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Vlado Kreslin is born 11/29/1953 in Beltinci. 

 In 1969, Vlado first tries to play the drums in his first vocal instrumental ensemble Apollo. In the next decade he performs as a vocalist with various groups. In the year 1973 he joins the group Spirit (Moonshine). The repertoire encompasses everything from the New, through Vanilla Fudge and Neil Young. His next group is Izvir, which, at the festival of Slovenian Rock Selection in Domzale, wins with their own 14/minute composition: The Traveller Went Through the Atomic Age. In the year 1976, the group Horizont (Horizon) performs at the Subotica Festival, and, for several years, sells out performances at the Student Union of the University of Ljubljana. The terrace of the Student Camp in Ankaran also sells out in the summer.  Sanje is an acoustic group of five singers under the creative umbrella of the guitarist and composer Matjaz Jarc. At the end of the 70s, Vlado and some other members of Izvir combine forces in a new group, Avantura.

He wins at the contest Slovenska Popevka with the composition Dan neskoncnih sanj. Together with an Englishmen Labi Siffre they sing in alternation and they earn the first-place award of the International Professional Judges Panel.

The next day, Vlado  is drafted into the Yugoslavian People’s Army in Banja Luka (BIH).

In 1983 Vlado joins the group Martin Krpan which already has 2 LP’s. Together they release the LP Dizzy from the Height and LP Gods and Sheep (1990). With numerous changes to the lineup, and loyal fan base the group exists until 1991, when they perform as the opening act for Bob Dylan at the Bezigrad Stadium. 

Vlado releases a solo album with songs which become big hits, among them Not a Political Song, That Black Guitar and The Day of Never-ending Dreams.

Vlado, along with well known actors under the direction of Marko Vezovisek, performs in the rock opera Rocky Horror Picture Show in Stuk in Maribor. 

After the end of the WWI, the brothers Kociper were already playing with their father in Kreslin’s restaurant Central. At the confirmation of Valentina Smej, the daughter of Vlado’s friend Stefan, Vlado and the Kociper’s perform, and long and fruitful musical journey is born. 

Vlado in cooperation with various musicians, primarily with the guitarist and coauthor Miro Tomassini, releases a CD Instead of Whom Does the Flower Bloom. The title song becomes a big hit. 

The double poetry collection of Vlado Kreslin and Zoran Predin Instead of Whom Does the Flower Bloom and It is Sunny, and You Are Tousled is published. It is known also as the most stolen book at the Ljubljana Book Fair. 

“This is, without question, the music as a global village: it is a set of stories, which are told one after the other, and one onto another – first they tease, then they affect and grab, and they are never told to the end.” With these words, Stefan Smej described the music of Vlado Kreslin and Beltinska banda. 

“On the record The Best Years of Our Life, are well known songs of Prekmurje performed live, and also popular songs from various authors, generations and from various contexts. That proves that Beltinska banda never drew only from tradition but accepted all the melodies which were in this century worthy of attention, and which people enjoy singing and listening to.”
Rajko Mursic, Radio Student, 7/11/1994

After Feri Lainscek’s novel Instead of Whom Does the Flower Bloom, which was inspired by Vlado’s song of the same name, the director Andrej Mlakar films a full-length movie Halgato. Vlado composes the music for the film, and also performs in it. 

The tradition of the Panonian Beltinska banda, and the of Mali Bogovi join on the album One Morning, As Day is Breaking. “On this album, after a multi-year collaboration with the group Martin Krpan, possibly the best Slovenian rock soloist ventured into a personal style with emphasis on the folk spirit.” Darko Glavan, Globus, 2/17/1995 

Vlado performs and sings in the role of Faust in the rock opera Faust TV, under the direction of Marko Vezovisek. It is a sex, drugs & rock’n’roll on 31 channels with one opening act, one overture and one epilogue without intermission.

