Bert Nievera, the ‘Johnny Mathis of the Philippines,’ sings his swan song
Bert (left) and Martin Nievera
He has blessed us all with his voice and his ability to make people jump to their feet,” singer Martin Nievera said of his recently departed father, Roberto Jose “Bert” Nievera.
Bert, the smooth-voiced 1960s balladeer dubbed as the “Johnny Mathis of the Philippines,” succumbed to multiple organ failure resulting from sepsis last March 27 at the Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas. He was 81.
“I will miss him. We all will. As lost and empty as I feel today, I hold on to every memory. I plan to make my father’s spirit shine with every song I sing from this day forward,” Martin told the Inquirer in an e-mail.
Bert was born on Oct. 17, 1936, in Baguio City, where he grew up and joined amateur singing contests.
Later on, in Manila, he became a member of the University of the Philippines’ Dramatic Club and was mentored by its director, the late National Artist Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero.
Champion
He was the champion of the noontime variety program “Student Canteen’s” “Search for Johnny Mathis of the Philippines” segment, which earned him the said moniker.
From 1969 to 1976, Bert worked as a singer for the Society of Seven, a musical group that played gigs in Hawaii, mainly at the Outrigger Waikiki hotel.
Martin, who had performed with his father many times in the past, said he would remember his father as “a man of few words,” who “loved every second singing on a concert stage.”
“He was a proud man who inspired me to become the singer I am today,” pointed out Martin, who revealed at a press conference last year that his father had once suffered a seizure that caused temporary memory loss, and that he was “very thin.”
“I will never forget what he has done for me, ” he said. “Add to that the endless happy moments he gave us and you will know what a true good man is made of.”
The 56-year-old music artist likewise expressed his gratitude to Bert’s second family in Las Vegas.
“They’re amazing people and I can’t thank them enough for all they did for Daddy during their 29 years together,” he said.
Bert Nievera
‘You gave me life’
Meanwhile, on his Instagram account, Martin posted a photo of him when he was a kid, smiling for the camera while his father gives him a haircut.
“You gave me life, you gave me dreams,” he wrote.
Martin’s twin sister, Vicki Nievera, posted on Facebook: “You will always be the song in my heart.”
Musician Robin Nievera, Martin’s eldest son with Pops Fernandez, also paid tribute to his grandfather.
“To the one who started it all. The one who keeps singing even though he ‘forgot the stupid words.’ Thank you for the memories,” he wrote on Instagram.
