Zvonko Bogdan (born January 5, 1942) is an eminent performer of traditional folk songs of Serbia, Croatia, Hungary and Romania. Apart from being famous as a singer, he is also a composer, painter and harness racer. He is well known for singing about the Bunjevci.He was born in the town of Sombor (present-day Vojvodina, Serbia) during World War II to a Bunjevac family, when that part of Yugoslavia was under Axis Hungarian occupation. He spent his childhood on the farm of his maternal grandfather Stipan Kukuruzar; his other grandfather Franja was a coachman, tamburitza musician and bon viveur. After a brief adventure in local Sombor theatre, he headed for Belgrade, in age of 19, to enter the drama academy, and started singing in Belgrade kafanas to earn for living, and he found himself in this job. The engagement in Belgrade's "Union" hotel, meeting place of numerous journalists and bohemes, boosted his career; for almost 30 years, he would sing in "Union" whenever he visited Belgrade. His first solo concert was held at Kalemegdan terrace. In 1971, he recorded "Hej salaši na severu Bačke", the song he would be forever remembered for. From 1972, he performed with Janika Balázs' orchestra on Novi Sad's Petrovaradin fortress, a hallmark of tamburitza music.