In the time of the Bosnian war, Vlado frequently performs in refugee centers, and with the group of young exile ensemble Vali records the mini CD of Bosnian folk music. The collaboration is capped off with the concert in Sarajevo in February 1997.

On the album Ladybird, Vlado, Mali Bogovi, and Beltinska banda again start to remake the traditional folk songs and rock hit, such as Dylan’s Knocking on Heaven’s Door and Pop’s The Passanger.

Muzika (Music) is a non-typical, experimental CD with seven different ethnic music styles: music from Prekmurje, Istria, Gorenjska, Međimurje, Bosnian “sevdalinka”, Gypsy music from Southeast of Europe and blues, with authentic performers, who were in previous years guests at Vlado’s concerts. 

Hans is Dutch blues musician. With Vlado he shares a long friendship and musical collaboration.

Alongside numerous tours and performances, Vlado also publishes two books: Song lyrics in three languages and a Songbook, a collection of sheet music and lyrics.

The trio Kreslin, Lovsin and Predin performs a euphoric concert in oversold Amsterdam’s Dam in the time of the European Soccer Championship. They record an album, of which the title song Slovenia goes Forth becomes official anthem of the Slovenian soccer team. 

“After the debut Instead of Whom Does the Flower Bloom from the year 1991, which is for his musical career certainly of a key meaning, because it got him closer to the general audience without having to compromise, it was the most “urban (modern)” or in other words it was the least folksy album that he recorded so far.” 
Jure Potokar, 2001, Ampak

On December 1^st an historic concert takes place in Sarajevo. For the first time since the war, singers and musicians from the former Yugoslav republics gather on the same stage: Đorđe Balašević, Oliver Dragojević, Kemal Monteno, Duško Gojković, Indexi and Vlado Kreslin. A double CD with the recording of the concert is released. 

The summer Adriatic tour with Sean Cannon from the group The Dubliners. The guest of the December concerts is Rade Šerbedžija.

Vlado writes music for the play Woyzeck, authored by George Büchner under the direction of Ernst M. Binder which premiers in May in SNG Drama in Ljubljana. A CD of the soundtrack is also released. 

The double album Kreslinčice, on which are Vlado’s most loved songs, broke sales records, and becomes gold even before it’s release. 

Vlado and Chris meet each other when Chris records his own version of That Black Guitar for the group The Walkabouts. After some years, the American moves to Ljubljana, and a long-time musical collaboration and true friendship begins.

At Vlado’s 50^th anniversary, The Generation is a compilation of his many decades of work, but in a completely different way. 

Vlado performs with Siddharta on a memorable concert in Ljubljana Stadium before 30000 fans.

In January, Vlado performs with the group R.E.M. in Hala Tivoli. Vlado with Mali bogovi performs as an opening act for R.E.M. in Koper, already in 1999.

“Vlado Kreslin with Venci erected literary, audial, visual, in other words, of multimedia and personal monument to Beltinska Banda.”

Vladimir Kajzovar, 2006, Večer

Well known Bosnian-Croatian writer Miljenko Jergović and Vlado Kreslin often perform together. Mutual admiration and friendship bring them together. In the foreword of Vlado’s Bosnian release Instead of Whom Does the Flower Bloom, Jergovic writes “Vlado Kreslin wrote some of my poems.” 

For years later, Vlado puts out a new album, comprised from two parts. In the second part, various musical guests perform, such as Neisha and Šajeta. The album also includes the hit From Goričko to Piran.

Vlado is accepted into the Slovene Writer’s Association. The poetry collection is released, his fourth in a row. It is a combination of poems and already musically arranged songs. “Kreslin’s songs are becoming better and better, they still bind themselves to all that, which is primary in people: attachment to roots, reflections about life, memories and nostalgia, little trivialities which we hold sacred, and above all, friends …”
Dijana Matković 11/23/2009, Dnevnik

Vlado performs, plays and sings in the play Three Other Sisters in Milwaukee, USA. A short American tour follows.

