Vice Vukov represented Yugoslavia twice in the 1960s--in London in 1963 and in Naples in 1965. We gave him no respect in either year; Vukov came in dead last in our voting.
Vice Vukov "Brodovi" 1963
The fact the he came in last made me want to learn more about him, and after doing a little bit of reading on him, I have to say that he's worthy of induction into my list of Eurovisionaries.
Vice Vukov was born in the Croatian city of Šibenik in 1934, and was a Croatian nationalist. He chose a singing career because he wanted to be able to make money and not have to compromise he his personal political beliefs.
His first musical success was in 1959, when he won the Opatija Music Festival, and had a very successful career throughout the 1960s.
However, he was never able to hide his own personal political beliefs and in 1971 he became the target of Josef Tito. 1971 was the year of the "Croatian Spring", where linguists, politicians, and students fought for more autonomy from Yugoslavia. Vukov upset the leadership of Yugoslavia by making statements about the Communist government at a national festival. Vukov found himself on a governmental black list--forcing him into exile in France for three years and effectively ending his career for more than 15 years.
Vice Vukov "Čežnja" 1965
However, with political change in Yugoslavia, Vukov was allowed to record and release a record in 1989, bringing him back to national prominence. However, Vukov decided to focus on politics, supporting the centrist Democratic Party of Croatia. His political ability won him and ambassadorship as the Croatian ambassador to Switzerland in 2001 then a seat in the Croatian parliament in 2003.
Unfortunately, after the fruition of his political ambitions, he slipped and fell in the Croatian parliament building, suffered massive head trauma, and lived in a vegetative state until his death in 2008. It's a tragic end to a fascinating individual; and he is most assuredly Eurovisionary.
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