Darko Jelčić

Who is Darko Jelčić?

Darko "Cunja" Jelčić is a Yugoslavian musician best known for having been Crvena Jabuka's drummer from their initial inception in 1985, to the present day. Next to Dražen Žerić, he is the only standing member to exist in every line-up change that the band has gone through.

Jelčić was born in Zenica on New Year's Day, 1965. As a child, he loved to listen to records as well as bands such as Indexi. At only 13 or 14 years of age, his uncle bought him a drum kit as a Christmas present, and Jelčić quickly learned to play drums without anyone showing him anything.

In 1974, Jelčić relocated to Sarajevo with his family, and formed the band Flott. While the band was mostly progressive pop, and a great influence on the Yugoslav musical scene, they were not too successful, and disbanded after having been together for less than ten years.

In the 1980s as the New Primitives movement was taking over, and Flott coming apart, Jelčić began to hang around various bars in hopes of getting attracted. In the meantime, he released two solo albums: Cunja in 1983, and Isti Život in 1984.