hiː bɪɡˈæn wˈɜːkɪŋ æz ɐ mjuːzˈɪʃən ɪnðə nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti z, fˈɜːst æz ɐn ɐkˈoːɹdiən plˈeɪɚ hˌuː ɐkˈʌmpənid ˈʌðɚ, mˈoːɹ pɹˈɑːmɪnənt sˈɪŋɚz, wˌaɪl lˈeɪɾɚɹ ɪnðə dˈɛkeɪd, hiː tˈiːmd ˌʌp wɪð ˈʌðɚ kəmpˈoʊzɚz lˈaɪk dˈʌʃkoʊ ɹædˈɛɾɪk, bˈeɪn pˈɑːpɑːv, ænd dˈuːʃən kˌæɹɐklˈædʒɪk, bᵻkˈʌmɪŋ ɐ fˈoʊk mjˈuːzɪk stˈɑːɹ hɪmsˈɛlf.
He began working as a musician in the 1960s, first as an accordion player who accompanied other, more prominent singers, while later in the decade, he teamed up with other composers like Duško Radetić, Bane Popov, and Dušan Karaklajić, becoming a folk music star himself.