Luti (Milutin Erbeznik) was born in Skopje, Macedonia to a Slovene mother and a Macedonian father. Raised in the multiethnic milieu of the former Yugoslavia, Luti grew up immersed in diverse European folk music, some of it in peculiar time signatures, such as 7/8. This influence, combined with exposure to melodic rock and classical music helped forge Luti’s eclectic music style. Luti arrived in the U.S. in 1988 to pursue higher education, just as his home country slowly collapsed into a civil war, leaving an indelible imprint on Luti’s artistic impulse. One of the outcomes of these days of agony is Across the Ocean, which brought Luti forward as a December 2008 finalist in VH1’s international contest Song of the Year.

In southeastern Michigan, Luti has performed solo, with his son Jasen, and also with Brian Wood as one of the two Partly Brothers, who released the CD From the Start in 2008. Luti’s debut solo album, Half a Century Later, features a wide array of songs, including a couple of instrumental tracks. Joined by several fabulous guest musicians, Luti has created an album filled with emotion and beautifully arranged. This CD highlights Luti’s harmonious vocals, intricate guitar work and sophisticated percussion, bringing to American folk tradition the subtle rhythms and sounds of Eastern European and Middle Eastern folk music.