Valerija Raukar (September 5, 1924,

Ruma Ruma (; hu, Árpatarló) is a town and municipality in the Srem District of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2011, the town has a population of 30,076, while the municipality has a population of 54,339. History Traces of org ...

Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

– March 6, 2011,

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

), most commonly known by her stage name Rajka Vali, was a Croatian pop music singer who enjoyed success through the 1940s and 1950s. Raukar was born to an ethnic Croat family in the east Syrmian town of

(today located in

Vojvodina Vojvodina ( sr-Cyrl, Војводина}), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia. It lies within the Pannonian Basin, bordered to the south by the national capital ...

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

). She began singing in the school choir in high school in

. Her professional singer career began accidentally in 1943. One of members of Trio Delinski was ill and there was an urgent need for replacement. Valerija Raukar was literally dragged by her friends into the studio of Krugovalna postaja Zagreb. She sang with Trio Delinski until the end of World War II. Afterwards she continued as a vocal soloist, sometimes making records with dance orchestras. She studied architecture in Zagreb and graduated in 1955. She was married twice. Her first marriage was with known pre-World War II Croatian

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

musician Bojan Hohnjec, who influenced her early singing style. Her second husband was known Croatian jazz musician, drummer Marjan Moša Marjanović. In 1960 Rajka Vali moved with her husband to Germany, where she continued her singer career. She also had concerts in France, Spain and Germany. She ended her singing career due to her career as architect. In Germany she specialized medical technique and projecting, so she designed several clinics and hospitals. In the 1980s she returned to Zagreb, Croatia, where she died in 2011.

Discography

Rajka Vali recorded 26 singles for

Jugoton Jugoton was the largest record label and chain record store in the former Yugoslavia based in Zagreb, SR Croatia. History Jugoton was formed in 1947. It is notable for releasing some of the most important former Yugoslav pop and rock records. ...

in the period of 1951 to 1957. Only 19 of those records are saved. ''Incomplete list of singles'' * Ti si radost mi sva (''You belong to my heart'') * Ti si biće mog sna * Mambo, mambo, 1954 * Dal' znaš?, 1954 * Često se pitam * Svatko za nečim čezne (''To each his own'') * Srček dela tika taka – Rajka Vali i Ivo Robić * Plavi dim, 1955 * Ti i ja * Kad bi me volio * Je li ljubav to (''So this is love'') * San je želja (''Dream is a wish'') * U iščekivanju (''I'm thrilled'') * Tampico * Baš je divan sunčan dan – Rajka Vali i Ivo Robic * Tvoj (Yours) – Rajka Vali i Ivo Robić * Sastanak (Danas opet) * Kapljice kiše In 2001 Croatia Records (ex-Jugoton) made a tribute to forgotten Croatian stars. *Prozor u pedesete: Zaboravljene zvijezde, Forgotten Stars — trostruki luksuzni album: Zvonimir Krkljuš, Rajka Vali, Bruno Petrali pjevaju vam svoje uspjehe, Croatia Records, Perfekt Music, 2001

Sources

* Rajka Vali interview * Barikada – World of Music – Rajka Vali * Vijenac Nada Vrkljan-Križić: Ispravljena nepravda, December 27, 2001 {{DEFAULTSORT:Vali, Rajka 1924 births 2011 deaths People from Ruma 20th-century Croatian women singers Croats of Vojvodina Syrmia Croatian women architects Serbian women architects Yugoslav women singers