Dejan Cukić (; born 4 November 1959) is a Serbian and Yugoslav rock musician, journalist, author and translator.
Cukić started his musical career as a teenager, rising to prominence in late 1970s as the frontman of the new wave band Bulevar. He released two albums with the band before they split up in 1982. After Bulevar disbanded, he devoted himself to journalism, writing for music magazine Rock and other publications. He returned to music in 1984, when he became one of the vocalists of the newly-formed pop rock band Bajaga i Instruktori, which would soon after the formation rise to nationwide popularity. Cukić recorded three albums with the group, before releasing his first solo album in 1987. Soon after, he left Bajaga i Instruktori, pursuing solo career which spans to the present day. Forming his backing band Spori Ritam Band in 1988, Cukić has released nine studio albums and two live albums as a solo artist.
In addition to his musical career, Cukić has written for a number of publications, hosted several radio shows, authored four books on popular music and translated a number of biographies and autobiographies of rock musicians and bands.
Biography Early life and career Dejan Cukić was born on 4 November 1959 in Belgrade. As a high school student, he became a vocalist in his first band, Dizel (Diesel). After leaving Dizel, he joined the band Tilt.
Musical career Bulevar (1978–1982)
After Tilt disbanded in 1978, Cukić, with two other former Tilt members, guitarist Nenad Stamatović and drummer Predrag Jakovljević, and bass guitarist Branko Isaković formed the new wave band Bulevar (Boulevard). The four were soon joined by keyboardist Dragan Mitrić. The band released two albums, the 1980 Loš i mlad (Bad and Young) and the 1982 Mala noćna panika (A Little Night Panic), to moderate success, with Loš i mlad bringing a minor hit "Meni treba nešto vruće" ("I Need Something Hot") and Mala noćna panika bringing hits "Unutrašnja panika" ("Inner Panic") and "Trenutni lek" ("Momentary Remedy"). The group disbanded in 1982, as Cukić, Stamatović and Mitrić were all drafted to serve their mandatory stints in the Yugoslav People's Army.
Bajaga i Instruktori, first solo album (1984–1988) In 1984, after not performing for two years, during which he pursued a career in journalism, Cukić took part in the recording of Pozitivna geografija (Positive Geography), a solo album by Riblja Čorba guitarist Momčilo Bajagić "Bajaga". Soon after, Bajagić departed from Riblja Čorba, forming the band Bajaga i Instruktori from the musicians that participated in Pozitivna geografija recording; Cukić thus became one of three Bajaga i Instruktori vocalist (the other two being Bajagić and Živorad "Žika" Milenković), also playing smaller percussion instruments on the band's live performances. Following Pozitivna geografija, Cukić recorded two more albums with Bajaga i Instruktori, the 1985 Sa druge strane jastuka (On the Other Side of the Pillow), and the 1986 Jahači magle (Fog Riders), both released to large commercial success and critical acclaim.
In the spring of 1987, Cukić released his first solo album, Spori ritam (Slow Rhythm). He recorded the album with guitarists Safet Petrovac and Vlada Negovanović, bass guitarist Branko Isaković, drummer Dragoljub Đuričić, and keyboardists Dragan Mitrić and Saša Lokner, the latter being Cukić's bandmate from Bajaga i Instruktori.Spori Ritam at Discogs The album was produced by Saša Habić. The songs were authored by Cukić, Mitrić, Bajagić, Bezobrazno Zeleno leader Bojan Vasić "Vasa" and Piloti leader Zoran "Kiki" Lesendrić. The album also included a cover of Azra song "A šta da radim" ("What Should I Do"). During the summer of the same year, Cukić went with Bajaga i Instruktori on their Soviet Union tour, performing with the group for the last time. In the spring of 1988, he parted the ways with the group amicably, dedicating himself to his solo career.
