Šaban Bajramović (April 16, 1936 – June 8, 2008) was a Serbian vocalist and recording artist of Romani ethnicity. He was one of the most internationally critically acclaimed Romani singer-songwriters. Due to his eminent impact on music in Eastern Europe, he was dubbed the “King of Romani music.” During his career, which spanned over four decades, he recorded 50 singles and 20 albums, and he is believed to have written 700 songs.
At 19 years he ran away from the army, out of love. As a deserter, he was sentenced to three years prison on the island Goli Otok. He spent his time as a good goalkeeper in the prison football team. Because of his nimbleness and speed, they called him “Black Panther.” Soon he forced his way into the prison orchestra that played, among other things, jazz (mostly Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, and sometimes John Coltrane) with Spanish and Mexican pieces.
After Goli Otok, his intensive music career began. He made his first record in 1964, with the recording act Crna mamba (Black Mamba). He continued to produce music with Crna mamba for 20 years. The highlight of their career was their performance for Indira Gandhi in India, where he gained the title “King of Romani music.” He also performed to Yugoslav politician Josip Broz Tito.
In the early nineties, he recorded “Đelem, Đelem,” which is considered the Romani people’s ethnic anthem. At the time, he decided to change his stage presence, starting to wear sunglasses while performing.
Bajramović was a prominent figure in Serbian music presenting Romani music in modern Serbian. Due to his enormous influence, on 12 August 2010, a statue to honor his impact was built. The statue had been vandalized multiple times. Time Magazine polled Bajramović in the top 10 best jazz musicians.
