Korni Grupa singer became Dalibor Brun from Rijeka, a former Uragani and Bohemi member. With Brun Korni grupa recorded their first hits "Magična ruka", "Sonata" and "Dzum-ram". Korni Grupa appeared at Singing Europe festival in Netherlands performing folk-oriented song "Pastir i cvet", winning the-most-original-band award. At the 1969 festival in
Opatija they perfomed song "Devojčice mala". They held their first concert in Belgrade on November 6, 1969 in Dom omladine. The cocert was titled "Uz malu pomoć naših frendova" (With A Little Help from Our Friends").

In 1969 Dalibor Brun left the band conventionaly, an the band's new singer became a former Dinamiti member Dado Topić who soon brought another former Dinamiti member, guitaist Josip Boček to the band. Kacl soon left the band, and retired from music (and died in a car accident in the beggining of 1980s). With Topić Korni Grupa turned to more progressive-oriented sound, recording songs "Jedna žena", "Prvo svetlo u kući borj 4", classical music-inspired "Etida" and "Žena je luka a čovek brod". At the 1970 Zagreb music festival Korni Grupa won both audience and jury awards. The same year they recorded music for Miša Radivojević's movie "Bube u glavi". This project was followed by a number of hit songs: "Trla baba lan" (which will later be recorded in French by singer Dalida, and later on in several other different languages by number of artists) and "Slika", among others.

In 1971 Korni Grupa recorded musical poem "1941." on lyrics of Branko Ćopić. Josipa Lisac made a guest appearance in the song. The band spent a month in Paris, playing at fashion show which presented "Prokleta Jerina" line of clothing by fashion designer Aleksandar Joksimović. In 1971 Topić left the band and formed Time. New Korni Grupa vocalist became a former Ambasadori member Zdravko Čolić, who remained the band's vocalist for only six months, recording single with songs "Gospa Mica gazdarica", "Kukavica" and "Pogledaj u nebo". After leaving Korni Grupa he started a highly successful solo career.

A former Zlatni Akordi and Had member Zlatko Pejaković became the band's new singer. With Pejaković Korni Grupa recorded their first full-lenght album, "Korni Grupa", which is considered one of the milestones in the history of former Yugoslav rock. At the time of album release Korni Grupa was one of the four former Yugoslav rock bands with a full-lenght album (Grupa 220, Žeteoci and Time being the other three), as the scene revolved mostly around vinyl singles. Album featured complex songs "Put na Istok", "Bezglave Ja Ha horde", "Moj bol", "Glas sa obale boja". The band performed at the 1972 Montreux Jazz Festival. At the end of 1973 in Italy Korni Grupa recorded a symphonic rock English language album "Not An Ordinary Life", which they released under the name The Cornelians. On the Yugoslav scene band had huge success with songs "Oj, dodole", "Ivo Lola", "Znam za kim zvono zvoni" (which featured guest singer Ditka Haberl), "Divlje jagode", "Miris" (with lyrics from Charles Baudelaire's poem) and "Praštanje" (with lyrics by poet Brana Crnčević) At the spring of 1974 they won first place at festival in Opatija with song "Moja generacija" and represented Yugoslavia at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest. Single with "Moja generacija" and shortened version of "Jednoj ženi" was released in Italy. The same year music magazine "Music Week" declared Korni Grupa Yugoslav band of the year.

Disapointed with little success "Not An Ordinary Life" saw and 12th place won at the Eurovision Song Contest, Kovač decided to disban Korni Grupa. They held two farewell concerts in Studio M in Novi Sad. Part of the concerts recording was released on the first former Yugoslav double album "Mrtvo more" ("Dead Sea"). One record features their single songs, representing mainstream and more commercial side of Korni Grupa, while other features live recordings, representing their progressive and more serious side. Various artists live album "Randevu s muzikom" released in 1977 features Korni Grupa songs "I ne tako obićan život" and "Jedna žena" recorded at Novi Sad farewell concerts.

After Korni Grupa disbaned Kovač started a successful solo career, Pejaković turned to pop music, Boček and Hreljac became studio musicians and Furduj started a jazz career.

1987 reunion

The band reunited in 1987 with Dado Topić to perform, alongside Indexi, Time, YU grupa, Drago Mlinarec and R.M. Točak Band at Legende YU Rocka ("Legends of YU Rock") concert in Dom Sportova organized by Radio Zagreb. Korni Grupa song "Jedna žena" appeared on the double live album "Legende YU Rocka". The same artists performed that same year in Belgrade's Sava Centar.

Discography

tudio albums

#"Korni Grupa" (1972)
#"Not An Ordinary Life" (1974)

Live albums

#"Mrtvo more" (1975) - live/compilation album

Compilations

#"1941." (1979)
#"Prvo svetlo neobičnog života" (1996)

ingles

#"Cigu-ligu" / "Čovek i pas" (1969)
#"Dzum-ram" / "Sonata" / "Magična ruka" (1969)
#"Pastir i cvet" / "Čovek i pas" (1969)
#"Trla baba lan" / "Slika" (1970)
#"Bube" / "Neko spava pored mene" (1970)
#"Kukavica" / "Gospa Mica gazdarica" / "Pogledaj u nebo" (1971)
#"Pusti da te diram" / "Jedan groš" (1971)
#"Pokloni svoj mi foto" / "Bez veze" (1972)
#"Povuci potegni" / "Na četiri točka" / "Maksimetar" / "Zeleni megaherc" (1973)
#"Tri palme" / "Tri čoveka u kafani" (1973)
#"Oj, dodole" / "Život" (1973)
#"Ivo Lola" / "Znam za kim zvono zvoni" (1973)
#"Etida" / "Jednoj ženi" (1973)
#"Moja generacija" / "Zbogom ostaj, o, detinjstvo" (1974)
#"Generation 42" / "One Woman" (1974)
#"Moja genereacija (My Genetartion)" / "Etude" (1974)
#"Kuda ideš, svete moj" / "Divlje jagode" (1974)
#"Miris" / "Praštanje" (1974)

Various artists live albums

#"Randevu s muzikom" (1977)
#"Legende YU Rocka" (1987)

References

*EX YU ROCK enciklopedija 1960-2006, Janjatović Petar; ISBN 978-86-905317-1-4

ee also

*SFR Yugoslav Pop and Rock scene
*Serbian rock