Sixto Rodriguez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rodriguez
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Rodriguez in 2007
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Sixto Diaz Rodriguez |
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| Born | July 10, 1942 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | August 8, 2023 (aged 81) |
| Genres |
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| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, guitarist |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1967–1973 1998–2023 |
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Sixto Diaz Rodriguez (born July 10, 1942 – died August 8, 2023), known as Rodriguez, was an American singer and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan.
Even though his music wasn't very popular in the United States at first, he became a huge star in South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. For many years, he didn't even know how famous and important his music was in these countries. Some people believe he sold more records in South Africa than Elvis Presley!
In the 1990s, some determined fans in South Africa found Rodriguez. This led to his music career starting up again in a surprising way. His story was told in the 2012 movie Searching for Sugar Man. This film won an Academy Award (an Oscar!) and helped Rodriguez become famous in his home country too. In 2013, he received an honorary degree from his old university, Wayne State University, in Detroit.
Rodriguez lived a simple life in Detroit. He didn't even have a phone. He often visited local bars and sometimes performed for small crowds.
Contents
Biography
Early life
Sixto Diaz Rodriguez was born on July 10, 1942, in Detroit, Michigan. He was the sixth child of parents who had moved from Mexico and worked hard. He was named Sixto because "Sixto" means "sixth" in Spanish.
His father came to the United States from Mexico in the 1920s. His mother was Native American. Many Mexican immigrants came to Detroit at that time to work in factories. They often faced difficulties and felt like outsiders. In many of his songs, Rodriguez wrote about the challenges faced by poor people living in cities.
Music career
In 1967, Rodriguez released his first song, "I'll Slip Away." He used the name "Rod Riguez" for this song. He didn't record again for three years. Then, he signed with a new record company called Sussex Records. From then on, he used his preferred name, "Rodriguez."
He recorded two albums with Sussex: Cold Fact in 1970 and Coming from Reality in 1971. Sadly, these albums didn't sell many copies in the U.S. because his record label didn't promote them. So, Sussex Records dropped him, and the company closed in 1975. Rodriguez was even working on a third album that was never released.
After this, Rodriguez stopped making music. In 1976, he bought an old house in Detroit for just $50. He lived there for the rest of his life. He worked in jobs like demolition and on production lines, always earning a low income. He cared a lot about improving life for working-class people in Detroit. He even ran for public office several times, like for city council and mayor, but he didn't win.
In 2013, Rodriguez said he had written about 30 new songs. He was talking with the producer of his Coming From Reality album about making new music.
Becoming famous around the world
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Even though Rodriguez wasn't well-known in the U.S., his albums became very popular in countries like Australia, Botswana, New Zealand, South Africa, and Zimbabwe by the mid-1970s.
When imported copies of his albums sold out, an Australian record company bought the rights to his music. They released his two studio albums and a collection called At His Best. This collection included some songs that hadn't been released before.
At His Best sold so well in South Africa that it became a "platinum" album, meaning it sold over a million copies. People in South Africa compared Rodriguez to famous musicians like Bob Dylan. Many of his songs talked about being against unfair rules and systems. Because of this, his music became very important to the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. Apartheid was a system of unfair laws that separated people by race. Rodriguez's music also influenced young people who were forced to join the white-only South African military.
Rodriguez was also very successful in Australia. He performed two concert tours there in 1979 and 1981. In 1991, his albums were released on CD in South Africa, which helped keep his music popular.
Despite all this success abroad, Rodriguez didn't know about his fame until 1997. His oldest daughter, Eva, found a website about him. After contacting the website and learning how famous he was, Rodriguez went on his first tour of South Africa. He played six concerts for thousands of fans! A documentary about this tour was shown on South African TV in 2001. He also performed in Sweden and returned to South Africa in 2001 and 2005.
In 1998, Rodriguez's most famous song, "Sugar Man", was covered by other bands and singers. It was also used in a mix album by a DJ in 2002, which helped Rodriguez get more international attention. The song was even sampled (a small part of it used) in a song by the rapper Nas in 2001. "Sugar Man" was also featured in the 2006 movie Candy. Rodriguez continued to tour in many countries later in his life.
