Dražen Ričl
Ričl in 1986
Background information
Also known as	Zijo, Para
Born	(1962-03-12)12 March 1962 Sarajevo, PR Bosnia and Herzegovina, FPR Yugoslavia
Died	1 October 1986(1986-10-01) (aged 24) Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
Genres	Rock power pop pop rock
Instrument(s)	Guitar, vocals
Years active	1981–1986

Dražen Ričl, known under nicknames "Zijo" and "Para", (12 March 1962 – 1 October 1986) was a Yugoslav rock musician, best known as the first frontman of popular pop rock band Crvena Jabuka.

Ričl started his musical career in his home city Sarajevo in the early 1980s. He rose to prominence as guitarist for the band Elvis J. Kurtović & His Meteors and participator in the works of New Primitivism subcultural movement. He gained nationwide popularity as the vocalist and guitarist of Crvena Jabuka, which he formed in 1985 with guitarist Zlatko Arslanagić [sr], keyboardist Dražen Žerić, drummer Darko Jelčić and bass guitarist Aljoša Buha. The band's 1986 self-titled debut album was an instant commercial success. At the beginning of the album promotional tour, on 18 September 1986, the band members were involved in a car accident which killed Aljoša Buha. Ričl was transferred to Mostar city hospital with severe head injuries. Several days later he was transferred to Military Medical Academy in Belgrade, where he died.

Ričl was born in Sarajevo to Czech father Ferdinand Ritchel^[1][2] and Bosniak mother Elvira Deak. He grew up in Sarajevo's Višnjik neighborhood, where he was known by the nicknames "Para" and "Zijo". Upon finishing musical high school, he started studying journalism at the University of Sarajevo, where he met future fellow musician Branko Đurić.

Ričl abandoned his studies to play in his first band Ozbiljno Pitanje (Serious Question), which he co-formed with Zlatko Arslanagić in 1981.^[3] Simultaneously, from summer 1981, Ričl became involved with the Top lista nadrealista segment on Radio Sarajevo's Primus program, taking part in comedy sketches that would soon become very popular.^[3]

In 1983, Ričl joined Elvis J. Kurtović & His Meteors, a band associated with the nascent New Primitivism movement in the city of Sarajevo.^[4] He took part in the recording of the band's 1984 debut album Mitovi i legende o kralju Elvisu [bs] (Myths and Legends about King Elvis).^[4] Simultaneously, Top lista nadrealista expanded to television, and Ričl continued as one of the troupe's leading performers;^[3] in early June 1984, the show premiered on Television Sarajevo locally and was picked up for the rest of Yugoslavia through JRT exchange, garnering decent reviews and high viewership. Ričl also performed on the Elvis J. Kurtović & His Meteors' 1985 album Da Bog da crk'o rok'n'rol [bs] (May Rock 'n' Roll Drop Dead) before the band went on hiatus in 1985.^[4]

By early 1985, Ričl began re-connecting with Arslanagić musically, with a view of possibly starting a new band with his former musical collaborator.^[3] Following Elvis J. Kurtović & His Meteors hiatus in 1985, Ričl devoted himself fully to his project with Arslanagić. Their new band, named Crvena Jabuka, was soon announced, with the rest of the lineup consisting of keyboardist Dražen "Žera" Žerić, drummer Darko "Cunja" Jelčić, and bassist Aljoša Buha.^[3] Even before releasing any material, the new band began receiving press coverage and soon secured a contract with the country's biggest record label, Jugoton.^[3]

In May 1986, the group released their self-titled debut album, featuring songs authored by Arslanagić and Ričl and inspired by the 1960s British scene,^[3] with the song "Bivše djevojčice, bivši dječaci" ("Former Girls, Former Boys") featuring the verse "I volio bi' umrijeti prije nego ostarim" ("I hope I die before I get old", from The Who's "My Generation").^[3] The album quickly gained immense popularity in Yugoslavia, with several songs becoming nationwide hits.^[3]

Following the debut album release, Crvena Jabuka held several promotional performances.^[3] In late summer 1986, as a consequence of the outstanding sales of Crvena Jabuka's debut album, the band booked the Bosnia-Herzegovina leg of a planned Yugoslavia-wide tour, the opening date of which was scheduled for Thursday, 18 September 1986 in Mostar at the Kantarevac Stadium.^[5] On the day of the concert, the band members and their small entourage left Sarajevo on their way to Mostar in three cars: vocalist and guitarist Ričl, guitarist Arslanagić, and bass guitarist Buha were in Arslanagić's Zastava 750, keyboardist Žerić and drummer Jelčić were in Žerić's Volkswagen Golf Mk1, while employees of the Zenica-based Atlas company, the organizers of the tour, were in a Zastava 1500.^[5] On a single-lane bidirectional road next to the Neretva river near the town of Jablanica, the Zastava 750 driven by Arslanagić veered into oncoming traffic colliding head-on with a truck.^[5] Buha died on the spot due to severe injuries,^[3] while Arslanagić and Ričl were transferred to Mostar city hospital, with hundreds of the city's young people gathering in front of the hospital offering to donate blood.^[3] During the following several days, Arslanagić managed to recover, while the condition of Ričl, who had suffered severe head injuries, got progressively worse.^[3] He was transferred to Military Medical Academy in Belgrade by helicopter, but the Academy's staff could do little to help.^[3] He died on 1 October 1986, aged 24.^[3] He was buried in the Bare Cemetery in Sarajevo. The three surviving members of Crvena Jabuka decided to continue their activity, dedicating their next release, the 1987 album Za sve ove godine (For All These Years) to Ričl and Buha.^[3]

In 2000, Crvena Jabuka song "Sa tvojih usana" from the band's debut album was polled No.90 on the Rock Express Top 100 Yugoslav Rock Songs of All Times list.^[6]

The Dražen Ričl Award is awarded to young composer by the Association of Composers and Music Creators of Bosnia and Herzegovina.^[7]

• Mitovi i legende o kralju Elvisu [bs] (1984)
• Da Bog da crk'o rok'n'rol [bs] (1985)

• Crvena Jabuka (1986)