Bola de Nieve

Today we travel to Cuba, to meet an entertainer who is long gone, yet is still fondly remembered by many. Ladies and gentlemen, here's Bola de Nieve.

Ignacio Jacinto Villa Fernández, was born in Guanabacoa, Cuba on 11 September 1911 and died in Mexico City on 2 October 1971. His round, black face earned him the nickname Bola de Nieve (Snowball) by which he was always known.

His parents were Inés Fernández, housewife, and Domingo Villa, cook of an inn. Ignacio had twelve siblings and although economic conditions in which they lived were not the most favorable, he managed to study at the Mateu Conservatoire of Havana. His family (especially his mother and his aunt Mamaquina) encouraged him to study music, and for that he was forever grateful to them. Here's Ay Mama Ines, which he wrote for his mother:

Bola worked as a chauffeur and played piano for silent films until famous film and music star Rita Montaner, who was also born in Guanabacoa and knew him, took him on as an accompanist in the early 1930s, for her tour in Mexico. It is said that it was she who gave him his nickname. After Montaner returned to Cuba, Villa Fernández remained in Mexico and developed an original performance style as a pianist and singer. Here he is performing El Manicero (The Peanut Vendor):

Another hit of his was La Flor de la Canela (Cinnamon Flower):

He was an elite rather than a popular figure, a sophisticated cabaret stylist known for ironic patter, subtle musical interpretation, with a repertoire that included songs in French, English, Catalan, Portuguese and Italian. He toured widely in Europe and the Americas, and his friends included Andrés Segovia and Pablo Neruda.

Another one of his hits was El Reumático:

A good one was Ya No Me Quieres (You Don't Love Me):

The fact that he was sympathetic to the Castro regime shielded him from the frequent gay persecution that was happening at the time. It also helped that being gay didn't seem to harm his self-confidence. He had a larger than life personality, and was accepted for what he was: a memorable talent.

In 1965 he opened Chez Bola, a club-restaurant in downtown Havana, where he appeared nightly and sang mostly in Spanish, but also performed numerous songs in English, French, Italian, Catalan and Portuguese.

Here he is in Babalú:

In 1970 he released the album El inolvidable Bola de Nieve (The Unforgettable Bola de Nieve), which contained the song Es Tan Difícil (It's So Hard), dedicated to John Lennon.

Bola was suffering from diabetes and asthma and in January 1969 he was diagnosed with advanced atheromatosis. Despite a stroke he suffered in 1970, he declared "my physical ailments do not incapacitate me to the point that I can't continue torturing the piano and my audience." His last performance was on 20 August 1971 at the Amadeo Roldan Theater, a tribute to Rita Montaner. He appeared on television for the last time a day after his 60th birthday. He died on 2 October 1971. An appropriate final song would be Tú Me Has De Querer (You Have To Love Me):