Sarajevo school of pop rock

The Sarajevo school of pop rock collectively refers to the popular music created between 1960 and 1991 by artists and bands native to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (then part of Yugoslavia).

The music created in this period helped create a distinct identity for modern Sarajevo and make the city the center of Yugoslav rock. The regional influence of the Sarajevo pop rock school has been tremendous, significantly shaping the popular music of the former Yugoslav republics to this day. The start of the Yugoslav wars and the siege of Sarajevo are generally considered to mark the end of the era.

The roots of the movement can be found in the Sixties when some of the first local bands, such as the Indexi and Pauci, first appeared. By the 1970s the Sarajevo scene had grown considerably while still retaining the same central figures at the helm. Sarajevo bands such as Bijelo dugme influenced heavily by progressive and classical rock bands such as Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, soon became idols of the country's youth.

Unlike elsewhere, the movement was not slowed down by the punk rock explosion of the late 1970s. Rather, older bands diversified, exploring genres such as pop and folk, while the younger generation of musicians neatly incorporated themselves into the movement while building upon influences such as Punk rock and New Wave.

Noted bands from the later period include Merlin, Plavi orkestar, Vatreni poljubac, Divlje jagode, Zabranjeno pušenje, Crno Vino and Crvena jabuka.

See also

• New Primitives
• Yugoslav New Wave
• Punk in Yugoslavia