Freddy Fender

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Freddy Fender

Freddy Fender (June 4, 1937 – October 14, 2006), born Baldemar Huerta in San Benito, Texas, USA, was a Mexican-American Tejano, country, and rock and roll musician, known for his work as a solo artist and in the groups Los Super Seven and the Texas Tornados.

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[edit] Early years

As a child, Baldemar and his parents travelled throughout the United States as migrant farm hands. At age 5, he turned a sardine can and screen door wire into a homemade guitar, and by age 10, had his first radio appearance on Harlingen's KGBS-AM radio station, where he sang "Paloma Querida" (Beloved Dove) and reportedly won a tub of food worth $10.[1]

At the age of 16, Baldemar quit school and started a three year hitch in the United States Marine Corps. He returned to Texas and played bars and honky-tonks throughout the south, mostly to Latino audiences. In 1957, then known as "The Bebop Kid," he released two songs to moderate success in Mexico and South America, Spanish versions of Elvis Presley's "Don't Be Cruel," and Harry Belafonte's "Jamaica Farewell." In 1959, Baldemar changed his name to Freddy Fender. He took Fender from the headstock of his guitar, and Freddy because the alliteration sounded good to him. He then headed for California. A little known fact about Freddy Fender is that he recorded a song called "Holy One" or "Only One" under the name of Scotty Wayne.

[edit] Initial success

In 1959, Fender recorded the blues ballad "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights." The song became popular in 1959, but he was beset by legal troubles in May 1960 after he and a band member were arrested for possession of marijuana in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. After two years in the Louisiana State Penitentiary Angola prison farm, he was released through the intercession of Gov. Jimmie Davis, also a songwriter and musician. Davis requested that Fender stay away from music while on probation as a condition of his release. In a 1990 interview on Fresh Air with Terry Gross (rebroadcast October 17, 2006), Fender said that the condition for parole (as it was described in the interview) was to stay away from places that served alcohol.

By the end of the 1960s, Fender was back in Texas working as a mechanic, and attending a local junior college, while only playing music on the weekends.

[edit] Number one pop and country

In 1974, Fender recorded "Before The Next Teardrop Falls." The single was selected for national distribution, and became a number one hit on the Billboard Country and Pop charts. His next four singles, including a remake of "Wasted Days," all hit the number-one spot on the Billboard Country charts.

During the next few years, Fender had several major country hits, including four No. 1 songs, "Before The Next Teardrop Falls"; "Wasted Days And Wasted Nights"; "Secret Love" (1975) and "You'll Lose A Good Thing" (1976). He had other top 10's in country as well with "Since I Met You Baby" (1975), "Vaya Con Dios" (1976), "Livin' It Down" (1976), and "The Rains Came" (1977). Between 1975 and 1983 Fender charted a total of 21 country hits.

He also had success on the pop charts. In addition to "Before The Next Teardrop Falls" going number 1 on the pop charts in May, 1975, he also took "Wasted Days And Wasted Nights" into the pop top 10 and "Secret Love" into the pop top 20. Also "Since I Met You Baby," "You'll Lose A Good Thing" (his last pop top 40), "Vaya Con Dios," and "Livin' It Down" (his last pop hit to reach the pop top 100) all did well on the pop charts as they did in the country genre.

[edit] Swamp pop influences

Fender was heavily influenced by the swamp pop sound that hailed from south Louisiana and southeast Texas, as evidenced by his recording of swamp pop standards on his 1978 album Swamp Gold. Indeed, Fender recorded one of his major hits, "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights," with a typical swamp pop ballad arrangement. Fender associated frequently with swamp pop musicians like Joe Barry and Rod Bernard, and issued many recordings on labels owned by Huey Meaux, a Cajun recordman who specialized in swamp pop recordings. As music writer John Broven has observed, "Although Freddy was a Chicano from Texas marketed as a country artist, much of his formative career was spent in South Louisiana; spiritually Fender's music was from the Louisiana swamps."[2]

He had number one hits in the seventies with 'Before the Next Teardrop Falls,' and the classic blues number, 'Wasted Days and Wasted Nights.'

