He was a multi-instrumentalist and was highly popular in his home country for his repertoire of Balkan folk and gypsy, or Rom, wedding music.

He was also credited as one of the artists from the Balkan region to have made this type of music internationally popular.

[2] His professional career began at the age of seventeen whilst studying violin and clarinet at his local junior music academy.

[2] Following a year of military service, during which he established his reputation playing at evening dances, he moved to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he took a leading role in the explosion in popularity of folk music taking place there at the time.

[1][2] His music, which features "[fast] sax playing", has been acclaimed as "a fantastic symphony of joy".