Himzo Polovina (; 11 March 1927 â 5 August 1986) was a Bosnian singer and songwriter, and a sevdalinka (also known as Bosnian blues) artist. Polovina was a neuropsychiatrist by profession.
Polovina was born on 11 March 1927 in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. His father, Muà ¡an Polovina, was an Austro-Hungarian soldier during World War I. During his service in Ljubljana, he met and married Ivanka Hlebec, making Himzo Polovina the child of an ethnically mixed marriage between a Bosniak father and a Slovene mother.
Himzo was introduced to music and singing as a child. His father played the à ¡argija and would often sing sevdalinka songs. As their father sang, Himzo and his siblings sang along in unison.
In the late 1930s, right before World War II broke out, Polovina was taught to play the violin by renowned Czech professor and violinist Karel MalaÃÂek.
From 1947 until he left for Sarajevo, he was a member of the folk ensemble "Abraà ¡eviÃÂ", with whom he toured cities and villages across Yugoslavia. Polovina was married to a woman named Fikreta Medoà ¡eviÃÂ. They had a daughter Rubina and a son Edmir.
He died at the age of 59 from a heart attack while on vacation with his family in Montenegro, and was buried in the Bare Cemetery in Sarajevo.
In January 1953 he auditioned live for Radio Sarajevo. He performed the sevdalinka song "Mehmeda je stara majka karala" and was accepted. His cover of the Bosnian sevdalinka, Emina, is considered by many to be the best version of the song. His 1960s version featured added verses, which were written after the subject of the song, Emina SefiÃÂ, died in 1967. Upon hearing Emina's death, Polovina told poet Sevda Katica, who spoke the new verses.
The following is the complete list of albums, singles and extended plays (EPs) released by Himzo Polovina: