D' Boys

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D' Boys

Background information
Origin	Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFRY
Genre(s)	Synthpop Pop-rock Pop
Years active	1982-1985
Label(s)	Jugoton
Associated acts	Peđa D' Boy Band

D' Boys (pronounced as The Boys) were a 1980s music group from Belgrade, which became popular all over the then existing SFR Yugoslavia for its humorous lyrics, camp value and party image.

1 Biography
2 Discography
- 2.1 Singles
- 2.2 Albums
3 References

[edit] Biography

The band was formed in 1982 consisting of the musician with an interesting background, Predrag Jovanović better known as Peđa D'Boy (vocals, guitar) and Miško Mihajlovski, who reportedly played the drum machine and percussion. Initially, their joint act was known as Peđa i Miško and Oksižen until they finally adopted the name D'Boys on suggestion from the host of the famous music tv show Hit meseca, Dubravka "Duca" Marković and her then-boyfriend Srđan "Gile" Gojković from Električni orgazam.

The band rose to popularity after releasing their first single "Mi smo D'Boys" (We are D'Boys) and they performed as a support act of some prominent Yugoslav groups such as Film and BOA. The duo was often misperceived as a gay act and was often lampooned by the music critics because of their kitschy lyrics dealing with nightlife, parties and girls, flavoured with typical Belgrade humorous slang. In the autumn of 1982 two new musicians joined the band, guitarist Goran Vejvoda and bassist Miško Petrović, widely known on the Yugoslav rock scene as Miško Plavi (Miško the Blonde). Having two members named Miško often led to confusion among their fans and in the media. Soon, Goran Vejvoda left and was replaced by Miško Plavi on guitar, while Dragan Ilić Gagi who previously worked with Slađana Milošević became the new bass player.

Ajd' se zezamo album cover

The band released its debut album Ajd' se zezamo (Lets mess about) in the spring of 1983, which was recorded in the studio "Tetrapak" in Split, with the former Miss Yugoslavia Ana Sasso on backing vocals. The album cover was designed by the eminent Yugoslav comic book artist Igor Kordej.

In spring 1984, they released their second album Muvanje (Fooling around) produced by Oliver Mandić featuring members of Generacija 5 as guests. The album included the well-known ex-Yugoslav evergreen megahit "Jugoslovenka" (Yugoslav girl). During the summer the same year, the group played gigs in Greece. In this period two new members joined the group: the drummer Zoran Miljuš Cole and the Belgian guitarist of African origin Jean-Jacques Roscam.

Soon Miško Mihajlovski left and started performing as Miško D' Boys, while the rest of the group changed its name to Peđa D' Boy Band and released their album Avantura (Adventure) in 1985. Later, Jean-Jacques Roscam left the band to join Galija, while Dragan Ilić Gagi died of health complications. After the band disbanded, Miško Plavi formed the short-lived group Fantazija, while Peđa started performing solo. In 1985, he represented SFR Yugoslavia at the Song of the Mediterranean festival in Palermo, Italy, where he got the second prize. Also, he took part in the YU Rock Misija, the Yugoslav contribution to Bob Geldof's Band Aid campaign. After releasing his album "Laku ti noć mala" (Goodnight little girl) produced by Kornelije Kovač in 1986, he left the country in 1987.

He appeared once more in 1992 on a retro-concert of ex-Yugoslav pop and rock music in Belgrade. In 1996 the band's biggest hit "Jugoslovenka" was included in the 1996 Serbian film Pretty Village, Pretty Flame. In 1997, in London, UK, Peđa recorded some new material, produced by Mark Evans, including a remix of that song as well. After years spent traveling and performing around the world which gave him an opportunity to meet international celebrities such as Elton John and Kevin Spacey, Peđa returned to Serbia in the 2000s, where he still performs.