Ambasadori were a Yugoslav schlager pop band from Sarajevo, active from 1968 until 1980. The group represented Yugoslavia at the Eurovision Song Contest 1976 in The Hague and came second to last with 10 points.
Additonally, the band gained retroactive notability for having two of their lead singers—Zdravko Čolić (who also represented Yugoslavia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1973 in Luxembourg City) and Hari Varešanović later go on to Yugoslav pop stardom in their respective solo careers.
About[]
Ambasadori were founded in Sarajevo in 1968 by two military brass band musicians, both with military rank as active officers of the Yugoslav People's Army. At the time of the band's launch, both Ivanović and Stefanović (the founders) were additionally participating in the Sarajevo military orchestra.
Soon after their debut performance, eighteen-year-old Zdravko Čolić joined Ambasadori as their new vocalist. The singer started performing in 1971 in a different band, leaving Ambasadori to Korni Grupa.
After Čolić left, eighteen-year-old Ismeta Dervoz became the new Ambasadori vocalist. In 1975, Ambasadori scored a sizable hit with their entry at the Vaš šlager sezone festival written song "Zemljo moja".
The group represented Yugoslavia at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1976 in The Hague with song Ne mogu skriti svoju bol. Their disappointing 17th place finish caused a lot of negative reaction in the country and precipitated its 5-year withdrawal from the competition.
They split up in 1980, after switching up their member lineup many times. The last lead singer was a teen, which sparked issues in the band, because most of her other bandmates had a huge age gap between them and her. This also contributed into their break up.
| Eurovision Song Contest 1976 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Participants | |||
 Brotherhood of Man •  Peter, Sue & Marc •  Les Humphries Singers •  Chocolate Menta Mastik •  Jürgen Marcus •  Pierre Rapsat •  Red Hurley •  Sandra Reemer •  Anne-Karine Strøm •  Mariza Koch •  Fredi & The Friends •  Braulio •  Al Bano & Romina Power •  Waterloo & Robinson •  Carlos do Carmo •  Mary Cristy •  Catherine Ferry •  Ambasadori
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| Songs | |||
| Save Your Kisses for Me • Djambo, Djambo • Sing Sang Song • Emor Shalom • Chansons pour ceux qui s'aiment • Judy et Cie • When • The Party's Over • Mata Hari • Panaghia Mou, Panaghia Mou • Pump Pump • Sobran las palabras • We'll Live It All Again • My Little World • Uma Flor de Verde Pinho • Toi, la musique et moi • Un, Deux, Trois • Ne mogu skriti svoju bol
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