Bora Đorđević


Borisav "Bora" Đorđević, also known as Bora Čorba, is a Serbian singer, songwriter, and poet. He is best known as the lead singer for the Serbian and Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba. Renowned for his brand of poetic lyrics and husky baritone voice, Đorđević is widely considered as one of the top and most influential authors of the Serbian and Yugoslav rock scene.

Early life

Čačak years

Đorđević was born in Čačak in 1952 to machinist father Dragoljub and mother Nerandža, professor of Serbian.
At age thirteen, he formed his first band, Hermelini, with Borko Ilić, Prvoslav Savić, and Aca Dimitrijević. Đorđević played bass guitar and the band's sound was influenced by the Zagreb-based beat band Roboti.
Two years later Đorđević switched to rhythm guitar and began writing lyrics/poetry. One of his earliest songs/poems, "Moje tuge", would later be recorded and released on Suncokret's debut single "Kara Mustafa" / "Moje tuge" as well as included on their debut album Moje bube. After Hermelini, Đorđević played with numerous Čačak-based bands: Vesnici Ljubavi, Safiri, Dečaci sa Morave, and Čačanski Plemići. For a time, he was a member of PORS with Radomir Mihailović Točak on guitar.
Simultaneously, teenage Đorđević, along with a group of friends, began breaking and entering into apartment units around his hometown Čačak, looking for money and other valuables. Some of the stolen funds obtained this way were used to purchase musical equipment. After three years of committing burglaries, they were arrested and charged as juvenile delinquents. Đorđević spent seven days in prison detention before being released to await the sentencing. The sentence was soon delivered in the form of an order for "enhanced parental supervision and occasional control of the social services". Upon being released from prison detention, he got promptly expelled from the gymnasium he had been attending.

Move to Belgrade

Đorđević's parents decided to move the family to Belgrade where he enrolled at the Fifth Belgrade Gymnasium. For three years after arriving to Belgrade he didn't participate in any music-related activities.
At the time of his matriculation, nineteen-year-old Đorđević auditioned for the staging of the Jesus Christ Superstar rock opera at Atelje 212, getting one of the apostle roles. Featuring Korni Grupa singer Zlatko Pejaković in the lead role of Jesus Christ, Branko Milićević as Pontius Pilate, and acoustic singer-songwriter Srđan Marjanović as one of the priests, the show premiered in June 1972. It was performed 21 times over the next year until its last show in June 1973.
Đorđević would continue acting in theatre, mostly as an extra, appearing in Atelje 212 plays :fr:L'Île pourpre|Purpurno ostrvo, Tom Pejn, and Caca u metrou.

Early career

Zajedno

In late March 1973, twenty-year-old Đorđević formed the acoustic rock band Zajedno with three female vocalists — Ivana Kačunković alongside twin sisters Vukica "Viki" and Gordana "Goca" Stefanović — and keyboardist Đorđe Petrović, all fellow students at the Fifth Belgrade Gymnasium. The band often recorded jingles for radio shows. On invitation from actor Zoran Radmilović, whom Đorđević had met while participating in the Jesus Christ Superstar staging at Atelje 212, the band joined a conceptual theatre tour named Selu u pohode. Featuring a somewhat hippie vibe, the summer 1973 tour, that in addition to Zajedno members and Radmilović also featured painter :sr:Zagorka Stojanović|Zagorka Stojanović, visited numerous remote Socialist Republic of Serbia villages with the aim of exposing its inhabitants to various forms of arts and culture such as acoustic music, painting, and theatre.
Zajedno's debut release, seven-inch single with tracks "Vizija" and "Goro moja", was released in 1974 by PGP RTB. Đorđević composed the music for the A-side track while the B-side track used the lyrics from the eponymous poem by Aleksa Šantić. With liner notes written by radio disk jockey Zoran Modli who used the opportunity to draw comparisons to YU Grupa's debut single from four years prior, the release brought Zajedno a small measure of prominence. In May 1974, Zajedno members wrote the music for the theatre play Bonton , starring Feđa Stojanović and Ružica Sokić, that was staged on Atelje 212's secondary 'Theatre in the Basement' stage. The play was performed 43 times over the following two years until the last show in May 1976 with Zajedno members — Đorđević, Petrović, and Ivana Kačunković — in addition to Kačunković's sister Jasna appearing in acting roles as singers and musicians on stage.
In parallel with being in Zajedno, young Đorđević worked numerous temporary side jobs. He was part of the production crew of the Radio Belgrade show Veče uz radio that was created, hosted, and produced by the Yugoslav rock'n'roll media pioneers Nikola Karaklajić and Peca Popović. Đorđević additionally filed radio reports from acoustic music festivals in Sivac, wrote articles for the Džuboks magazine about Yugoslav acoustic rock scene, and wrote a number of jingles for Beograd 202 and Studio B.
He left Zajedno in late 1974.