[edit] Later years

[edit] Texas Tornados

In 1989, Fender teamed up with fellow Tex-Mex musicians Doug Sahm, Flaco Jimenez, and Augie Myers to form the Tex-Mex supergroup the Texas Tornados, whose work — blending conjunto, Tejano, R&B, country, and blues — was widely acclaimed. The group released four albums and won a Grammy in 1990 for 'Best Mexican American Performance' with the track "Soy de San Luis." Following the death of Sahm, the production of the Tornadoes slowed. A live 1990 appearance on TV's Austin City Limits, one of three made by the group, was released in 2005 as part of the show's Live From Austin, TX series.[1]

[edit] Los Super 7

In the late 1990s, Fender joined another supergroup, Los Super Seven, with Joe Ely, Los Lobos' David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas, Flaco Jimenez, Ruben Ramos, and country singer Rick Trevino. The group won a 1998 Grammy in the Mexican-American Performance category for their self-titled disc.[1]

[edit] Solo work

In 2001, Fender made his final studio recording, a collection of classic Mexican boleros titled La Música de Baldemar Huerta that brought him a third Grammy award, this time in the category of Latin Pop Album. Rose Reyes, who worked with Fender in 2004 for an Austin tribute titled "Fifty Years of Freddy," said of the album, "When he did Mexican standards at that point in his career, I expected it to be good because he's a perfectionist. But that record is so beautifully recorded; his voice is perfection. I was so proud it was coming back to his roots."[1]

Most recently, Freddy Fender signed a contract with Warner/Reprise Records, and continued to sing, play and tour from his base in Texas despite health problems.

[edit] Death

Fender underwent a kidney transplant in 2002, with an organ donated by his daughter Marla Huerta García, and a liver transplant in 2004. Nonetheless, his condition continued to worsen. He was suffering from an "incurable cancer" in which he had tumors on his lungs. He cancelled all his upcoming performances and had resumed chemotherapy.

He died on October 14, 2006 of lung cancer at his home in Corpus Christi, Texas with his family at his bedside. He was 69 years old and is buried in his hometown of San Benito, Texas. International news coverage of the death cited an oft-expressed wish by the singer to become the first Mexican-American inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, with reporters noting that posthumous induction remains a possibility. A Freddy Fender Museum is in the planning stages while his family has committed to continue the Freddy Fender Scholarship Fund and other philanthropic causes which Freddy was passionate about.

