Meho Puzić

Mehmed "Meho" Puzić was a Bosnian singer and songwriter of sevdalinka and folk songs, born on 24 July 1937 in Odžak. His career spanned more than four decades, and he is counted among the best-known singers of the genre in Bosnia, beside Safet Isović, Zehra Deović and Himzo Polovina. He lived in Sarajevo.

He worked as a bricklayer before he became a professional singer. His first record, in 1966, carried four songs, and "Mehmeda majka budila" became a real hit with audiences. That same year he sang "Oj, Ivane" at the Ilidža festival, and in 1967 his "U proljeće kad vjetrić zapiri" won the expert jury's first prize there, the third audience prize and the award for the best lyrics about Ilidža.

Ilidža remained a regular stage for him, with "Vrati mi se ljubavi" (1968), "Pjesmo, živote moj" (1969), "Jednom se živi" (1970), "Ja nisam kriv" (1971), "Meni dobro, a drugima bolje" (1976), "Plakala si sinoć" (1977) and "Ah, da život duže traje" (1978). He also sang at the Beogradski sabor in 1968 and 1970. In 1969 Toma Zdravković wrote "Majko, majko" for him, which he sang with his wife Hanka, and in 1980 he won the Hit ljeta festival with "Partizanske ruže".

His brother Bahrija was also a singer. Together they recorded "Pjevaj brate" and "Ko čaršijom konja jaše", released in 1974 on the EP Meho i Bahrija Puzić. In all, Puzić released eight studio albums, four compilations and a series of singles, among them Mi Bosanci delije (1982), Il' me ženi, il' tamburu kupi (1984), Nije ona svemu kriva (1988), Vjetrovi rata (1992) and Poruka šehida (1995). Among his best-loved songs are "Žena prijatelja mog", "Snijeg pade na behar, na voće", "Grijeh je mlado ne ljubiti", "Šta ću kući tako rano" and "Gledaj me draga".

Meho Puzić died on 25 June 2007 in Odžak, a month short of his 70th birthday, with his wife Hanka at his side. He was buried the next day in the old graveyard at Sokak Puzića in his hometown. Hanka Paldum, Beba Selimović, Emina Zečaj and Elvira Rahić were among those at the funeral. His friend Safet Isović died just over two months later.