Janike Balaz Inducted - Pittsburgh 1988
	One of the most respected, talented tambura players in the world resides in Vojvodina, Yugoslavia.  His ethnic background is Hungarian, where his forefathers and many like them, have lived in Vojvodina amongst Slovaks, Russians, Gypsies, Serbs, and Croats.  This melting pot region produces a very colorful arrangement and style of music that in unique to Vojvodina.  There is no one that portrays this style better than Janike Balaz.
	Janike has played music his entire lifetime, originally playing violin and then switching to the prim.  It is the prim which he has skillfully mastered.  Besides his lightning speed, it is really his style or soul that he projects that is so often enviously copied but never duplicated.  Because of his rare talent, his accompaniment has also been some of the very best throughout the years.  Besides his own orchestra, 'Tamburaski Orkestar Janike Balaza', he has been the primas with 'Tamburaski Orkestar Radio Novi Sad' for over 30 years, of which he is currently the director of that outstanding ensemble.  Janike has performed throughout the world, including two tours of the United States and Canada, presenting the very finest music and tamburica technique.
	It was in the early 1970s when most people in America became aware of Janike Balaz.  During this period, there was finally an assortment of tambura recordings being imported to the U.S. of outstanding quality musicianship.  Janike's Tamburitza Orchestra accompanied by Zvonko Bogdan and others produced recordings of traditional old favorites that many people in America had forgotten about.  There was immediate excitement and a resurgence of pride in the tamburitza orchestras in the States.  There is probably not a musician in the United States, young or old, that hasn't heard of Janike Balaz.  Almost every tamburitza group in America has learned songs from his many recordings.  He has virtually influenced directly or indirectly the portrayal of tamburitza playing in this hemisphere since the early 1970s with his superior performances and recordings.  He shares his knowledge with anyone who is interested either from America or Yugoslavia.  His talent is idolized by almost every serious tambura player worldwide.  He has contributed and left artistic classic recordings for the future, shared his knowledge, gained international admiration and respect, and still remains the King of Tambura, Janike Balaz.
	This is a first for the TAA to select someone outside the boundaries of our hemisphere, yet there is nothing in our bylaws to prohibit our choice nor has anyone scored higher in all areas of the qualifying guidelines.  Janike meets or excels all of the qualification guidelines for selection into the Hall of Fame.
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