Kreslin was born in the village of
Beltinci in the
Prekmurje region of
Slovenia, then part of
Yugoslavia. He began his musical career in his student years, first coming to acclaim as the lead singer with the rock group
Martin Krpan. He later continued playing a mixture of Slovene folk and rock music with the
Beltinška Banda, a folk group from his native village, whose other members were all over 70 years old, and the group
Mali Bogovi. Both groups (with him) often perform together, mixing several generations onstage together. Today he is one of the best-known and highly esteemed Slovenian musicians and songwriters, drawing on Slovene folk and ethnic heritage, occupying his own niche in the Slovenian music scene. He has been referred to as an ethno-revivalist for his modernization of Slovenian folk songs such as "All the Wreaths Have Wilted". Modern Slovenian rock bands such as
Siddharta have worked with him. He has also performed with
R.E.M., the Dubliners, Allan Taylor, Hans Theessink, Vlatko Stefanovski, Antonella Ruggiero, Barcelona Gipsy and Klezmer Orchestra. The Walkabouts..... His annual concerts at
Cankar Hall in
Ljubljana have become a traditional event in the city's yearly cultural calendar. He is constantly performing worldwide and has opened twice for Bob Dylan and some other world acts. His genre is a type of
blues mixed with Slovene folk music. In addition to performing songs in Slovenian, Kreslin's repertoire also includes songs sung in English, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian and Italian, as well as folk songs sung in various dialects (from his native
Prekmurje,
Međimurje, the
Slovenian Littoral,
Istria, and elsewhere). Many of his songs and poems have been the basis for books and films, most notably
Namesto koga roža cveti, which inspired Feri Laišček's award-winning book of the same name and was the basis for the movie
Halgato. He has also been an actor in several movies, including
Halgato and
Slavic Angel, and the play
Three Other Sisters in Milwaukee. His poems have been published in
Poetry in Translation and
Confrontation, and in 2012, Guernica Editions will publish his book of poems,
Instead of Whom Does the Flower Bloom. In 2014
, Ruth Dupre and author from Dallas, Texas wrote a book "Vlado Kreslin, Slovenia and Me". In 2018, a documentary on Vlado Kreslin was filmed by Miran Zupanič (Arsmedia). == Discography ==