Mlinarec was born and grew up in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. During his formative years, Yugoslavia was under Tito's form of communism though it had open borders with the West. He has stated that his lyrics were inspired, at least in part, by the Noir films he had seen at the cinema.[2]
Work
Besides playing in one of the most popular rock bands in Yugoslavia, Grupa 220, Mlinarec in the 1970s composed music for several theatre plays, TV shows, documentary and feature films. His musical style was compared with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Some of his albums were recorded in Sweden.
Musical career
After serving his mandatory military service, Mlinarec left Grupa 220 and begun a successful solo career. His 1972 album Pjesme s Planine yielded several notable songs including Noćna Ptica and Skladište Tišine. Arguably his greatest achievement was the 1975 album Rođenje. He used a variety of sounds and his style of play was distinctive - it remains so today. Among his later hits is a Latino hit "Caracas".