Johnny Rodriguez died Friday as the first Mexican-American country music star. He is 73 years old.
His daughter, Aubry Rodriguez, announced her death on social media on Saturday. The post does not cite the cause of death.
Mr. Rodriguez became famous in the 1970s and was known for “Riding My Thumbs to Mexico” and “You Always Back (Help Me)”. He released six singles, ranked No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, and another nine singles made the top ten.
In 2007, Mr. Rodriguez was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, which called him “the greatest and most memorable Chicano country singer of all time.”
Juan Raoul Davis Rodriguez was born on December 10, 1951 in Sabinal, Texas, about 65 miles west of San Antonio. Survivor list is not available immediately.
Mr. Rodriguez is a second grade child of 10 children. His older brother Andres started playing guitar at the age of 7 and bought him one. When Mr. Rodriguez was 16, their father died of cancer, and about the time when Mr. Rodriguez formed a band, Andres died the following year.
The Texas Country Music Hall of Fame claims that the loss caused Mr. Rodriguez to “spiral up”.
Mr. Rodriguez spent some time in prison at the age of 18 because of the unpaid fine. He will spend his time in the cell by singing and is eavesdropped by Joaquin Jackson of the Texas Rangers, who eventually helped Mr. Rodriguez as a singer and stagecoach driver in Alamo Village, a popular tourist attraction in Texas.
Country musicians Tom T. Hall and Bobby Bare heard Rodriguez perform in Alamo in 1971 and invited him to Nashville. Mr. Rodriguez, who was 20 years old at the time, brought only guitar and $14. Shortly after his arrival, he became the lead guitarist of Mr. Hall’s band.
In 1973, Mr. Rodriguez released his debut single and his first top ten single “Pass Me By (if you just pass by).” His next three singles – “You always come back (hurt me), “Riding my thumb to Mexico” and “This is the way to love” – all on the charts.
He was also nominated for the Country Music Association's Man Singer of the Year Award in 1973 and received the Billboard Trend Setter Award, the No. 1 Mexican-American Award to attract audiences across the country.
In 1979, Mr. Rodriguez parted ways with his record company Mercury and signed with Epic. His other three songs – “In Rio Grande”, “The Fool” and “How Can I Love Her” – later made it to the top ten. He continued to play music until the 1990s.
In 1999, a jury acquitted Rodriguez and killed an acquaintance who he said was a thief. Acquaintance, 26-year-old Israeli Borrego was fatally shot once in 1998 at Mr. Rodriguez's home in Sabinal. Mr. Rodriguez's lawyer argued that under Texas law, he had reason to defend himself and his property.
The singer, who is facing life in prison, leans his face in his hands as the verdict was announced. “I'm just sorry that the whole incident happened,” he said. “I don't want to go through something like this again.”
In 2010, he received the Pioneer Award from the Spanish Institute of Culture and in 2019 the Texas Country Music Association's Living Legend Award. He released 35 albums over his four decades of career.
In an interview in 2019, Mr. Rodriguez advised young artists to always write their own material.
“It separates you from other people,” he said, adding, “If you’re very honest about it, that’s the hardest part.” “It’s like taking off your clothes.”