His albums Cold Fact and Coming from Reality were re-released in 2009. In 2014, a French music producer used Rodriguez's vocals in a new version of his song "Hate Street Dialogue," which became popular in France.
Searching for Sugar Man
In 2012, a documentary film called Searching for Sugar Man was shown for the first time. It was made by Swedish director Malik Bendjelloul. The movie told the story of two South African fans who tried to find out if Rodriguez was really dead, as rumored, and what had happened to him. The film won several awards, including the World Cinema Special Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival.
The movie was shown in cinemas in New York and Los Angeles and later in other places. It was also part of music festivals in Europe. The film's soundtrack included songs from Rodriguez's albums and three songs that had never been released before. To make sure Rodriguez received money from the film, the back cover of the soundtrack said, "Rodriguez receives royalties from the sale of this release."
Searching for Sugar Man won the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary in 2013. On February 24, 2013, it won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature (an Oscar!). Rodriguez chose not to go to the award ceremony. He didn't want to take attention away from the filmmakers' amazing achievement.
Later success in the United States
After the movie Searching for Sugar Man came out in 2012, Rodriguez became very popular in the United States and Europe. He appeared on famous TV shows like Late Show with David Letterman and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
He was also featured in news stories on CNN and the TV program 60 Minutes. He was interviewed on UK news shows and performed on the BBC.
The film Searching for Sugar Man suggested that Rodriguez might not have received all the money he earned from his music over the years. This is a complicated legal issue. Rodriguez first said he didn't care about money, but then he filed a lawsuit in 2013. This lawsuit was settled in 2015, but the amount of money was not shared publicly.
Rodriguez continued to tour a lot. In 2013, he played his biggest concerts in the U.S. He also performed at major music festivals like the Glastonbury Festival in the U.K. In 2015, he even opened for Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys.
In 2014, the Dave Matthews Band often played Rodriguez's song "Sugar Man" during their concerts. Dave Matthews would tell the audience how he grew up in South Africa loving Rodriguez's music and how surprised he was that Rodriguez wasn't famous in the U.S.
Recent activities
In 2015, a book called Sugar Man: The Life, Death and Resurrection of Sixto Rodriguez was published. It told his unique story.
Rodriguez continued to tour in the United States and Canada as recently as 2018. He played a show in his hometown of Detroit that year. His story was also featured on a BBC radio show in 2022.
Death
Rodriguez passed away on August 8, 2023, at the age of 81. The cause of his death was not announced.
Discography
Albums
- 1970: Cold Fact
- 1971: Coming from Reality
- 1981: Rodriguez Alive (Australia)
- 1998: Live Fact (South Africa)
- 2016: Rodriguez Rocks: Live In Australia (Australia)
- 1976: After the Fact (reissue of Coming from Reality) (South Africa)
- 1977: At His Best (Australia)
- 1982: The Best of Rodriguez (South Africa)
- 2005: Sugarman: The Best of Rodriguez (South Africa)
- 2012: Searching for Sugar Man (soundtrack)
- 2013: Coffret Rodriguez (2-CD set of Cold Fact and Coming from Reality) FR #114
Singles
| Year | Song title | B-side | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | "I'll Slip Away" | "You'd Like to Admit It" | Credited as Rod Riguez |
| 1970 | "Inner City Blues" | "Forget It" | |
| "To Whom It May Concern" | "I Think of You" | ||
| 1977 | "Sugar Man" | "Inner City Blues" | Released in Australia |
| 1978 | "Climb Up on My Music" | ||
| 2002 | "Sugar Man" | "Tom Cat" (by Muddy Waters) |
Songs featured in other works
| Year | Album | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| FRA |
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| 2014 | "Hate Street Dialogue" (The Avener featuring Rodriguez) |
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"Sugar Man" is also included in the 2006 Australian film Candy.
See also
In Spanish: Sixto Rodríguez para niños
