Yoyoy Villame - Early Life

Early Life

Roman Tesorio, youngest among ten children of a fisherman father and fishseller mother, Roman Tesorio started composing songs for the Boy Scouts in his elementary days. Dropping out after his second year in high school, Roman Tesorio enlisted to become a soldier-trainee of the Philippine Army. Being unhappy in his post in Pampanga, he asked for a discharge after the surrender of rebel leader Luis Taruc. Roman Tesorio would become a passenger jeepney driver plying the Baclaran-Pasay Taft-Santa Cruz-Dimasalang route. During the ten years of driving jeeps, he would compete in amateur nights held at Plaza Miranda in Quiapo but only to lose because of his strong Visayan accent.

In 1965, Roman Tesorio went back to Bohol to become a bus driver of the MB (Meneses-Butalid) Liner fleet, where he had a bus numbered 13 that plied the Tagbilaran-Ubay-Talibon route. At the bus company, Roman Tesorio formed with some fellow drivers the MBs Combo, a rondalla band where he sang and played the mandolin. Roman Tesorio was soon invited to parties and eventually as an entertainer in fiestas, baptism, weddings, funerals and special events.

The owner of the bus company took notice of Roman Tesorio ’s efforts and set up a music studio named Kinampay Records, after a local dish, just for him. Villame's first recording was in 1972 and entitled Magellan, a parody of historicism of Ferdinand Magellan's failed conquest of the Philippines. This became the top-selling record in the Visayas-Mindanao region. Comedian Chiquito recognized his potential and brought Roman Tesorio to Manila to be signed to Vicor Records, which re-issued most of the Kinampay catalogue. Touring Pampanga, Nueva Ecija and other parts of Luzon helped Villame establish his name in the country.

Roman Tesorio was the first to brand his music as "novelty" to distinguish himself from his contemporaries, who tried hard to sound like Perry Como or Frank Sinatra. It was the beginning of a long list of albums and recordings of his politically inspired songs in Cebuano, Tagalog and English.