Bert Nievera

Roberto Jose Dela Cruz Nievera (October17, 1936March27, 2018) was a Filipino-American singer and businessman.

Roberto Jose Dela Cruz Nievera was born on October17, 1936 in Baguio, Philippines.

His father, a doctor who worked for the transportation company Benguet Auto Line, was from the province of Ilocos Sur; his mother was from Bulacan.

He also had a sister.

At the age of seven, Nievera already started singing.

The earliest song he learned was "Ang Binatang Caviteño" ("The Young Caviteño"), taught to him by his mother, which he often performed when she would ask him to sing to people.

He joined many amateur singing contests in his hometown.

As an elementary student at St. Louis School, Nievera wanted to become a priest; he also imagined himself becoming a doctor like his father.

Nievera attended the Baguio Military Institute and initially planned to enroll at the Philippine Military Academy.

He eventually opted to study foreign service at the University of the Philippines Diliman, where he became a member of the UP Dramatic Club.

He began singing professionally in 1958.

He was a daily performer at the Airmen's Club of Camp John Hay in Baguio.

In Manila, he continued to participate in amateur singing contests.

He rose to prominence in 1959 after winning the "Search for Johnny Mathis of the Philippines", a singing contest on the television variety show Student Canteen.

He was one of the original members of the Society of Seven (SOS).

Born in Baguio, Nievera grew up participating in many amateur singing contests.

He studied at the University of the Philippines Diliman, where he was trained by National Artist for Theater Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero.

He found moderate success in clubs singing as the "Johnny Mathis of the Philippines" after Student Canteen.

Nievera joined the "Search for Johnny Mathis of the Philippines" on the television variety show Student Canteen in 1959.

He went on to win the competition performing the song "It's Not for Me to Say".

Nievera "nurtured" aspirations when he started singing, one of which was "to go to America."

While performing at the Clover Theater in Manila for one week (which was one of his winnings from Student Canteen), he was accepted as a flight steward at Philippine Airlines (PAL): "I thought at that time that PAL was more stable than a showbiz career."

He worked there so he could go to the United States, but later quit in 1960 because he was "confined to the domestic flights" and was never able to fly internationally.

He resumed his singing career by performing in clubs, including Ember's Club in Cubao where he was earning ₱15 a night.

Nievera said that he initially struggled in the entertainment industry, which he observed was dominated by "sexy singers like Pilita Corrales and Carmen Soriano": "To be noticed... we started imitating American singers."

Two of Nievera's contemporaries, Eddie Mesa and Diomedes Maturan, were also dubbed the Filipino counterparts of foreign acts Elvis Presley and Perry Como, respectively.

According to Nievera, "dapat noon may title ka, usong uso 'yan noon [you must have a title then because it was very popular]".

Nievera met his first wife, Conchita Razon, who gave birth to twins Martin and Victoria in 1962.

He was later offered to sing in the US.

Nievera then joined the Hawaii-based musical group the Fabulous Echoes in 1966, which later became the Society of Seven.

Nievera belonged in the original lineup of the Society of Seven (SOS), a Hawaii-based musical group of Filipino Americans formed in 1969.

In 1976, following a decade-long stint with the SOS, Nievera released his self-titled debut album in Hollywood.

He recorded three more albums released from 1978 to 1996.

Nievera came back to the Philippines in 1989 and mounted a series of concerts called Timeless through the 1990s and the early 2000s, which earned him another moniker as the "Timeless Balladeer".

He also endeavored into business by opening various restaurant franchises in the country.

Nievera later told in a 2001 interview, "From then on, my life changed completely."

He received training from playwright Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero, who was the club's director: "Freddie [Ma. Guerrero] found out that I could sing. So he tried to mold me. During intermission in the plays, Freddie would ask me to sing".

Nievera said that he realized he could pursue singing as a profession when he was sixteen, while also having ambitions of perhaps becoming a newscaster or a deejay.

After it failed, Nievera returned to the United States in 2003, where he settled until his death in 2018 at the age of 81.

He was the father of Martin Nievera, whom he inspired and mentored.