Edo Ljubić

Bosnian-American tamburitza singer and musician (b. May 7, 1912 Donji Vakuf, Austria-Hungary, now Bosnia and Herzegovina – d. Los Angeles, California, March 15, 1993) Ljubić began playing as early as age five when his dad, Nikola, gave him a bisernica (made of cardboard and plywood). At age 14, he founded his own tamburitza band. After graduating high school in Zagreb, he studied music and singing for a year, but then went to France from 1929 to 1933 to study Electrical Engineering. After his return to Yugoslavia, however, he became a professional singer. He had his own radio show on Radio Belgrade. During a 1937 tour of Europe, he performed in Paris, Budapest, Rome, and Berlin. In Berlin, he became the first Yugoslav to appear on TV and also made a short movie. Ljubić was touring the United States when World War II broke out. He decided to stay and became a naturalized citizen in September 1949, assuming the name Edo Lubich. He also became an important influence on American tamburitza musicians, recording widely for labels such as Victor, Columbia, Decca, Balkan Records, and Sonart (2). In 1986, he was inducted into the Tamburitza Association of America's Hall of Fame.