Toma Zdravković – a Bohemian from Birth and Beyond

Toma Zdravković, a singer of folk music and a composer, was an exceptional figure on the Yugoslav music scene, a true bohemian and poet. His songs, mostly self-composed, were almost always autobiographical and spoke of the unhappy love he seemingly experienced almost until the end of his life. He was married four times, finally settling down with his fourth wife, Gordana, two years before his death.

His parents, mother Kosara and father Dušan, had five children. Toma, born third in line, arrived on Sunday, November 20, 1938, when the family lived in Aleksinac. Before the war, Dušan returned with his family to their native Pečenjevce, located 5 kilometers from Leskovac. Toma completed his elementary school and a tractor driver course there. Towards the end of elementary school, he became a member of the amateur theater in Pečenjevce. He worked in the most challenging physical jobs and enjoyed singing during breaks. He moved to Leskovac at a very young age due to unemployment, where he started his singing career. In 1958, he met singer Silvana Armenulić, who took him to the Radan tavern in Tuzla and helped him learn folk, pop, and old town songs.

As he gained popularity, he began performing at the “Bristol” hotel in Tuzla. There, he met Slavica, with whom he fell in love. Despite finding her diary, where she wrote about her intimate life with other men, he decided to give her another chance and took her with him to Novi Sad. However, in the “Vojvodina” hotel in Zrenjanin, he quickly met Olgica and left Slavica for her. They soon got engaged, and on November 22, 1963, they welcomed their daughter, Žaklina. After a few months, they divorced in Osijek. Toma was singing in Sveti Stefan when he received a telegram stating that Slavica was seriously ill and wanted to see him. He went to Sarajevo to visit her, only to find out a few days later that she had died, inspiring one of his saddest songs, “Buket belih ruža.”

He continued his career at the “Park” hotel in Niš, and later at the “Gradski podrum” in Belgrade, where he met Milica. They married after a few months, and Toma stopped leading a bohemian life.

In 1969, he wrote the legendary hit “Šta će mi život bez tebe, dragi” for Silvana Armenulić. That morning, hungover from several nights of drinking, he took a notepad and pencil from a waiter and wrote the lyrics. In February 1970, he returned to vices and divorced his second wife.

In Budva in 1972, he fell in love with Nada Radanović from Cetinje, whom he married quickly. This marriage also ended shortly, and Toma coped with the sadness through alcohol, even though his health was already compromised. He spent three or four days in a row in a tavern, gambling and entertaining himself. One night in Baden-Baden, he won 80 thousand marks, but the next night, he lost everything. Believing he would die, he went to America and then to Canada, where he met hairdresser Gordana, whom he married. His son Aleksandar was born in Toronto, and in 1978, he returned to Yugoslavia with his family. It was then that he recorded some of his greatest hits. He reached the peak of his fame in the ’80s, holding his first concert at the Belgrade Dom sindikata in 1982 after 26 years of singing.

He received various offers, acted in the movie “Balkan Express” and the TV series “Doktorka na selu.” He organized several concert tours throughout Yugoslavia…

He struggled with prostate cancer for a long time but did not follow doctors’ advice. His last concert and public appearance took place in Titograd on September 10, 1991, 20 days before his death. He died on September 30, 1991, in Belgrade.

He left behind a multitude of songs that are still big hits today: “Da l’ je moguće,” “Ej Branka, Branka,” “Danka,” “Dotak’o sam dno života,” “Kafana je moja sudbina,” “Prokleta nedelja,” “Tužno leto,” “O ciganko moja,” “Svirajte noćas samo za nju,” “Ostao sam sam,” “Dva smo sveta različita,” “Za Ljiljanu,” “Umoran sam od života,” “Pesme moje,” “Svirajte mi tiho tiše,” “Šta će mi život,” and many more.