Bert Nievera

Roberto Jose Dela Cruz Nievera (; October17, 1936March27, 2018) was a Filipino-American singer and businessman. 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 then joined the Hawaii-based musical group the Fabulous Echoes in 1966, which later became the Society of Seven.

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. 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.

Life and career 19361957: Early life and education 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. In Manila, he continued to participate in amateur singing contests. 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." He was later offered to sing in the US. He joined in 1966, The Society of Seven mainly performed at the Main Showroom of the Outrigger Waikiki. The couple soon had another child, a daughter named Rachel. In Hawaii, they also owned a restaurant where Martin worked in the kitchen.

He toured with his group in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and other major cities in the West Coast of the United States. Gary Bautista filled the vacant position left by Nievera's departure in 1980.

19771989: Solo ventures The Nieveras relocated to Concord, California.

According to a colleague, Nievera thought he was already retired from music after 1976, but he found gigs performing with Pilita Corrales, who invited him to her concerts. His son began his own singing career in the Philippines in 1982. According to Martin, "Dad gave me a choice. He said, 'Stay in America and try your luck in Hollywood or come to the Philippines and let me help you start living your dream.'" Nievera arranged his son's first media interview after returning to the country.

In 1985, his third album, Nievera Remembers, was released by WEA. Nievera also came back to the Philippines in 1989. Nievera himself began hosting on television, starring on IBC-13's Chairman of the Board . Nievera described Timeless as a montage of his career's evolution. He recorded another album titled Salamat sa Pag-ibig, his fourth and last, released in 1996 by RJ Productions. Its song "A Christmas Lullaby" won the 1997 Awit Award for Best Christmas Recording. He also contributed to Martin's 1999 album Return to Forever, singing a duet of Jeffrey Osborne's "The Greatest Love Affair". Nievera concurrently traveled to Australia, the Middle East, US, Brunei, Singapore, and Malaysia to perform; and Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. The couple had also opened the country's first branch of the international food chain Country Waffles in 2000. In early 2004, some Country Waffles outlets began closing down as the Nieveras sparked "what's probably the decade's biggest food industry scandal" after fleeing to the US in late 2003, amid purported death threats from Country Waffles employees, angering the investors who did not receive returns. In 2006, the Department of Justice charged them with fraud for allegedly failing to pay ₱14.5 million to an investor and for issuing unlicensed securities.

Nievera settled into semi-retirement in Las Vegas with Hernandez. After performing in Toms River, New Jersey, he told in 2013, when asked about voting in that year's Philippine general election, that "I'm no longer in touch with what's happening in the Philippines.... I watch the news but I never saw the candidates talk yet, or give speeches in their campaign so I cannot tell." Martin mentioned in a 2017 interview that his father suffered a brain seizure. Martin had still occasionally performed with him in concerts in the US, the last of which was a Christmas 2017 show at the Suncoast Hotel and Casino. Celebrities in the Philippines paid tribute to him on social media,

Artistry

Nievera was a baritone. While in college, Nievera was also coached by one of his colleagues, who was an opera singer. However, he said that he "found it monotonous, so after only two sessions [I dropped out]. I resorted to self-study..." He added, "Through the years, I developed my own style, my own technique. Who knows, had I continued my lessons... [I might have become an opera/classical singer]." Nievera said in 2001 that "I learned a lot from the Society of Seven."

Besides Johnny Mathis, whom he stated "was harder to impersonate than you'd think", his musical influences included Perry Como, Vic Damone, Mario Lanza, and Jo Stafford. He said he grew up listening to their ballads, which he termed "semi-classics", such as "Be My Love", "No Other Love", "Till the End of Time", "If You Are But a Dream", and "Innamorata". Nievera also considered "Misty", Mathis' signature song, to be his during his first few years in the show business as the "Johnny Mathis of the Philippines" after his success on Student Canteen in 1959. He mentioned, "It was very popular then, very memorable to me.... The line in it that touches me the most is the last one... I'm too misty and too much in love."

He heavily inspired his son Martin, who said:

Discography Nievera (1976) Sumasainyo, Nievera ("Yours, Nievera") (1978) Nievera Remembers (1985) All This Time (1991) Salamat sa Pag-ibig ("Thank You for the Love") (1996)

Singles "Kapwa Ko Mahal Ko" (1978) (original by Ric Manrique Jr.)