Věra Bílá

Věra Bílá
Born(1954-05-22)22 May 1954
Rokycany, Czechoslovakia
Died12 March 2019(2019-03-12) (aged 64)
Plzeň, Czech Republic
OccupationMusician
Years active1970–2019

Věra Bílá (22 May 1954 – 12 March 2019) was a Czech[1] vocalist and musician of Romani ethnicity. She initially gained acclaim performing Romani folk and pop songs and 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

  1. ^ "Věra Bílá". czechmusic.net.
  2. ^ O'Brien, Lucy (15 May 2000). "Romany divas delight" – via www.theguardian.com.
  3. ^ Connolly, Kate (8 May 2000). "'Even when I'm singing my heart out, I'm not celebrating'" – via www.theguardian.com.
  4. ^ Loewenstein, Lael (8 November 1999). "Black & White in Color".
  5. ^ "Zemřela zpěvačka Věra Bílá, romská hvězda plánovala velký comeback". iDNES.cz (in Czech). 12 March 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
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