Freddy Fender

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Freddy Fender, 1977

Freddy Fender (* 4. June 1937 in San Benito , Texas as Baldemar Garza Huerta ; † 14. October 2006 in Corpus Christi , Texas) was an American country - singer of Mexican descent .

Career

Beginnings

Born the son of Mexican immigrants, Baldemar Huerta moved as a child with his parents through the United States as a farm worker. At the age of five he began to play the guitar - initially on a homemade one, the main part of which was an empty sardine can. Baldemar Huerta dropped out of school at the age of 16 and joined the navy for three years. In 1958 he made his first records in Spanish under his birth name and as "El Bebop Kid", including a version of the Elvis hit Don't Be Cruel . To appeal to a wider audience, he adopted the name "Freddy Fender" a year later. In 1959 he had his first minor hit with Wasted Days And Wasted Nights . Immediately after the single was released, he was arrested for possession of marijuana and sentenced to five years in prison.

After three years in prison, he was released early with the support of the music-loving Louisiana Governor , former country singer Jimmie Davis , on condition that he would stay away from the music business for the remaining two years. Fender then played in the New Orleans club scene for a few years before returning to Texas in the late 1960s. Here he worked as a car mechanic and finished school.

Breakthrough as a country singer

In 1974 he was signed by producer Huey Meaux . The single Before The Next Teardrop Falls was released on a small label . The song, recorded partly in English and partly in Spanish, became a huge success and reached number one in both the country and pop charts. Immediately his first hit from 1959 Wasted Days And Wasted Nights was re-released in a new version and also reached number one. Fender was named Best Male Artist of 1975 by Billboard magazine , i.e. the best singer of 1975. His streak of success continued through the seventies, with titles like Secret Love and You'll Lose a Good Thing , he had more hits. Only then did the sales of his records decline.

In the 1980s, Fender took on a number of film roles. After massive alcohol and drug problems, he underwent drug rehab in 1985.

Comeback as a Texas tornado

Fender gained new popularity when he founded the Tex-Mex band Texas Tornados in 1990 with Doug Sahm , Augie Meyers (both from Sir Douglas Quintet ) and Flaco Jimenez . By 1999 the Texas Tornados had produced four studio albums, a best-of album and a live record. In 1998 Fender was also a member of Los Super Seven, a supergroup from the Los Lobos area . Both the Texas Tornados and Los Super Seven each won a Grammy in the Best Mexican-American Performance category .

With his album La Musica de Baldemar Huerta , Fender returned musically to his youth in 2002 and interpreted classic Mexican pop songs from the pre-rock'n'roll era. The album won a Grammy for Best Latin Pop . With Dos Amigos a joint album with Flaco Jimenez was created in 2005 in a classical conjunto line-up with vocals, accordion and bajo sexto .

Sickness and death

Fender, who was diabetic and had had hepatitis C for some time , had to undergo a kidney transplant in 2002 and a liver transplant in 2004. In August 2006, it was announced that he had lung cancer. Freddy Fender, who lived for a long time in the southern Texas city of Corpus Christi , died there on October 14, 2006.

His hometown San Benito is planning to open a Freddy Fender Museum. The idea for this came up during Fender's lifetime. An oversized portrait of Fender with the words "Hometown of Freddy Fender" has graced the city's water tower since 2005.

Discography

Albums

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)
Remarks
US US Country Country
1974 Before the Next Teardrop Falls US20th
gold
gold

(43 weeks)US
Country1 (47 weeks)
Country
Dot 2020
1975 Are You Ready for Freddy? US41 (18 weeks)
US
Country1 (24 weeks)
Country
Dot 2044
Since I Met You Baby - Country10 (15 weeks)
Country
GRT 8005
1976 Rock 'n' Country US59 (11 weeks)
US
Country3 (18 weeks)
Country
Dot 2050
If You're Ever in Texas US170 (3 weeks)
US
Country4 (18 weeks)
Country
Dot 2061
1977 The Best of Freddy Fender US155 (7 weeks)
US
Country4 (30 weeks)
Country
Dot 2079
If you don't love me - Country34 (13 weeks)
Country
ABC / Dot 2090
1978 Swamp gold - Country44 (4 weeks)
Country
ABC / Dot 1062
2001 Forever gold - Country70 (2 weeks)
Country

More albums

  • 1975: Recorded Inside Louisiana State Prison
  • 1976: Your Cheatin 'Heart (Pickwick JS6195)
  • 1977: Merry Christmas / Feliz Navidad (Dot 2101)
  • 1979: Tex-Mex (ABC 1132)
  • 1979: The Texas Balladeer (Starflite 36073)
  • 1980: Together We Drifted Apart (Starflite 36284)
  • 1982: The Border (Soundtrack)
  • 1991: The Freddy Fender Collection (reprise)
  • 1991: Favorite Ballads
  • 1993: Canciones de Mi Barrio: The Roots of Tejano Rock (Arhoolie)
  • 1997: In His Prime (Edsel)
  • 1999: The Voice: The Crazy Cajun Recordings (Edsel)
  • 1999: Live At Gilley’s (Atlantic)
  • 2002: La Musica de Baldemar Huerta (Backporch Records)
  • 2003: Interpreta el Rock (Arhoolie)
  • 2003: Eddie Con Los Shades: Rock'n'Roll (Arhoolie)
  • 2005: Dos Amigos (Backporch Records)

Singles

year Title
album
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)
Remarks
US US Country Country
1975 Before the Next Teardrop Falls
Before the Next Teardrop Falls
US1
gold
gold

(21 weeks)US
Country1 (17 weeks)
Country
Wasted Days and Wasted Nights
Before the Next Teardrop Falls
US8th
gold
gold

(19 weeks)US
Country1 (16 weeks)
Country
Since I Met You Baby
Since I Met You Baby
US45 (8 weeks)
US
Country10 (14 weeks)
Country
Secret Love
Are You Ready for Freddy?
US20 (11 weeks)
US
Country1 (16 weeks)
Country
1976 The Wild Side of Life
Since I Met You Baby
- Country13 (12 weeks)
Country
You'll Lose a Good Thing
Rock 'n' Country
US32 (10 weeks)
US
Country1 (15 weeks)
Country
Vaya con Dios
Rock 'n' Country
US59 (6 weeks)
US
Country7 (13 weeks)
Country
Living It Down
If You're Ever in Texas
US72 (4 weeks)
US
Country2 (14 weeks)
Country
1977 The Rains Came
Rock 'n' Country
- Country4 (15 weeks)
Country
If You Don't Love Me
(Why Don't You Just Leave Me Alone)
If You Don't Love Me
- Country11 (12 weeks)
Country
Think About Me
If You Don't Love Me
- Country18 (11 weeks)
Country
1978 If You're Looking for a Fool
If You Don't Love Me
- Country34 (9 weeks)
Country
Talk to Me
Swamp Gold
- Country13 (12 weeks)
Country
I'm Leaving It All Up to You
Swamp Gold
- Country26 (9 weeks)
Country
1979 Walking Piece of Heaven
Tex-Mex
- Country22 (12 weeks)
Country
Yours
The Texas Balladeer
- Country22 (11 weeks)
Country
Squeeze Box
The Texas Balladeer
- Country61 (5 weeks)
Country
1980 My Special Prayer
The Texas Balladeer
- Country83 (3 weeks)
Country
Please Talk to My Heart
Together We Drifted Apart
- Country82 (3 weeks)
Country
1983 Chokin 'kid
- Country87 (3 weeks)
Country

More singles

  • 1960: Holy One

Web links

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  1. a b Chart sources: US
  2. a b Awards for Music Sales: US