A native of
Calape, Bohol Province, Villame was the youngest of ten children of a fisherman father and
fishmonger mother. He started composing songs for the
Boy Scouts in his elementary days. Dropping out after his second year in high school, Villame enlisted to become a soldier-trainee of the
Philippine Army. Being unhappy with his post in
Pampanga, he asked for a discharge after the surrender of rebel leader
Luis Taruc. He became 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 only to lose, reportedly due to his strong Visayan accent. In 1965, Villame returned to Bohol to become a bus driver, where he formed a
rondalla band with some fellow drivers; he sang and played the
mandolin. His first recording was in 1972 and entitled "Magellan", a parody of historicism of
Ferdinand Magellan's failed 1521 conquest of the Philippines. This became the top-selling record in the
Visayas-
Mindanao region. Comedian
Chiquito recognized his potential and brought Villame back 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. Villame 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 Bisaya, Tagalog and English. ==Career==