Robić began his musical career by studying at the Zagreb Conservatory with the aim of becoming a music teacher. During his studies he learned to play the piano , saxophone , clarinet , flute and bass violin . In addition to his studies, he worked as a singer with the Radio Zagreb dance orchestra. He was discovered by the Yugoslav record company Jugoton , which produced their first record with Robić in 1948. By 1977 Ivo Robić's Jugoton had around 100 records, which made him one of the most successful Yugoslavian record stars. From 1977 he recorded records for the Czechoslovak record company Supraphon . At the beginning of the 1950s Robić began to perform abroad, for example in Czechoslovakia, Austria and the GDR .
Robić made his first appearance in Germany in 1955 in Hof (Saale) . But it was not until 1958 that a record deal came here. The initiative came from Robić's wife, who had sent demo tapes to various German record companies. Polydor was the only one who showed interest and invited Robić to test recordings. After two cover versions recorded in January 1959 with titles by the Chessmen and Ray Peterson were discarded, the first Robić single with the titles Morgen and Ay, ayay Paloma was released in May 1959 . The producer was Bert Kämpfert , who looked after Robić in the following years. The title morning had Peter Moesser composed, he worked for a time with Robić. Tomorrow became a global success and sold over a million copies in Germany alone, for which Robić received a platinum record from his music label. Although it only reached second place in the listing of the specialist journal Musikmarkt , it received the Bronze Lion from Radio Luxembourg . The American music magazine Billboard also included the German original title, which was published by the Laurie label , in its Hot 100 . Tomorrow held its own there for 14 weeks and rose to 13th place. Polydor launched the title in the UK, where it reached number 23 on the hit lists. With the second record with Ivo Robić, Polydor took a two-pronged approach from the start. The German title Muli-Song was published at the same time in Germany and the USA, but in the States in the English version The Happy Muleteer . This version also came back on the Billboard Hot 100 , was listed there for five weeks and rose to 58th place. Robić made it into US entertainment, so he was invited to the Perry Como Show , the Ed Sullivan Show and the Dick Clark Show , among others .
While the Muli song In Germany made it to seventh place, Robić achieved a number one success in 1961 with the cover version of the US title Save the Last Dance for Me by the Drifters . The German version Life only begins at 17 was listed on the music market for 32 weeks and in March 1961 came first in two weekly evaluations. Radio Luxemburg awarded him the Silver Lion this time. After that, Ivo Robić had reached the peak of his career in Germany. Only with the title A Whole Life , published in 1962 , a cover version of the Ray Charles success I Can't Stop Loving You , he came back into the top 10 (8th place). After that, the music market only listed him in the lower ranks three times until 1967. In 1968 Bert Kämpfert retired as a producer in order to devote more time to his own career, and Robić recordings were supervised by Kai Warner . After Robić was listed again in 1971 with the title I show you the sunshine from the music market (45th), Polydor dissolved the record deal in 1973. Robić finally settled in Croatia, where he and his wife Marta owned a house in the small fishing village of Ičići on the Croatian Riviera. At Jugoton he continued to release records for the Yugoslav market. For the last few years until his death he was honorary chairman of the Croatian Union of Musicians. He died in 2000 at the age of 77 as a result of biliary surgery in a hospital in Rijeka. He found his final resting place in the Mirogoj cemetery in Zagreb .
Discography (Germany)
Singles
Life only begins at 17 (1960)
publication
From page
Polydor number
May 1959
Morning / Ay, ayay Paloma
23 923
January 1960
Rhondaly / Muli song
24 138
May 1960
Finally / so alone
24 234
December 1960
Life only begins at 17 / on the sunny side of the world
24 405
June 1961
Deep blue sea / When I look into your eyes
24 540
November 1961
Believe in it / Jezebel
24 672
April 1962
Don't look around / dream of happiness
24 827
August 1962
All my life / I only think about reunion
24 897
December 1962
Thank you / don't go past
52 001
October 1963
Thank you / dream song
52 160
January 1964
Sunday in Amsterdam / home, to be home again
52 249
July 1964
Wedding in Montania / Never let your little girl cry
I'll show you the sunshine / the first love in life
2041 160
Vinyl albums
publication
title
Label
1968
Ivo Robić sings Kaempfert successes
Polydor 249270
1966
Schlager memories with Ivo Robič
Carousel 535005
1969
Unforgettable hits
Polydor / 31 9095
CD albums
publication
title
Label
2000
Dream of happiness
Polydor 43 850-2
2000
Life only begins at 17
Bear Family 513 967-2
US singles
publication
title
Label
August 1959
Morning / Ay, ayay Paloma
Laurie 3033
January 1960
The Happy Muleteer / Rhondaly
Laurie 3045
May 1960
Endless / So Alone
Laurie 3055
literature
Frank Laufenberg: Rock & Pop Lexicon. Econ Taschenbuch Verlag, 2000, ISBN 3-612-26207-6 , Volume 2, p. 1270.
Bear Family: Ivo Robic - Life only begins at 17. CD booklet, BCD 15671 AH 513 967-2.
Hit balance sheet - German chart singles 1956–1980. Taurus Press, 1990, ISBN 3-922542-24-7 , p. 172.
Billboard magazine. Issues August 1959 to March 1960.
swell
^ A b Günter Ehnert: Hit balance sheet - German chart singles 1956-1980 . 1st edition. Verlag popular music-literature, Norderstedt 2000, ISBN 3-922542-24-7 , p.446 .
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