Azra

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Zagreb, Croatia, (1977 – 1988)

Azra was a band from Zagreb, Croatia, that was popular across former Yugoslavia in the 1980s. Azra was formed in 1977 by its frontman Branimir “Johnny” Štulić. He became an urban legend even before Azra recorded the first album. He and his guitar would show up in different places of the city and sang to everyone, or nobody, depending on the occasion. Other two members were Mišo Hrnjak (bass) and Boris Leiner (drums). They named the band after the verse “Ja se zovem El Muhamed/Iz plemena starih Azra/Što za ljubav glavu gube/I umiru kada ljube!” (trans. “My name is El Muhamed/From the tribe of the old Azra/That lose their lives for love/And die when they kiss!”) from a sevdalinka “Kraj tanahna šadrvana”, which is a translation of Heinrich Heine’s song Der Asra.

They released their first single in 1979 with songs “Balkan” and “A šta da radim”. The first, self-titled, album, published in 1980, achieved commercial success and popularized Azra in the former Yugoslavia. Azra recorded its last studio album “Izmedju krajnosti” in 1987. In 1988 the band recorded 4LP live album under the name “Zadovoljština” (Satisfaction), after which Štulić disbanded the band (I wonder whether this pun was intended).
Štulić recorded another three albums while in Houten, Netherlands, where he currently lives. He is often at lengths with his past as he lives a secluded life and is often the target of reporters seeking (most often unsuccessfully) an interview.
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