Born in Niš during World War II in the Nazi-occupied Serbia to a Hungarian father and a Serbian mother, Kovač grew up in a prominent artistic family - his grandfather was a conductor, his father a music professor and a violinist, his mother a singer in the opera choir.

[citation needed] A composer, pianist, keyboard player, producer and arranger, Kovač's career as a professional musician started in 1961, when he formed his first band, BKB, which became a prominent jazz trio at the time.

After conducting the various orchestras in Bosnia, he finally joined Sarajevo's most popular pop band Indeksi.

His songs were released on LP-s in Yugoslavia, Spain, France, the United States, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Norway etc.

Until her death in 2005, he was married to Spomenka Stojanović, with whom he had three daughters: Aleksandra, Kristina (both of whom are also involved with music) and Anja.