“(Vlado) again collected impressive number of trees and arranged them into the Parkway of thirteen acts.” 
VIP HR, 1/23/2011

The summer Adriatic tour with Irish singer Mary Coughlan, who was also a guest at the concert in Križanke.

The Bosnian literary tour with his friend Ahmed Burić, who wrote: “In Kreslins poems you can pick out the influences of those, who united the Central European culture, such as Brecht, Kurt Weill or Buchner, as well as “ordinary” people from author’s inner circle. At the same time, the poems are also a magnificent manuscript of someone, to whom poetry represents only one of his tools.”

The expanded and enriched edition of Songbook with 84 songs, with notes and lyrics of the most successful compositions.  “Pesmarica offers an extensive note-and-lyrics insight in Kreslin’s opus; it also brings a lot of photographic material and interesting quotes from reporters, musicians, writers and others about Kreslin’s work.”
Matej Kranjc, February 2012, Glasna

After the performance at the Book Fair in Leipzig and at the festival Dani Pojezije in Sarajevo, an American Tour follows the publication of the poetry collection Instead of Whom does the Flower Bloom. 

Vlado Kreslin’s collection Čarobnice reaches over 50 songs of various origin, among which the author again selects exactly those songs, which most broadly expand the view of the human emotional landscape.” In Zagreb the CD Umjesto koga roža cveti is released.

American writer Ruth Dupré from Texas becomes enthused about Vlado’s song, which she finds on Youtube. When the concert for which she has the tickets to Slovenia is cancelled, Vlado sends her a fateful sentence. “Come anyway. My wife will cook something good!” Two days later, she with her husband Rick is sitting at the Kreslin’s on the couch, and Vlado performs a concert in his house. Ruth then follows Vlado to concerts around Slovenia and USA, and after several years writes a book Vlado Kreslin, Slovenia and Me, which is available on Amazon.

Short tour in Canada and Argentina, he performs in London, Nottingham, Berlin, New York and in Catalonia. 

At this time Vlado invites guests from around Europe as well as friends from Africa to a collaboration. It results in 16 new compositions. “The album begins locally, traditionally, and in classic Kreslin style, and finishes in an all-encompassing worldly and international genre.” 
Izak Košir, 12/16/2015, Odzven

The Balkan Reunion is a second album of the Barcelona Gypsy Klezmer Orchestra (BGKO), a large family of nomadic musicians who come from various countries of Europe, on which Vlado Kreslin is a guest performer. 

Vlado and Antonella Ruggiero, former singer of the legendary group Matia Bazar record a song Welcome, Neighbor, dedicated to openness between Slovenia and Italy. They perform it on the former border between the two countries.

Krajša ameriška turneja, nastopi v Londonu, Luxemburgu, Skopju in Sarajevu.

CD never Lose Your Soul is released. It brings Vlado’s songs as well as those of Guissé Brothers, which were rearranged by everyone involved, and Igor Leonardi. Relaxed acoustic music in blues rhythm with elements of Slovenian and Senegalese tradition.

The poetry collection is released, which gets its title from the song That Gambled Watch. According to Vlado, the song is based on a true event. It speaks of how his father years ago, at a watchmaker in Beltinci, came upon a silver pocket watch. Vlado’s grandfather after WWI brought it from Isonzo front and later gambled it away in his own tavern. Along with well-known songs, some unpublished, and some manuscripts from his archives are also included.

Documentary film uncovers key events in the forty years of Vlado Kreslin’s creations. “It is a priceless document, not only of one of our best and best loved musicians, but also of a time and place.”
Špela Barlič, 11/8/2018, Dnevnik

In Zagreb a double album with 36 songs is released. The album brings an authentic feeling of concerts, and is more than two hours long. In Ljubljana, a double album Kreslinovanje is released with a recording of the concert in Cankarjev dom in December 2018.