Šaban Šaulić (Serbian Cyrillic: Шабан Шаулић; 6 September 1951 – 17 February 2019) was a Serbian and Yugoslav folk singer. Renowned for his refined baritone vocals and performances characterised by emotional intensity and crowd interaction, his career spanning over five decades has enjoyed both critical and commercial success. He is referred to as the "King of Folk Music" ("kralj narodne muzike").
Early life
Šaulić was born on 6 September 1951 in Šabac, PR Serbia, FPR Yugoslavia to Bosniak parents Huso Šaulić and Ilduza (née Demirović). His mother Ilduza was originally from Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina where he spent his childhood. Šaban had a sister, Sarajka (died 24 August 2024, aged 76), who took care of him growing up, and a half-sister from his father's previous relationship.
Šaulić initially showed an interest and affinity for football. It was his uncle, Alija, however, who first noticed that his nephew's true talent laid in music. In the mid-1960s, Alija asked his nephew to sing at their local kafana, which marked the start of Šaulić's five decade long musical career.
^ "Bila je polupismena, dobila orden u ratu, a kad zapeva - KOMŠILUK ZANEMI: Šaban je od majke nasledio pevački talenat ali i ovaj VELIKI KVALITET". zena.blic.rs (in Serbian). 22 February 2019.
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"'Pjevao sam i plakao jer morao sam nastupati, a otac mi umro'". 24sata.hr (in Croatian).
