During his formative years, Yugoslavia was under Tito's form of communism though it had open borders with the West.
He has stated that his lyrics were inspired, at least in part, by the Noir films he had seen at the cinema.
His musical style was compared with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
After serving his mandatory military service, Mlinarec left Grupa 220 and begun a successful solo career.
His 1972 album Pjesme s Planine yielded several notable songs including Noćna Ptica and Skladište Tišine.