Jozef "Jožo" Ráž (born 24 October 1954) is a Slovak singer–songwriter and bassist from Bratislava known mainly for his work with the group Elán.[1]
Jožo Ráž | |
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Ráž in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jozef Ráž |
| Born | (1954-10-24) 24 October 1954 (age 67) Bratislava, Czechoslovakia |
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| Occupation(s) | Musician |
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| Years active | 1969–present |
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| Member of | Elán |
| Website | elan |
Jožo Ráž founded the pop-rock band Elán in 1968 together with his school classmates Vašo Patejdl, Juraj Farkaš, and Zdeno Baláž.[2] They became one of the most popular Czechoslovak bands during the 1980s, releasing ten successful albums between 1981 and 1991.
He is also an occasional actor: in 1989, he played himself in the fictionalized film about the band Elán, Rabaka.[3]
Ráž graduated from the Faculty of Arts, Comenius University in Bratislava. In the summer of 1999, while riding his motorcycle in Bratislava's city center, Ráž was hit by a car, causing him a serious head injury as well as a broken nose, wrist, and right leg.[4]
The musician has expressed controversial views in the past, such as in 2012, when he stated "I am not a racist, but I am afraid of the Chinese—there are many of them "[5] He has also voiced his support for authoritative leaders such as Gustáv Husák, Vladimír Mečiar, Robert Fico, Fidel Castro, and Vladimir Putin.[1][6] [7]
Ráž's son Jozef Ráž Jr. was nominated for the position of Slovak Minister of the Interior in March 2018 for the Direction – Social Democracy party, but President Andrej Kiska refused his appointment.[8] [9]
ZAI Award for Best Song | |
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| Grammy Awards |
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| Artmedia Awards |
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Due to various presenters, the awards were frequently renamed | |
OTO Award for Male Singer | |
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| 2000s |
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| 2010s |
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| General | |
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| National libraries | |
| Other |
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