Quick Facts
Biography
Drago Mlinarec (born 1942) is a Croatian rock musician who became known in Yugoslavia with a progressive rock band Grupa 220.
Life
Growing up in Titoistic Yugoslavia with open borders towards the West, he stated that the lyrics he used in his music were partially inspired by the Noir films he had seen in cinema.
Work
Besides playing in one of the most popular rock bands in Yugoslavia, Mlinarec in the 1970s composed music for several theatre plays, TV shows, documentary and feature films. His musical style was compared with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Some of his albums were recorded in Sweden.
Musical career
After serving his mandatory military service, he left Grupa 220 and begun a successful solo career. His album Pjesme S Planine yielded several notable songs including Noćna Ptica and Skladište Tišine. Arguably his greatest achievement was the album Rođenje. He used of a variety of sounds and his style of play was distinctive - it remains so today. Among his later hits is a Latino hit "Caracas".
Awards
- 1987 "Josip Štolcer Slavenski" award by Vjesnik newspaper
- 1997 "Porin" Award for compilation album Krhotine
- 2005 "Porin" Award for life accomplishment in music