[edit] Partial discography

  • 1974 - Before The Next Teardrop Falls
  1. Roses Are Red
  2. I'm Not A Fool Anymore
  3. Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends
  4. You Can't Get There From Here
  5. I Love My Rancho Grande
  6. Wasted Days And Wasted Nights
  7. I Almost Called Your Name
  8. Before The Next Teardrop Falls
  9. Wild Side Of Life
  10. After The Fire Is Gone
  11. Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye
  • 1975 - Recorded Inside Louisiana State Prison [Power Pak]
  1. My Happy Day Have Gone
  2. Our Pledge Of Love
  3. I Hope Someday You'll Forgive Me
  4. Hello Loneliness
  5. My River
  6. Quit Shucking me Baby
  7. Bye Bye LIttle Angel
  8. The Village Queen
  9. Carmella
  10. Oh My Love
  11. Blow Of Your Love
  12. Gonna Be Looking
  • 1975 - Before The Next Teardrop Falls [MCA]
  1. Roses Are Red
  2. I'm Not A Fool Anymore
  3. Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends
  4. You Can't Get There From Here
  5. I Love My Rancho Grande
  6. Wasted Days And Wasted Nights
  7. I Almost Called Your Name
  8. Before The Next Teardrop Falls
  9. Wild Side Of Life
  10. After The Fire Is Gone
  • 1975 - Are You Ready For Freddy?
  1. Secret Love
  2. Loving Cajun Style
  3. Take Your Time
  4. I Can't Put My Arms Around a Memory
  5. Cielito Lindo Is My Lady
  6. Begging to You
  7. What'd I Say
  8. How Much Is That Dog in the Window
  9. Teardrops in My Heart
  10. You Came in the Winter of My Life
  11. I'm Not Through Loving You Yet
  12. Goodbye Clothes
  • 1975 - Since I Met You Baby
  1. Since I Met You Baby
  2. A Man Can Cry
  3. Louisiana Blues
  4. Crazy Baby
  5. I'm Gonna Leave
  6. Little Mama
  7. You're Something Else For Me
  8. Too Late To Remedy
  9. Find Somebody New
  10. Go On Baby (I Can Go On Without You)
  11. Wild Side Of Life
  • 1976 - Rock 'N' Country
  1. Vaya Con Dios
  2. You'll Lose a Good Thing
  3. I Need You So
  4. Mathilda
  5. My Happiness
  6. Just Out of Reach of My Two Open Arms
  7. Rains Came
  8. Take Her a Message
  9. Since I Met You Baby
  10. Big Boss Man
  11. I Can't Help It If I'm Still in Love With You
  • 1976 - Your Cheatin' Heart
  1. Let The Good Times Roll
  2. High School Dance
  3. You Don't Have To Go
  4. Lovers' Quarrel
  5. Three Wishes
  6. Your Cheatin' Heart
  7. Crazy Kat
  8. I Got A Woman
  9. Whip It On Me
  • 1976 - If You're Ever In Texas
  1. Don't Do It Darling
  2. It's All In The Game
  3. San Antonio Lady
  4. What A Difference A Day Made
  5. Living It Down
  6. Pass Me By (If You're Only Passing Through)
  7. If You're Ever In Texas
  8. Sometimes
  9. Just One Time
  10. It's Too Late
  11. 50's Medley: Donna / For Sentimental Reasons /You're Mine / Cherry Pie / Sincerely / Earth Angel / Angel Baby / Daddy's Home
  • 1977 - The Best of Freddy Fender
  1. Before The Next Teardrop Falls
  2. Wasted Days And Wasted Nights
  3. Secret Love
  4. You'll Lose A Good Thing
  5. Vaya Con Dios
  6. Living It Down
  7. Sugar Coated Love
  8. Wild Side Of Life
  9. Since I Met You Baby
  10. The Rains Came
  11. I Love My Rancho Grande
  12. Mathilda
  • 1977 - If You Don't Love Me
  1. We'll Take Our Last Walk Tonight
  2. Louisiana Woman
  3. How Are Things With You
  4. If You're Looking for a Fool
  5. If That's the Way You Want It
  6. If You Don't Love Me
  7. Think About Me
  8. I Don't Want to Be Lonely
  9. Faking the Feeling
  10. Love Rules the Heart
  11. Your Loving Couldn't Take the Walking Out of My Shoes
  12. I Don't Dream About You Anymore
  • 1977 - Merry Christmas / Feliz Navidad
  1. Please Come Home for Christmas
  2. Pretty Paper
  3. Love Gets Better at Christmas
  4. If Christmas Comes to Your House
  5. Blue Christmas
  6. Christmas in the Valley
  7. Santa! Don't Pass Me By
  8. When They Ring Those Christmas Bells
  9. I'll Be on the Chimney
  10. Natividad (The Infant Song)
  • 1978 - Swamp Gold [ABC]
  1. The Clock
  2. She's About A Mover
  3. When It Rains It Really Pours
  4. It's Raining
  5. I'm Leaving It All Up To You
  6. Tell It Like It Is
  7. My Tears Are Falling Tonight Love
  8. Talk To Me
  9. These Arms Of Mine
  10. Breaking Up Is Hard [To Do]
  11. We've Got To Stop And Think It Over
  12. Graduation Night (As You Pass Me By)
  13. I'm Asking Forgiveness
  14. Just A Moment Of Your Time
  15. Please Mr. Sandman
  • 1979 - Tex-Mex
  1. You're Turning Down The Flame Of Love To Low
  2. Leaning
  3. If That's All That's Worrying You
  4. Just Because
  5. I Really Don't Want To Know
  6. Walking Piece Of Heaven
  7. She Came To The Valley
  8. I'm A Fool To Care
  9. She's Gone
  10. Sweet Summer Day
  11. Forgive
  12. Cajun Stomp
  • 1979 - The Texas Balladeer
  1. Yours
  2. Squeeze Box
  3. My Special Prayer
  4. Walk Under A Snake
  5. Trapped
  6. Share Your Love
  7. He's Got Nothing On Me But You
  8. Gotta Travel On
  9. Turn Around
  10. Rock Down In My Shoe
  • 1980 - Together We Drifted Apart
  • 1982 - The Border Soundtrack
  • 1991 - The Freddy Fender Collection (re-recordings)
  1. Wasted Days and Wasted Nights
  2. It's All in the Game
  3. Since I Met You Baby
  4. I Can't Stop Loving You
  5. Before the Next Teardrop Falls
  6. Tell It Like It Is
  7. Secret Love
  8. You'll Lose a Good Thing
  9. Pledging My Love
  10. Vaya con Dios
  • 1991 - Favorite Ballads
  1. Wasted Days and Wasted Nights
  2. Release Me
  3. Welcome To My World
  4. Talk to Me
  5. I Can't Stop Loving You
  6. Since I Met You Baby
  7. It's All In The Game
  8. Please Help Me I'm Falling
  9. Secret Love
  10. Tell It Like It Is
  11. Pledging My Love
  12. Before The Next Teardrop Falls
  13. Green Green Grass of Home
  14. You Lose a Good Thing
  15. Crying Time
  16. She Thinks I Still Care
  17. Help Me Make It Through The Night
  18. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
  19. Vaya Con Dios
  20. Together Again
  21. Make The World Go Away
  22. You Win Again
  23. Funny How Time Slips Away
  24. Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye
  • 2004-Freddie Fender Live
  1. Wasted Days and Wasted Nights
  2. Before The Next Teardrop Falls

