
Leo Martin ( sr-cyr, Лео Мартин, born on 6 March 1942) is a Serbian and
former Yugoslav
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
pop singer. He started his career in the early 1960s in jazz bands as an instrumentalist and vocalist. In 1964, he moved with his band to
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
to play jazz covers in night clubs. In 1968, while in Germany, he started his solo career by recording an album of pop music in the English language, which made him popular throughout Europe. After touring Europe, he returned to Yugoslavia in 1969 where he established himself as one of the leading
schlager singers of the 1970s and 1980s. His career was interrupted by
Yugoslav Wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and insurgencies that took place in the SFR Yugoslavia from 1991 to 2001. The conflicts both led up to and resulted from ...
of the 1990s. He has performed sporadically since.
Biography
Martin was born as Miloš Jović (Милош Јовић) on 6 March 1942 in the village of
Rašica near
Blace
Blace ( sr-cyr, Блаце, ) is a town and municipality located in the Toplica District of the southern Serbia. According to 2011 census, the population of the town is 5,253, while population of the municipality is 11,754.
History
In the Ex ...
, Serbia. When he was two years old, his family moved to
Belgrade.
His family was poor, so he had to work hard since the young age. Jović was loading coal in the building of the
Music Academy in Belgrade when he heard classical music. That led him to his musical career.
[ He enrolled at the musical school, studying piano and clarinet.] In 1961, he enrolled at the Faculty of Law of the University of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade ( sr, / ) is a public university in Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia.
Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac- ...
, but did not graduate.
Music career
In early 60s, Jović formed a dixieland
Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ...
band called "Veseli bendžo" (Serbian for 'Happy Banjo
The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...
') that played jazz covers in Belgrade clubs. They played every Thursday evening at Belgrade Fair
The Belgrade Fair ( sr, Београдски сајам, Beogradski sajam) is a large complex of three large domes and a dozen of smaller halls which is the location of the major trade fairs in Belgrade, the capital city of Serbia. It is located ...
.[ Jović played clarinet in the band.][ The band became popular, but was soon disbanded, and he formed new band called "Ekspres 8" in which he was the vocalist and played covers of ]Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...
and Glenn Miller
Alton Glen Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band founder, owner, conductor, composer, arranger, trombone player and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Arm ...
. In 1964, the band moved to West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
where they played for U.S. soldiers stationed there. In 1967, while playing in Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
, Jović was visited by CBS Records general manager Bruno Anger, who offered him a contract to record an album of his own songs in English.[ For that contract, Јović took alias Leo Martin, which he used throughout all his later career.][ His debut album ''Let me stay'' was a hit in Europe in early 1968.][ He toured Europe together with ]Mireille Mathieu
Mireille Mathieu (; born 22 July 1946) is a French singer. She has recorded over 1200 songs in eleven languages, with more than 122 million records sold worldwide.
Biography and career
Early years
Mireille Mathieu was born on 22 July 1946 in A ...
, Tom Jones
Tom Jones may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
*Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer
* Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist
*''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in ...
, Engelbert Humperdinck and Salvatore Adamo
Salvatore Adamo (born November 1, 1943) is a Belgian-Italian musician, singer and composer, who is known for his romantic ballads. Adamo was born in Comiso, Sicily, Italy, and has lived in Belgium since the age of three, which is why he has dual ...
.[ In February 1969, he returned to Yugoslavia.][
During the 70s and 80s, Martin established himself as one of the leading Yugoslavian ]schlager music
Schlager music (, " hit(s)") is a style of European popular music that is generally a catchy instrumental accompaniment to vocal pieces of pop music with simple, happy-go-lucky, and often sentimental lyrics.
Typical Schlager tracks are eith ...
singer.[ In 1973, he recorded his signature song " Odiseja" ('Odyssey') for ]PGP-RTB
PGP-RTB (abbreviation for sr, Produkcija gramofonskih ploča Radio televizije Beograd) was a major state-owned record label and chain record store in the former SFR Yugoslavia, based in Belgrade, Socialist Republic of Serbia. After the breaku ...
record label. The single sold 100,000 copies in its first week.[
During the ]Yugoslav Wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and insurgencies that took place in the SFR Yugoslavia from 1991 to 2001. The conflicts both led up to and resulted from ...
of the 90's, Martin took a break in his music career. He did not make any recordings or perform in a concert between 1990 and 1997.[ In 1997, ]PGP-RTS
PGP-RTS ( sr, Produkcija gramofonskih ploča Radio televizije Srbije) is a major record label based in Belgrade, Serbia. It is a successor of PGP-RTB which was established in 1959 in Belgrade, then capital of Socialist Republic of Serbia and ...
released his greatest hits
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...
album titled ''Pesme mog života'' ('Songs of My Life') which sold well.[
]
References
Sources
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Leo
1942 births
Serbian pop singers
20th-century Serbian male singers
Singers from Belgrade
Living people
Yugoslav male singers