Saban Bajramovic

Serbian-born Saban Bajramovic emerged as the leading and most influential Romany vocalist of his time, a towering personality famed for his commitment to indulgence and impulsiveness. His deeply expressive singing conveyed the sharp emotional contrasts that marked life in the modern Balkans.

Born April 16, 1936, in Nis, Yugoslavia, he lost both parents in World War II and left formal schooling after only four years. Years spent on the streets sharpened his instincts and gifts, enabling him to support himself for an extended period through performances at local Romany festivals.

While enlisted in the Yugoslav Army, he went absent without leave to meet a girlfriend and received a five-year prison sentence. During one year on the Adriatic island Goli Otok, he mastered reading and writing and sang regularly with a band of fellow prisoners.

Released in 1959, Bajramovic started his professional work by appearing at Nis nightclubs and weddings. In 1964 he issued his first single, “Pelno Me San,” which became an enormous success; reports state he spent the entire sum on a white Mercedes that he soon lost in a single gambling episode.

Stories of his voracious appetites for women, alcohol, and gambling spread across the Balkans. His deep distrust of record labels produced several reckless contracts with short-lived companies, and his frequent cancellations earned him the nickname “No Show Saban.”

By his own count he wrote roughly 700 songs, among them Romany standards such as “Rovena,” “Geljan Dade,” and “Bele Ruze,” and released close to 20 LPs. His renown reached its peak in the 1970s, but the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s pushed him out of public view and left him living in poverty and near invisibility for much of his remaining life.

The 2001 comeback album A Gypsy Legend restored his career at home while attracting world-music listeners worldwide. Filmmaker Emir Kusturica further broadened his international reach by placing his recordings on the soundtrack of the acclaimed feature Black Cat, White Cat.

Though his health was failing, Bajramovic made his first and only U.S. tour in 2004. Serbian director Milos Stojanovic filmed his final studio sessions for the documentary Saban; the completed album of the same name appeared only weeks before the singer died in Nis on June 8, 2008.