The band was officially formed on May 7, 1985 in Split, by Zlatan "Džibo" Stipišić, Nenad Mitrović, Davor Gradinski, Igor Makić, and Dražen Krolo. The band had their first performance as an opening band for Zabranjeno Pušenje on August 1, 1985 in Arena Gripe. A month later they won the first place at Dalmatia Youth Rock Meeting. At the end of the year they won the first place at the Radiotelevision Zagreb show Stereovizija with the song "Lutko moja, takav sam ti ja". At the beginning of 1986, after several line-up changes, a stable line-up was formed. It featured Stipišić, Mitrović, Bojan Antolić, Gradinski, and Miro Marunica. During the year they released the albumUlična molitva. All the songs on the album were written by Stipišić. The album achieved success and launched Osmi putnik to the top of the former Yugoslav hard rock and heavy metal scene. In 1987 Mirjan Jovanović replaced Marunica, and Alen Koljanin replaced Mitrović. The band released their second albumGlasno, glasnije The title track became the band's biggest hit, and at the time of the album release an unofficial anthem of HNK Hajduk Split. The album also featured the song "Da mi je biti morski pas", a cover of Split band Metak song. The album was produced by a former Metak bass guitarist Mirko Krističević. The readers of the Rock magazine voted Osmi putnik the Rock Band of the Year. In 1988 the band released their third albumDrage sestre moje... Nije isto bubanj i harmonika Osmi putnik disbanded. Stipišić joined Divlje jagode. After a year spent in the band he left, and for a short time he was a vocalist for the German band V2. After he left V2 Stipišić started a successful solo career under the name Gibonni. Koljanin moved to Australia, where he became a member of the Canberra-based band, Knights of the Spatchcock.
2002 - present
In 2002 Antolić, Gradinski and Jovanović, with the approval from the band's former leader Stipišić who maintained a successful solo career, decided to reform Osmi putnik. The new lineup featured Dean Clea Brkić and Kristijan Barišić. The band released their fourth studio albumŽiv i ponosan in 2005. In 2006 In PGP-RTS rereleased Glasno, glasnije and Drage sestre moje... Nije isto bubanj i harmonika on one disc. The band released their fifth album Tajna in 2010.
Legacy
In 2011, the song "Glasno, glasnije" was polled, by the listeners of Radio 202, one of 60 greatest songs released by PGP-RTB/PGP-RTS.