Upon leaving Bijelo Dugme in 1977, Vukašinović started Vatreni Poljubac, achieving nationwide popularity with the group and earning the nickname "Doktor za rokenrol" ("Doctor of Rock 'n' Roll", after the title of the band's first hit).
[1] Formed by guitarist Edo Bogeljić [bs], Plavi Dijamanti were an instrumental rock cover group—somewhat of an outdated setup since the city and the rest of Yugoslavia had already been experiencing the surging popularity of vocalist bands.
During the spring of 1970, since they immediately needed a new bass player, Kodeksi vocalist Željko Bebek invited Zoran Redžić to join the cover band already on a club and bar tour of Southern Italy.
Redžić, in turn, in addition to showing up in Italy himself, brought along his friend and old Čičak bandmate—twenty-year-old Vukašinović—since the struggling Kodeksi, that also featured twenty-year-old guitarist Goran Bregović, needed a replacement drummer as well.
Arriving to a cover band primarily catering to tourists in the Naples area by playing a mixed commercial repertoire of Eastern and Southeastern European upbeat folk sounds (čoček, kozachok, kolo, etc.)
and Top 40 Western English language hits, Vukašinović began to encourage and eventually managed to convince his new bandmates to turn towards hard rock along the lines of the pioneering heavy metal music coming out of England epitomized by acts like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.
In terms of their finances, the cover band's new musical shift backfired immediately as it resulted in Kodeksi being fired from most of the bars and nightclubs in and around Naples they had regularly been playing prior.
[1] Finding any modicum of musical success in England proved elusive as he was quickly reduced to earning a living through menial jobs such as washing dishes in restaurants, unloading lorries, and bussing tables at the recently-opened Hard Rock Cafe near Hyde Park Corner.
Not long after arriving in London, during late fall of 1971, Vukašinović received a telegram offer of taking over the drummer spot in Indexi, an already established band throughout Yugoslavia.
He notably played drums on the "Bacila je sve niz rijeku" ("She Let Everything Down the River") single that was initially met with lukewarm reception, but would eventually become an evergreen hit.
Vukašinović parted ways with Indexi in early fall 1976, dissatisfied over revenue sharing within the band—specifically his own cut of the financial compensation for the upcoming tour of the Soviet Union.
was released in 1978, presenting the band with folk-influenced hard rock and heavy metal sound, to good reception by the audience and lukewarm reactions of Yugoslav music critics.
[1] Following the disbandment of Vatreni Poljubac in 1986, Vukašinović recorded his second solo album, Hej jaro, jarane (Hey Buddy, Friend), featuring his folk songs.
[6] Vukašinović wrote all the songs for three albums by folk singer Hanka Paldum, Sanjam (I'm Dreaming, 1983), Dobro došli prijatelji (Welcome Friends, 1983) and Bolno srce (Aching Heart, 1986).
Her husband Željko Ražnatović "Arkan" brought Vukašinović from Sarajevo to Belgrade with a view of having him write and produce Ceca's upcoming studio album.
[7] Provided with paid accommodation at Hotel Jugoslavija, Vukašinović ended up staying in Belgrade for almost six months, and eventually remained living there permanently thus returning to the city of his birth.
Right away upon arriving to Belgrade, his colourful public persona got him a lot of media attention, including memorable guest appearances on Minimaks' talk show, Minimaksovizija.
In the end, Vukašinović's only contribution to the album became composing music and doing arrangements for two lesser-known tracks, "Sviće dan" ("Day Is Coming") and "Ako te ona odbije" ("If She Refuses You").
In 2000, shortly after Arkan's death, Vukašinović reached out to Ceca again, offering her the song "Sanjam da si opet tu" ("I Am Dreaming that You Are Again").
[9] Vukašinović played as a percussionist with the Bosnian Latin music band Sonidos Barbados, releasing the albums Zaštićena zona (Protected Zone, 1995) and Senora (1996) with the group.