Saban Bajramovic

Serbian-born Saban Bajramovic was the most popular and influential Romany singer of his generation -- a larger-than-life figure renowned for his devotion to excess and abandon, his potently soulful voice embodied the emotional extremes of the modern Balkan experience. Born in Nis, Yugoslavia, on April 16, 1936, Bajramovic was orphaned during World War II, and quit school only four years into his education. Life on the streets honed his wits and his talents, and for years he survived largely on money earned from singing at local Romany festivals.

While serving in the Yugoslav Army he went AWOL to visit a girlfriend, earning a five-year prison sentence for his efforts -- during a year served on the Adriatic island Goli Otok, Bajramovic learned to read and write, and performed regularly with a band comprised of fellow inmates. Upon leaving jail in 1959, Bajramovic launched his professional career, singing at Nis nightclubs and weddings, and in 1964 recorded his debut single, "Pelno Me San" -- the record was a huge hit, and history relates that he spent all the proceeds on a white Mercedes, only to promptly lose the vehicle during a gambling spree.

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