After the World War II, the family moved to Košice, where his father worked as a court clerk and young Eugen apprenticed in industrial design.
Over the course of the 1950s and 1960s Šváb, better known under the pseudonym Šaci, became established among the most visible swing artists in Slovakia, performing both solo and with other musicians.
[1] During the Prague Spring, Šváb received an offer to perform in Finland, however his flight was cancelled after the closing of borders following the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia.
Šváb managed to leave the country via train to Vienna and travel to Finland, where he was joined by his wife and younger daughter.
[4] In Germany, Šváb worked as a designer for the Ford Motor Company and put his music career on hold.