Ivan Mládek, born February 7, 1942, in Prague was a Czech singer and comedian. He formed the Banjo Band in 1966 and moved to Paris in 1968 before returning to Czechoslovakia in the early 1970s. His breakthrough came with the hit parody "Jožin z bažin" (1977), which was later covered by various artists, including Metallica during their concert in Prague in April 2018. Mládek released numerous albums, including Guten Tag! (1981) and Pisne O Lasce A Pravde (2000). He also designed the Guitariano guitar-shaped synthesizer and had a successful career as a comedian and actor in the 1980s, appearing on television shows like The Country Estrada and ÄundrCountryShow.