Cameleoni, hailing from Koper, Slovenia, emerged as a music band in 1965. Despite their brief existence, spanning until 1968, their musical journey left an indelible mark on the Yugoslav music stage. Music critics even bestowed upon them the moniker “Slovenian Beatles”.
Cameleoni were originally composed of four high school students: Danilo Kocjanchic, Jadran Ogrin, Marjan Malikovic, and Tulio Furlanic. As a typical beat group of their era, they initially played songs by The Beatles and The Mamas & the Papas. Their first taste of success came at the VIS festival in Zagreb, where they shared the top spot with the popular Roboti, thanks to their song “Sjaj izgubljene ljubavi” (The Glow of Lost Love). Subsequently, they performed at prestigious events like the Guitar Festivals in Zagreb, Belgrade, Ljubljana, and Maribor. Their crowning moment was a performance at Milan’s renowned “Piper” club in 1968, a gathering place for world-class musicians. Following this show, they received an offer from RCA, and even Paul McCartney heard their recordings. However, their collaboration couldn’t continue due to a lack of funds to stay in London.
In 1967, Cameleoni made their mark by recording their first 45 RPM mini-record titled “Shampioni Yugoslavije” for “Discos”. This record featured four songs, with “Sjaj izgubljene lJubavi” becoming the most popular. It had a circulation of 16,000 copies, which was a significant number for that era. During the same year, their music was also released on another 45 RPM record by Yugoton, titled “Dedicated to the One I Love.” As for the origin of their band name, the members explained in an interview that it happened by chance. While passing by a hotel in their hometown of Koper, they saw an advertisement for “Camel” cigarettes, and someone started humming “Camel, camel, camel…” The group spontaneously shouted “Cameleoni” in unison and unanimously decided to make it their official band name.
