Royal Serbian tamburitza orchestra - Kossovo waltz (1918.)

Royal Serbian tamburitza orchestra performing Kossovo waltz.

Recorded for Columbia, in NewYork City, in april of 1918.

The group consisted of Steven Zerbes (the leader) on violin, Jim Kovacevich on first brač, Ljubomir Baich on Second brač, Blaz Tkalac on bugarija and Joe Skornjak on Berda.
This orchestra went by many names, such as "Gypsy Orchestra, "The Balkan Orchestra", "The Serbian Orchestra" and "The Royal Serbian Orchestra". Zerbes was recording a lot in 1918/19. A few records of theirs are listed as "Orquesta Tipica Servia". They also made records for Polish Immigrants as the "Serbska Krolewska Orkiestra".

The information written above was obtained from Mr. Ryan Leousis, who, in turn, obtained it from the book "Tamburitza America", by late Milan Opacich. I am grateful to both these great men.
This wonderful waltz was composed by Dragutin Zehetner (1858.-1918.)

Here is a short biography of Stevan Zerbes (Zerbec):

Yugoslav-American violinist, Steve or Stevo Zerbes or Стеван Зербес (May 22, 1891.-before 1928.).
Born in Bjelovar, Croatia (then part of Austria-Hungary) as the son of George and Dora Zerbes, Zerbes worked as a professional musician in Detroit, Michigan, where he married his wife, Agnes, née Wisniewska, in 1911. Between 1916-1921, they are listed in Youngstown, Ohio; in 1917 he briefly lives in Akron, Ohio. By 1928, his wife appears in the Detroit address book as a widow.

Zerbes' violin playing impressed fellow tamburaš Đoko Dokić (Djoko Dokich) so much that he persuaded his son Milovan a.k.a. Melvin Dokich to take up the violin.