Leb i Sol

Leb i Sol formed on January 1, 1976, in Skopje, Yugoslavia, when guitarist Vlatko Stefanovski and bassist Bodan Arsovski teamed with drummer Dimitar Čočorovski and keyboardist Nikola “Kokan” Dimuševski.

Stefanovski and Arsovski first played together in the school group Jegulje, where Stefanovski started on drums. The pair later played in Iris and the jazz-rock group Breg, led by keyboardist Miki Petkovski with drummer Garabet Tavitjan. Breg dissolved when Tavitjan entered military service and Petkovski joined the Serbian group Smak. Dimuševski came from the Skopje progressive-folk group Razboj. The new quartet rehearsed at a building used by Čočorovski in the Vlae district of Skopje.

Leb i Sol initially played covers with singer Živko Gruevski, formerly of Listen. The group performed on March 5, 1976, at Georgi Dimitrov Primary School in Taftalidže and on April 2 at Josip Broz Tito Gymnasium. Gruevski departed soon afterward, while Dimuševski stepped aside for Dragiša Soldatović-Labiš of the experimental group Skrb. The premiered an originals set at the April PopBum festival in Kočani and appeared on May 23 at Pop Festival ’76 at the Skopje Fair.

In June, Leb i Sol recorded “Kokoška,” “Utrinska tema,” and the Soldatović piece “Fanki” at a temporary Radio Skopje facility in the Johan Heinrich Pestalozzi school. The recordings aired on Povelete-Pokažete, a radio program hosted by Bis-Bez musician Dimitar Čemkov. Leb i Sol performed their first independent concert that September at the 25 Maj Youth Center.

Dimuševski rejoined Leb i Sol in late 1976 upon the departure of Soldatović. The group recorded “Devetka,” “Etida No. 3,” and “Pesna za nas” in a two-hour session at Radio Television Skopje. Singer Miodrag “Džafer” Jovanovski — formerly of Republika 903, Most, and Razboj — appeared on “Pesna za nas.” Leb i Sol submitted the recordings to the Omladina ’77 youth festival in Subotica. Radio Novi Sad music editor Anđelko Maletić arranged the first group appearances outside Macedonia, including an April 16, 1977, opening set for Drago Mlinarec in Novi Sad. Leb i Sol returned on April 27 for a live recording at Radio Novi Sad Studio M. The group won first prize at the May 1977 Subotica festival and secured a recording contract with PGP-RTB.

Jovanovski left Leb i Sol at the conclusion of the Subotica performances. Garabet Tavitjan replaced Čočorovski on drums in the summer of 1977 upon his return from military service. The quartet opened for Bijelo Dugme on August 28 at the Hajdučka česma concert in Belgrade. Leb i Sol recorded their self-titled debut album in September 1977 at RTV Novi Sad with producer Josip Boček, formerly the guitarist of Korni Grupa.