Frank Jovanovich Inducted - Detroit 2006
	Frank first took up the tambura in 1961 at the age of 10 as a member of the Croatian Junior Tamburitzans of St. Louis.  During his 12 years with the group, he learned to place brac, bass, and bugarija.  The group was quite active with numerous appearances throughout the St. Louis area as well as with its participation in many CFU Junior Festivals throughout the United States.  Perhaps the highlight of his years with the St. Louis Junior Tamburitzans was a concert tour of Croatia in 1974.  Even as a teenager, Frank's rapidly advancing skills were evident as he was also invited to perform regularly with the group Novi Tamburasi.
	In 1971, Frank became the musical sidekick of Hall of Fame member, Tom Kelam.  As a member of the Tom Kelam Orchestra, Frank continued to sharpen his technique on all instruments, began to appreciate more deeply the concept of a full tamburitza ensemble, and readily absorbed a remarkably large repertoire.  This opportunity was probably the most influential factor in Frank's development as a musician and provided a great start to Frank's lifelong career performing with many tambura groups across the country including the Krilich Brothers Orchestra, Jedinstvo, the Popovich Brothers, Star Serenaders, Drina, the Balkan Serenaders, and Becari.  His tenure with this last group included performances at the '4th of July Busch Celebration' hosted by August Busch, Jr., the owner of the famous Busch Brewery in St. Louis.  Held annually at Grants Farm, the 'Celebration' gave Frank and his fellow tamburasi a showcase event to share our wonderful music with thousands of attendees, most of whom were not previously familiar with it.
	Not one to be limited in the application of his considerable skills, Frank also performed weekly with the Frank Moskus Gypsies for two years in several St. Louis venues.  This also gave him the opportunity to perform for several radio broadcasts and even on television for Regis Philbin.  If full credit is to be given to Frank for his efforts to expose our music to the world, then one must also note Frank's collaboration with Svetozar Tomich to perform for the Alumni Club at St. Louis University many years ago.  This engagement lasted ten weeks as numerous local dignitaries, including St. Louis Cardinals football team owner William B. Bidwell, were entertained by the beautiful sound of tamburitza music.
	While these various accomplishments represent some of the highlights of Frank's musical career, one must not forget the hundreds of weddings, banquets, picnics, dances, and private parties he played for people of all nationalities.  We must also recall his more regular gigs in the many local restaurants and bars where he shared our music and his love of it with all who cared to listen.
	Although his musical hub has been primarily in the areas of St. Louis and Chicago/Northwest Indiana, Frank has literally played throughout the United States over the years filling in with any group in need of his multi-faceted talents whether on the bass, bugarija, brac or cello.  A particularly memorable example of his versatility and dedication to tamburitza music occurred at the 1979 Minneapolis Tamburitza Extravaganza.  For reasons that may never be fully understood, several groups were missing their bass players.  When this was brought to Frank's attention, he volunteered to play bass with whatever group needed help.  The performance schedule was slightly rearranged to accommodate the situation and, when the dust finally settled, Frank just stayed on the stage and performed with an astounding seven tamburitza orchestras that year!  More importantly, he loved doing it!
	Frank Jovanovich has been a lifelong performer, promoter and lover of our tamburitza music.  He has earned the respect of his fellow musicians for freely sharing his tremendous talents and skills as the 'go to guy' whenever and wherever a group is in a pinch.  For all these reasons, we find in Frank that perfect blend of musical and personal attributes that makes him worthy of induction into the Tamburitza Association of America's Hall of Fame.
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