Jozef Ráž
Slovak musician (born 1954)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
24 October 1954
- Rock
- pop
- Vocals
- bass
Jožo Ráž | |
|---|---|
Ráž in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Jozef Ráž 24 October 1954 Bratislava, Czechoslovakia |
| Genres |
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| Occupation | Musician |
| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1969–present |
| Labels | |
| Member of | Elán |
| Website | elan |
Career
Jožo Ráž founded the pop-rock band Elán in 1968 together with his school classmates Vašo Patejdl, Juraj Farkaš, and Zdeno Baláž.[2] He is also an occasional actor: in 1989, he played himself in the fictionalized film about the band Elán, titled Rabaka.[3]
Personal life
Ráž graduated from the Faculty of Arts, Comenius University in Bratislava. While riding his motorcycle in Bratislava's city center in 1999, he was hit by a car, causing him a serious head injury as well as a broken nose, wrist, and right leg.[4]
Ráž 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, also named Jozef, 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]