Suncokret

In January 1975, Đorđević formed acoustic rock band Suncokret. They gained popularity with folk rock-oriented songs and Đorđević's humorous lyrics.
Suncokret worked with disk jockey Zoran Modli with whom they released the seven-inch single "Na putu za Stambol" / "Anđelija, čuvaj se Turaka" under the name Hajduk Stanko i Jataci. Another single with Modli, "Rock and roll duku duku" / "Gili, gili bluz", was released under the name Zoran Modli i Suncokret.
With Suncokret, Đorđević recorded three more singles and album Moje bube.

Rani Mraz

Đorđević left Suncokret after the band refused to perform his song "Lutka sa naslovne strane". He accepted Đorđe Balašević's invitation and, with another former Suncokret member, female vocal Bilja Krstić, became a member of Balašević's band Rani Mraz. This was the most famous, but a short-lasting Rani Mraz lineup, and besides Đorđe Balašević, Bora Đorđević and Bilja Krstić featured female vocal Verica Todorović. This lineup held several performances in Dom omladine and Student's Cultural Centre in Belgrade. Đorđević performed songs "Lutka sa naslovne strane", "Mirno spavaj" and "Zvezda potkorvlja i suterena" and Balašević entertained the audience with his humorous stories. This Rani Mraz lineup recorded famous song "Računajte na nas", which praised People's Liberation War from a slightly different perspective than habitual socialist realism, and soon became an anthem of Yugoslav youth. This lineup also recorded single with songs "Oprosti mi, Katrin" and "Život je more".

Riblja Čorba

After Rani Mraz performance on Split music festival and only forty-five days spent in the band Đorđević left Rani Mraz. After returning to Belgrade he formed hard rock band Riblja Čorba with SOS members Miša Aleksić, Rajko Kojić and Vicko Milatović. Their debut album Kost u grlu saw huge success and the band became very popular in a few months. The band's popularity grew, but it has also started manifesting in Đorđević's alcoholism, which has, together with his provocative social-related lyrics, caused him to become one of the most controversial musicians in Yugoslavia. He has remained a frontman and leader of Riblja Čorba from its formation to today.

Solo projects

Đorđević's unplugged performance with Arsen Dedić in Terazije Theatre in 1987 resulted in a famous bootleg album Arsen & Bora Čorba Unplugged `87. Bora priča gluposti, released in 1988 features a recording of his poetry evening. In 1996 he released Njihovi dani on which he demonstrated his anti-Milošević attitudes.

Guest appearances and collaborations

Đorđević made a guest appearance on numerous projects. With Minđušari he recorded controversial songs "E, moj druže zagrebački" and "Ljetovanje", released on Minđušari 1993 album Armija srpska. Other artist he recorded songs with include Bijelo Dugme, Balkan, Kerber, Zoran Predin, Arsen Dedić, Rambo Amadeus, Biljana Krstić, Dejan Cukić, Vlada i Bajka and others. He was also involved in recording of a cult compilation album Paket aranžman. He wrote songs for Zdravko Čolić, Bisera Veletanlić, Generacija 5, Đorđe Marjanović, Neda Ukraden, Rajko Kojić, Dušan Prelević, Oliver Mandić, Šaban Šaulić, Poslednja Igra Leptira, Denis & Denis, Viktorija, Željko Bebek, Lepa Brena, Ceca Ražnatović, Zana, Prljavi Inspektor Blaža i Kljunovi, Baja Mali Knindža, Nedeljko Bajić Baja and others.

Literary work

Đorđević released his first book of poems Ravnodušan prema plaču in 1985.
In 1987 he released his second book of poems Hej, Sloveni and in 1988 became a member of the Association of Writers of Serbia. Đorđević, reputedly, wrote the application on a table napkin. His membership in the Association of Writers of Serbia was not well received by some of the members.
Đorđević released eight more books:
Because of his provocative social and political-related lyrics, his support for Serbian nationalism coupled with his opposition to communism, Slobodan Milošević and the political involvement as the Democratic Party of Serbia member, Đorđević was a subject of many controversies:
Bora Đorđević was married to Dragana Đorđević for 30 years, until they were divorced in February 2007; they have a son, and a daughter from Dragans's first marriage. Soon afterward, on 23 March 2007, Dragana ended her life by mixing alcohol and prescription drugs.
Đorđević remarried in 2009, this time to his twenty-eight years younger girlfriend Aleksandra Savić. They had met in 2007 while Đorđević was on tour with Riblja Čorba in the United States. During 2014, it was reported that the pair are splitting, after four and a half years of marriage. This was confirmed by Đorđević in April, several days after finalizing their divorce.
Shortly after, Đorđević confirmed speculations that he has a new girlfriend, Dubravka Milatović, from Slovenia. In May 2016, the couple married in a private ceremony on Greek island Santorini. Many songs on Riblja Čorba latest studio album Da tebe nije, Đorđević wrote and devoted to his wife. Album cover also contains her picture in drawing. Đorđević currently resides on relation Belgrade – Ljubljana.

Discography

Zajedno

Singles

Albums

Singles

Studio albums

Studio albums