Solo career (1988–present) In 1988, Cukić formed his backing group, Spori Ritam Band (Slow Rhythm Band). The first lineup of the band featured Dragan Mitrić (keyboards), Vlada Negovanović (a former Doktor Spira i Ljudska Bića and Tunel member, guitar), Safet Petrovac (a former Piloti member, guitar), Slobodan Jurišić (a former Mama Co Co and Točak Band member, drums), and Branko Isaković (a former Bulevar, Suncokret and Idoli member, bass guitar). In 1989, Isaković moved to Kerber, and on the recording of Cukić's second album Zajedno (Together) bass guitar was played by Bata Božanić. Zajedno, released in 1989 under Dejan Cukić & Spori Ritam Band moniker, featured songs composed by Cukić and Mitrić, with lyrics written by Cukić, Bojan Vasić and Nikola Čuturilo.Zajedno at Discogs The title track was a cover The Beatles song "Come Together". Following the album release, Petrovac left Spori Ritam Band, and the group was joined by bass guitarist Nenad Novaković (formerly of Jugosloveni).
In late 1990, both Isaković and Petrovac returned to Spori Ritam Band, and Cukić and the group recorded the album 1991. It featured a new version of Bulevar song "Nestašni dečaci" ("Wild Boys"). With the outbreak of Yugoslav Wars in 1991, Cukić and Spori Ritam Band went on what would eventually become a three-year hiatus.
In 1994, Cukić returned to the scene with the compilation album San na pola puta (A Dream on the Half of the Road), including several songs which did not appear on his studio releases – "Julija", the ballad "Ruža ispod pepela" ("Rose under the Ashes"), which originally appeared on the 1992 various artists album S one strane duge (Over the Rainbow), a cover of Arsen Dedić's "Sve što znaš o meni" ("Everything You Know about Me"), which originally appeared on the 1991 various artists album Beograde ((Oh,) Belgrade), and a new version of Bulevar song "Trenutni lek" ("Momentary Remedy"). In 1994, Cukić performed at an unplugged festival held in Belgrade's Sava Centar, with an unplugged version of "Ruža ispod pepela" appearing on the 1996 various artists live album Bez struje (Unplugged) recorded at the event. At the end of 1995, Negovanović left Spori Ritam Band to become a member of Bajaga i Instruktori, continuing to occasionally collaborate with Cukić.
Cukić's following studio album, 4 ½... Ja bih da pevam... (4 ½... I Want to Sing...), was released in 1996. It featured a cover of Đorđe Marjanović song "Zvižduk u osam" ("Whistle at Eight"), a cover of Stephen Stills song "Love the One You're With", entitled "Volim kad si tu" ("I Love When You're There"), and a cover of Doobie Brothers song "Long Train Running", entitled "Dugo putovanje vozom" ("A Long Journey via Train"). The song "Mokre ulice" ("Wet Streets") featured guest appearance on vocals by Branimir "Johnny" Štulić, who also co-wrote the song with Cukić. The album also featured lyrics authored by Bora Đorđević and Nikola Čuturilo. Backing vocals on the album were provided by Zana vocalist Jelena Galonić and Marija Mihajlović, and the latter would, after the album release, become an official member of Spori Ritam Band. On 26 January 1996, Dejan Cukić and Spori Ritam Band held an unplugged concert in Novi Sad's Studio M, the recording of which was released the following year on the live album Unplugged. The performance featured guest appearances by saxophonist Deže Molnar and percussionists Maja Klisinski and Gradimir Milosavljević "Puba". In the summer of 1996, Cukić and Spori Ritam Band appeared at Music Festival Budva with the song "Na moru ljubavi" ("On the Sea of Love"), and in 1997, they appeared at the festival with the song "Karneval" ("Carnival").
At the end of 1998, Cukić and Spori Ritam band released the album Igramo na ulici (Dancing in the Street). The songs were composed by Cukić and Mitrić, with part of the lyrics written by Srđan Mihaljević. The album was produced by Vlada Negovanović and brought hit songs "Bulevari" ("Boulevards"), "Igramo na ulici" and "Stranac u Beogradu" ("Stranger in Belgrade"). It also included The Beatles-inspired instrumental "Pored reke" ("By the River").
