He was born in the town of Sombor (present-day Vojvodina, Serbia) during World War II to a Bunjevac family, when that part of Yugoslavia was under Axis Hungarian occupation.

In 1971, he recorded "Ej salaši na severu Bačke" (Hey Salašes in the North of Bačka), the song he would be forever remembered for.

[2] In 2004, Bogdan performed in Novi Sad for the Exit Festival, mostly devoted to pop and rock, also held on Petrovaradin Fortress; it was a tribute of new generations to the old bard and the site which was the cornerstone of traditional music.

Some of his most recognized songs are "Ej salaši na severu Bačke", "Osam tamburaša s Petrovaradina" (Eight Tamburitza Players from Petrovaradin), "Bunjevačko prelo" (Bunjevac Village Party), "U tem Somboru" (In That Sombor), "Već odavno spremam svog mrkova" (I've Been Preparing My Black Horse for a Long Time), "Ne vredi plakati" (There's No Point in Crying), "Govori se da me varaš" (There Are Rumours You're Cheating on Me), "Kraj jezera jedna kuća mala" (One Little House Next to a Lake), "Fijaker stari" (Old Fiacre), "Prošle su mnoge ljubavi" (Many Loves Have Passed) and "Ko te ima, taj te nema" (The One Who Has You, Does Not Have You).

[1] The most prominent Croatian tamburitza artists, such as Zlatni Dukati, Kićo Slabinac and Miroslav Škoro have recorded many songs that Bogdan wrote or is known for singing them.

Miroslav Škoro, who is an apprentice of Jerry Grchevich, has a habit to perform "Ej salaši na sjeveru Bačke" in almost every concert as dedication to Zvonko Bogdan.

During the past years, Zvonko Bogdan has written a few Croatian patriotic songs such as "Otvori prozor" (Open the Window), "Od Konavala pa do Zagore" (From Konavle to the Hinterland), "Markova čežnja" (Marcus' Longing).

In May 2003, at the Brodfest, an annual tamburitza festival held in Slavonski Brod, Zvonko Bogdan won the Hand of Freedom Award for the song "Od Konavala pa do Zagore".