Azra

Azra was a rock band from Zagreb (Croatia) that was popular across Yugoslavia in the 1980s. Azra was formed in 1977 by its frontman Branimir "Johnny" Stulic. Other two members were Miso Hrnjak (bass) and Boris Leiner (drums). They named the Band after a verse "Ja se zovem El Muhamed/Iz plemena starih Azra/Sto za ljubav zivot gube/I umiru kada ljube!" (trans. "My name is El Muhamed/From the tribe of the old Azras/who die for love/And die when they kiss!") from a sevdalinka "Kraj tanahna sadrvana" ("Azra" here being a reference to a shortened versione of "Azera" or "Azeris", rather than a popular Bosnian name "Azra", as commonly thought). They are considered to be one of the most influential bands from the former Yugoslav New Wave rock era and the Yugoslav Rock scene in general.

They released their first single in 1979 with songs "Balkan" and "A sta da radim". The first album named Azra was published in 1980 and achieved commercial success and popularized Azra in former Yugoslavia. Azra recorded its last studio album Izme?u krajnosti (Between the extremes) in 1987. In 1988 the band recorded 4LP live album under the name Zadovoljstina (Satisfaction), after which Stulic disbanded the band. He is often at lengths with his past as he lives a secluded life and is often the target of reporters seeking an interview, which he is reluctant to give. Stulic recorded three more solo albums since moving to Houten, Netherlands, where he currently lives. A 2003 rock documentary, Sretno dijete (Lucky Child, the title of a Prljavo kazaliste song) depicts Azra as the locus of the rock scene in the former Yugoslavia during the 1980s, along with the influential Bijelo dugme. Even until today, Azra has remained very popular among youth in the countries of former Yugoslavia, unlike many other new wave bands which are now considered, more or less, historical examples.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azra