Věra Bílá
Věra Bílá | |
---|---|
Born | Rokycany, Czechoslovakia | 22 May 1954
Died | 12 March 2019 Plzeň, Czech Republic | (aged 64)
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Years active | 1970–2019 |
Věra Bílá (22 May 1954 – 12 March 2019) was a Czech[1] vocalist and musician of Romani ethnicity, who initially gained acclaim performing Romani folk and pop songs. She was the lead singer of the Czech recording act Kale, with whom she performed songs in Romani, Czech, and Slovak. She was highly acclaimed, toured internationally and was often called the "Ella Fitzgerald of Gypsy music"[2] or the "Queen of Romany" [3]
Biography
Bílá, a Rokycany native, was the daughter of singer Karol Giňa. She lived and worked in the Czech Republic. Her name Věra means "faith" in Slavic languages; and her surname "Bílá" means "white" in Czech. In 1999 director Mira Erdevicki-Charap portrayed Bila in the documentary "Black and White in Colour".[4]
Bila died on 12 March 2019, aged 64 of a heart attack.[5]
Recordings
- Věra Bílá & Kale – C'est comme ca
- Věra Bílá – Queen Of Romany
- Věra Bílá & Kale – Rovava
- Věra Bílá & Kale – Kale Kalore
- Věra Bílá & Kale – Rom-Pop (produced by Zuzana Navarová)
References
- ^ "Věra Bílá". czechmusic.net.
- ^ O'Brien, Lucy (15 May 2000). "Romany divas delight" – via www.theguardian.com.
- ^ Connolly, Kate (8 May 2000). "'Even when I'm singing my heart out, I'm not celebrating'" – via www.theguardian.com.
- ^ Loewenstein, Lael (8 November 1999). "Black & White in Color".
- ^ "Zemřela zpěvačka Věra Bílá, romská hvězda plánovala velký comeback". iDNES.cz (in Czech). 12 March 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
External links
- Věra Bílá – singer — an article on Roma in the Czech Republic website
- Věra Bílá — on Allmusic
- CS1 Czech-language sources (cs)
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- AC with 0 elements
- All stub articles
- European singer stubs
- Czech musician stubs
- 1954 births
- 2019 deaths
- People from Rokycany
- 20th-century Czech women singers
- Czech Romani people
- Czechoslovak Romani people
- Romani musicians
- Czech people of Romani descent
- Romani-language singers
- Czechoslovak women singers