Ramón Fernando Villalona Évora was born in Monte Cristi, may 7 in 1955 and was raised in the village Loma de Cabrera, in the provinces Dajabón. That's where he began his studies and took his first steps as a singer. Distinguished from his agecontemporaries, he travelled to the capital to represent his village in the Festival de La Voz wich took place in 1970 in the theatre de Bellas Artes. Then in that event, he obtained fifth place according to the judgement of the jury, however, his presentation got a deafening applause from the audiance.
Taken very serious by Maestro Rafael Solano, Fernando, who at that time still was an adolescent, he recorded some songs wich rapidly became popular. After that Fernando Villalona's real professional career started, joining the group Los Hijos del Rey, with whom he made his debute in front of 20,000 people, sharing the stage with la gran Fania All Star, lead by the dominican Johnny Pacheco.
At the end of the seventies, Fernando Villalona with los Hijos del Rey played the most important stages of the Dominican Republic and the world. In the eighties his pupularity increased with his own band. In the last decade of the century, El Mayimbe, as his admires know him, is established in the dominican peoples taste and in the bigger part of America he's a real idol. With allmost 20 albums recorded, his diversity has raised him to stand out in Merengue aswell as in balads, the bachata or the bolero, the hundreds of songs of his discografy are very diverse.
The cuban manager Mateo San Martin, settled in Santo Domingo and working for the KUBANEY company, baptized Fernando Villalona as El Mayimbe on release of the album Félix cumbé. At the end of the 20 century, El Niño Mimado del pueblo dominicano, kept making the honors to the concept, wich in pupular cuban means: "el jefe", "el que manda", "el mejor".
With more than 20 years in the preference of the public, Fernando Villalona, El Mayimbe, he renews in any other presentation, in any other album. His voice, the voice of a singer of the people enchants the big crowds and his carisma is adored by locals aswell as foreigners.


This text is taken from "Los cien músicos del siglo" and translated, published in 2000 by "Cañabrava", in Santo Domingo and written by "el Lic. Antonio Gómez Sotolongo"