Indexi

Indexi were a rock band from Sarajevo, the longest-lasting and most important band of Bosnia and Herzegovina and seen as pioneers of Yugoslav rock. They were formed in the summer of 1962 by university freshmen Ismet Nuno Arnautalić and Šefko Akšamija, and the student's grade book, the "indeks", gave them their name. They began with instrumental covers of The Shadows and The Kinks, and after coming second at the first Gitarijada in Belgrade in 1964 they won the recording of their first single.

Singer Davorin Popović, born in Sarajevo in 1946, joined at the end of 1964, and guitarist Slobodan Bodo Kovačević and bassist Fadil Redžić followed in 1965. In 1967 Indexi played the first Vaš šlager sezone, sang "Pružam ruke" at the Yugoslav Eurovision selection and became the first group to perform at the Opatija festival; with keyboardist Kornelije Kovač, later of Korni Grupa, they turned to their own songs. "Jutro će promijeniti sve" took third prize at Opatija in 1968, and in 1969 they recorded "Plima" and "Negdje u kraju, u zatišju", described as the first domestic rock song over ten minutes long.

"Sve ove godine", "Sanjam" and "Predaj se, srce", which won Vaš šlager sezone in 1973 and became their first gold single, made them stars. In 1973 they briefly joined forces with Pro Arte, and in 1976 they toured the Adriatic with Zdravko Čolić before drummer Milić Vukašinović left for Bijelo Dugme. Their album Modra rijeka (1978) set poems by Mak Dizdar, and "Bacila je sve niz rijeku", later covered by Crvena Jabuka and many others, became one of their best-loved songs.

During the Bosnian war the band recorded "Ulica prkosa", and in 1995 Popović represented Bosnia and Herzegovina at Eurovision in Dublin with "21. vijek". Indexi played sold-out halls in Zagreb, Belgrade and Novi Sad in 1996, released Kameni cvjetovi in 1999 and gave their last concert in Banja Luka on 5 May 2001. Davorin Popović died in Sarajevo on 18 June 2001, and the band ended with him. Bodo Kovačević died on 22 March 2004.

A Bosnian music award founded in 2002 in Popović's name now bears the band's name, the Indexi. In the Rock Express Top 100 Yugoslav Rock Songs of All Times, chosen in 2000 by readers, critics and musicians, "Bacila je sve niz rijeku" was ranked 19th, "Jutro će promijeniti sve" 56th and "Plima" 96th.