In 2000, Cukić recorded covers of Bob Dylan songs with Serbian language lyrics, translated by himself, for the theatre play Divlji med (Wild Honey), performed in Atelje 212 theatre and directed by Dejan Mijač. Cukić released these covers on the 2000 album Divlji med – Pesme Boba Dilana (Wild Honey – Songs of Bob Dylan). Featuring only Cukić on acoustic guitar and vocals, Branko Isaković on acoustic guitar and bass guitar and Zona B member Ljuba Đorđević on harmonica, the album was Cukić's first release since his 1987 debut Spori ritam not recorded with Spori Ritam Band.
In 2001, Cukić released Kalendar (Calendar), also recorded without Spori Ritam Band, his first album to feature all songs authored by himself. The album was produced by Mirko Vukomanović and featured Nikola Čuturilo, Vidoja Božinović (of Riblja Čorba) and Željko Markuš on guitar, Uroš Marković on guitar and keyboards, Nenad Stefanović "Japanac" on bass guitar, Branko Isaković on acoustic guitar, Ana Đokić (of Orthodox Celts) on violin and other musicians. The song "U snovima" ("In My Dreams") was a duet recorded with singer Tedora Bojović. The album included two bonus tracks, a cover of The Rolling Stones song "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", featuring Bajagić, Žika Milenković and Riblja Čorba frontman Bora Đorđević, and a cover of The Beatles song "Strawberry Fields Forever", featuring St. George String Orchestra. On 16 November 2002, Cukić, backed by Spori Ritam Band, held a concert in Belgrade's Sava Centar, the recording of which was released the following year on the live album DC & SRB @ SC. The band's new bass guitarist Peđa Milanović debuted on the album.
In summer of 2007, Cukić presented his new single "Kud me vetar doziva" (Where the Wind Calls Me) at Music Festival Budva. The song appeared on the studio album Ubrzanje! (Acceleration!), released in 2008. The album featured several producers – Mirko Vukomanović, Vlada Negovanović, Voja Aralica, Ted Yanni, Predrag M. Milanović and Kornelije Kovač, some of which also authored part of the songs. As its predecessor, Ubrzanje! included two bonus tracks, a cover of Azra song "Obrati pažnju na poslednju stvar" ("Pay Attention to the Last Tune") and a different version of "Zauvek mlad"—a cover of Bob Dylan's "Forever Young"—than the one appearing on Divlji med – Pesme Boba Dilana.
In 2013, Cukić released the compilation album Priče o ljubavi (Stories About Love), in order to celebrate 25 years of solo career."Dejan Cukić: Promovisao novi album i proslavio 26 godina karijere", hellomagazin.rs The album included two new songs, "Prava ljubav" ("True Love") and "Priča o ljubavi" ("Story about Love"), the latter co-authored with Nikola Čuturilo. On 22 October 2015, Cukić reunited with the original members of his first band Tilt, for a performance at the Mikser club in Belgrade, organized in order to mark the start of the Belgrade Rock Museum initiative. In July 2017, in order to celebrate 30 years of solo career, Cukić released the single "Od šanka do šanka" ("From Bar to Bar"), a cover of a song by singer-songwriter Andrej Šifrer."Dejan Cukić juriša ‘Od šanka do šanka’", Rockomotiva.com
In 2019, Cukić released his latest studio album Ulica bez brojeva (Streets without Numbers), his first studio album since the 1998 Igramo na ulici to be released under Dejan Cukić & Spori Ritam Band Moniker. The songs were authored by Cukić, Dragan Mitrić, Momčilo Bajagić, Nikola Čuturilo and Mirko Vukomanović. The album brought minor hits "Prvi let" ("The First Flight"), "Pamet u glavu" ("Be Smart") and "Srce od kamena" ("Heart of Stone"). During the same year, Cukić and actress Jelena Gavrilović recorded a cover of Eva Braun song "Bečej noću" ("Bečej at Night"), released as a single."Jelena Gavrilović i Dejan Cukić snimili atraktivni video spot za novu verziju kultne pesme „Bečej noću“", Izlazak.com
Other musical activities and guest appearances