Zvonimir "Zvonko" Bogdan (; born 5 January 1942) is a Serbian Bunjevac performer of traditional folk songs of Serbia, Croatia, Hungary and Romania. He is also a composer, wine producer and harness racer. Biography He was born in the town of Sombor (present-day Vojvodina, Serbia) during World War II to a Bunjevac family, when that part of Yugoslavia was under Axis Hungarian occupation. He spent his childhood on the salaš (farm) of his maternal grandfather Stipan Kukuruzar; his other grandfather Franja was a coachman, tamburitza musician and bon viveur. After a brief adventure in local Sombor theatre, he headed for Belgrade, in age of 19, to enter the drama academy, and started singing in Belgrade kafanas to earn for living, and he found himself in this job. The engagement in Belgrade's "Union" hotel, meeting place of numerous journalists and bohemes, boosted his career; for almost 30 years, he would sing in "Union" whenever he visited Belgrade. His first solo concert was held at Kalemegdan terrace. In 1971, he recorded "Ej salaši na severu Bačke" (Hey Salašes in the North of Bačka), the song he would be forever remembered for. From 1972, he performed with Janika Balaž's orchestra on Novi Sad's Petrovaradin Fortress, a hallmark of tamburitza music. During the turbulent 1990s and Yugoslav Wars, Bogdan largely withdrew from public performances. As he explained, "Simply, I wasn't in a mood to work. Also, the piracy took so much momentum that I was sick even of thoughts of composing and music... I hope those ugly times have gone and that we would be able to live like humans again". In 2004, Bogdan performed in Novi Sad for the Exit Festival, mostly devoted to pop and rock, also held on Petrovaradin Fortress; it was a tribute of new generations to the old bard and the site which was the cornerstone of traditional music. Bogdan sings both the original and also the traditional songs of Vojvodina and Slavonia accompanied by the traditional tamburitza orchestra. Some of the songs he composed himself, including his most famous "Ej salaši na severu Bačke". Some of his songs are also in Hungarian and Romani. Accompanying bands on his concerts are the Orchestra of Mile Nikolić (the successor of the famous Orchestra of Janika Balaž) from Vojvodina and the Zagrebački tamburaši from Croatia. The late Janika Balaž and still living Jerry Grcevich are his favourite tamburitza musicians and co-workers.