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Edo Ljubić

Bosnian-American tamburitza singer and musician (b. May 7, 1912 Donji Vakuf, Austria-Hungary, now Bosnia and Herzegovina – d. Los Angeles, California, March 15, 1993) Ljubić began playing as early as age five when his dad, Nikola, gave him a bisernica (made of cardboard and plywood). At age 14, he founded his own tamburitza band. After graduating high school in Zagreb, he studied music and singing for a year, but then went to France from 1929 to 1933 to study Electrical Engineering. After his return to Yugoslavia, however, he became a professional singer. He had his own radio show on Radio Belgrade. During a 1937 tour of Europe, he performed in Paris, Budapest, Rome, and Berlin. In Berlin, he became the first Yugoslav to appear on TV and also made a short movie. Ljubić was touring the United States when World War II broke out. He decided to stay and became a naturalized citizen in September 1949, assuming the name Edo Lubich. He also became an important influence on American tamburitza musicians, recording widely for labels such as [l=Victor], [l=Columbia], [l=Decca], [l=Balkan Records], and [l=Sonart (2)]. In 1986, he was inducted into the Tamburitza Association of America's Hall of Fame.