The only Croat on the American music charts

For many the first name in domestic music and light notes, Ivo Robić, set the foundations of the domestic music industry and is the only one who managed to get into the Top 20 on the American music chart.

He took his first international steps recording for Supraphone, which was a strong Czechoslovakian record label at the time, but world fame was waiting for him in Hamburg, where he began to work with German music great Bert Kampfert.

He received his first world acclaim with the composition “Morgen” whch made it to number 13 on the American top list and won a bronze lion, a prestigious award from the most listened to European radio station, Radio Luxembourg. 

13th on the Billboard list  

The song by composer Peter Moesser under the arrangement of Bert Kampfert and accompanied by his orchestra, launched Robić into a light note star of that time, selling a million records. There were few who didn’t know about Mr. Morgen, the boy from little Garešnica.

On the American charts he had another successful single with the song “Muli Song”, while in 1960 in Europe he had wide success with the songs “Mit 17 fängt das Leben erst an” and “Rot ist der Wein” which brought him a silver lion from Radio Luxembourg.

Robić’s Strangers in the Night?

A question which has not been answered to this day. Robić’s song “Fremde in der Nacht” allegedly did not pass selection for the Split Festival and according to his wife Marta’s story, he left the rights to Bert Kampfert, who then gave them to Frank Sinatra.

The singer of pop and light noted hits slowly built a domestic career. He won the first Zagrefest with the song “Ta tvoja ruka mala” or “That Little Hand of Yours” which became a big radio hit. The Opatija public awarded him for his song “Mala djevojčica”or “Little Girl” which he sang with Zdenka Vučković. Other unforgettable songs were “Mala kala” which won him the Split Festival, as well as his own song “Samo Jednom se ljubi” or “You Only Love Once”, sung and covered so many times.

During the sixties he regularly won awards at the Zagreb and Split festivals, while in the seventies, a little voluntarily, he distanced himself from recording life, continuing with live, television and festival performances.

This music great was not only a successful interpreter and composer, but also a versatile multi-instrumentalist. He played the piano, saxophone, clarinet, flute and bass. Unsurpassed and unique, Mr. Morgen left a lasting music legacy and standards that do not lose in quality with each new cover.