Goran Bregović is a musician, guitarist, lyricist and composer from Bosnia and Herzegovina, born in Sarajevo on 22 March 1950. He became widely known as the leader and songwriter of Bijelo dugme before developing an international career in film music. His work encompasses rock, folk, jazz and world music, combining original compositions with Balkan and Romani musical traditions.
Bregović began playing guitar towards the end of primary school. At eighteen, he joined the Sarajevo band Kodeksi on the recommendation of singer Željko Bebek. After the group disbanded, he formed Jutro with Ismet Arnautalić, later inviting Bebek to join them. Their recordings included “Kad bi bio bijelo dugme”, and the group subsequently adopted the name Bijelo dugme.
Active from 1974 to 1989, Bijelo dugme became one of the most popular bands in Yugoslav music history. Bregović played a central role as its guitarist, composer and leader.
In 1988, he composed the music for Emir Kusturica’s film “Dom za vješanje”. The success of the film and its music, particularly “Ederlezi”, led to further collaborations with Kusturica on “Arizona Dream” in 1993 and “Underground” in 1995. He also composed the score for Patrice Chéreau’s “La Reine Margot”.
His international collaborators have included Iggy Pop, Cesária Évora, Ofra Haza, Sezen Aksu, George Dalaras, Kayah and Krzysztof Krawczyk. In 1998, he founded the Wedding and Funeral Orchestra, performing internationally with a repertoire combining traditional Balkan folk music, his own Balkan- and Romani-inspired compositions, and arrangements of Bijelo dugme songs.
In 2002, Bregović composed the liturgy “My Heart Has Become Tolerant” and performed it at the Basilica of Saint-Denis in Paris. His opera “Karmen with a Happy End” followed in 2004. In 2005, he returned for three farewell concerts with Bijelo dugme. His performance at the Guča trumpet festival in 2007 was recorded for the album “Alkohol”, released in 2008, adding another live project to a discography spanning solo recordings, collaborations and film soundtracks.