[edit] Honors

  • Academy of Country Music (1975) - "Most Promising Male Vocalist"
  • Country Music Association (1975) - "Single of the Year" for "Before The Next Teardrop Falls"
  • Grammy nominations in 1975, 1976, and 1997
  • Tejano Music Hall of Fame (1987)
  • Inaugural Balls - Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush Sr.
  • Grammy Award "Best Mexican/American Performance" (1990) - for the Texas Tornados
  • European Walk of Fame (1993) - in Rotterdam, the Netherlands
  • Freddy Fender Lane (1994) - dedicated in his hometown of San Benito, Texas
  • Hollywood Walk of Fame (1999) - after then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush wrote to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce endorsing him.
  • Texas Music Hall Of Fame (1999)
  • Nashville Sidewalk of Stars (1999)
  • Grammy Award "Best Mexican/American Performance" (1999) - for Los Super Seven
  • Louisiana Hall Of Fame (2001)
  • Grammy Award "Best Latin Pop" (2002) - for La Musica de Baldemar Huerta
  • HomeFest - an annual festival in San Benito in Freddy Fender's honor

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c d Mario Tarradell, "Voice was Texas in 2 languages," The Dallas Morning News, October 15, 2006, 1A, 14A.
  2. ^ John Broven, South to Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous (Gretna, La.: Pelican, 1983), pp. 281-82. See also Shane K. Bernard, Swamp Pop: Cajun and Creole Rhythm and Blues (Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1996), 64-65.

[edit] External links

Remembering Freddy National Public Radio, Fresh Air with Terry Gross, October 17, 2006. A remembrance of Fender and his music with other links.

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