Johnny Rodriguez

Johnny Rodriguez
Background information
Birth name	Juan Raoul Davis Rodriguez
Born	December 10, 1951 (1951-12-10) (age 57)
Origin	Sabinal, Texas, United States
Genre(s)	Country, Outlaw Country
Occupation(s)	Singer, Songwriter
Instrument(s)	Vocals, Guitar
Years active	1972–present
Label(s)	Mercury Records Epic Records Capitol Records Paula Records
Associated acts	Freddy Fender, Tom T. Hall, Bobby Bare, Charly McClain
Website	Johnny Rodriguez Fan Club

Johnny Rodriguez (born December 10, 1951 in Sabinal, Texas) is an American country music singer. He was the first famous Latin American country music singer, infusing his music with Latin sounds, and even singing verses of songs in Spanish.

In the 1970s and 1980s, he was one of country music's most successful male artists, recording a string of hit songs, such as "You Always Come Back (To Hurtin' Me)," "Desperado," "Down on the Rio Grande," and "Foolin'." He has recorded six No. 1 country hits in his career.

Early life & rise to fame

He was born Juan Raoul Davis Rodriguez in Sabinal, Texas, ^[1] the second youngest in a family of ten children living in a four-room house in this small town situated ninety miles from Mexico.

Growing up in Sabinal, Rodriguez was a good student in school and an altar boy for his church. He was also the captain of his junior high school football team. When Rodriguez was sixteen, his father died of cancer and his older brother Andres died in an automobile accident the following year. The two incidents soon had an effect on Rodriguez and he became a troubled teen.^[2] In 1969, he and some friends were caught by law enforcement officers after stealing and barbecuing a goat. This unfortunate incident and subsequent jail sentence led to his ultimate break in the music business. He often would sing in his cell and was overheard by Texas Ranger Joaquin Jackson, who was very impressed and told promoter "Happy" Shahan about him.^[3]

Shahan then hired Johnny to perform at his local tourist attraction called the Alamo Village. While singing at this venue, he came to the attention of country singers Tom T. Hall and Bobby Bare, who encouraged the young singer to fly up to the country music capital Nashville, Tennessee in 1971.^[4]

The 21-year old singer arrived in Nashville with nothing more than a guitar in his hand and $14 in his pocket. Fortunately, Hall soon found work for Rodriguez fronting his band, as well as writing songs.

Less than one year later, Hall personally took Rodriguez to the heads of Mercury Records' Nashville division to land him an audition with the record label. After performing the songs "I Can't Stop Loving You" and "If I Left It Up to You," he was then offered a contract with Mercury. Upon signing as a Mercury artist, Rodriguez then recorded in their Nashville studio.

The height of his career in the 1970s

After signing with Mercury, Rodriguez was soon on the way to becoming famous. His first single to be released for Mercury was 1972s "Pass Me By." This recording was a big success, going to #9 on the Hot Country Songs list that year, and making him a country star overnight. Rodriguez officially became the first Latin American country singer^{[citation needed]} (Freddy Fender came a couple years later).

That year, Rodriguez was voted the Most Promising Vocalist by the Academy of Country Music. The next year, he achieved his first No. 1 hit song, "You Always Come Back (To Hurtin' Me)." Another song that year, "Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico," was also a No. 1 hit. Both his #1 hits charted on the Pop charts, but only moderately. Rodriguez wrote some of his own material such as the song "Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico." In 1973, his debut album was released, which rose to #1 on the "Top Country Albums" chart. He was nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year by the CMA Awards. In addition to his success in Country music, he also had a role on the television show Adam-12 and also made a guest appearance on The Dating Game in 1974. Since then, he has often appeared on talk shows and other television shows.

The year 1975 was probably his biggest year, in terms of chart success. That year all the singles he released (3 in all) soared to No. 1 on the country charts. These songs were, "I Just Can't Get Her Out of My Mind" "Just Get Up and Close the Door," and "Love Put a Song In My Heart."

Success on the country charts continued throughout much of the '70s. He recorded songs not only written by himself around this time, but also covers of others' songs such as Linda Hargrove's "Just Get Up and Close the Door," Mickey Newbury's "Poison Red Berries," and Billy Joe Shaver's "Texas Up Here Tennessee." These songwriters were also country music singers themselves. By 1975, Rodriguez was considered an "outlaw," representing the Outlaw Country market in country music, like fellow musicians, Bobby Bare and Tom T. Hall.

Decline in the 1980s & into the 1990s

Despite the outlaw movement fading from view in the late 1970s, Rodriguez was determined to stay on top of his game. In 1979, he switched to Epic Records. Under Epic, he worked with the legendary producer Billy Sherrill, who produced some of the biggest names in the business at the time. His first hit from Epic came that year with the #6 country hit, "Down on the Rio Grande." His debut album from the record company was entitled Rodriguez. All the songs from the album were cover versions.

Although Rodriguez did not make the Top 10 continuously as in the past, he managed to stay in the Top 20, with hits like "Fools For Each Other" and "What'll I Tell Virginia." At the same time, Rodriguez continued to be a popular concert attraction wherever he went. However, Rodriguez was also having personal problems. In 1983, he went into the Top 5 with the hit song "Foolin'," followed by the Top 10 hit "How Could I Love Her So Much." However, by the mid-80s, he was becoming less successful. In 1982, he did a duet with Zella Lehr on the song "Most Beautiful Girl (La Chica Mas Linda)." The single was released by Columbia Records. In 1986, he left Epic Records.

In 1987, he signed with Capitol Records for a brief period of time. He had his last major hit in 1988 with "I Didn't (Every Chance I Had)," which reached #12 on the country charts. By 1989, he left Capitol Records.

Overall in the course of his career, Rodriguez released 26 albums and 45 charted singles. He has also had six No. 1 hits on the country charts. In 1993, he recorded an album for Intersound Records called Run For the Border. In the mid-1990s, the Indie label "High-Tone" released an album called You Can Say That Again. He also continued to tour around the country during this time. In 1996, he turned to another label, Paula Records, which issued a single called "One Bar At at a Time", but it was unsuccessful. By this time his musical presence was fading from the public view, as more neo-traditional country singers were making hits on the country charts, like Garth Brooks, Randy Travis, and Dwight Yoakam.

In 1998, Rodriguez was arrested at his home after shooting and killing a man named Israel "Bosco" Borrego, whom he mistook for a burglar. He was charged with murder but was acquitted by a jury a year later on grounds of self-defense, under Texas law.

Life after 1998 to present

Since 1998, Rodriguez has toured the United States and world, performing in countries including Switzerland, Poland, England, South Korea, Canada, and Mexico. He has performed concerts at the famed Ryman Auditorium and Carnegie Hall. He has been honored by three U.S. presidents: Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush. He played at George H.W. Bush's inaugural ball.

On June 20, 2007, Rodriguez was stopped for speeding in McClain County, Oklahoma. He was arrested and charged with felony counts of possession of a controlled dangerous substance (methamphetamine), possession of marijuana and driving under the influence of drugs. He was also was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor.^[5]

He is now living in Texas. Johnny has achieved a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do.

On August 18, 2007, Rodriguez was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, located in Carthage, Texas.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Guest singles

References

External links

• Johnny Rodriguez at Allmusic
• Johnny Rodriguez at CMT
• Johnny Rodriguez at AOL
• Johnny Rodriguez at NME
• Great American talent: Johnny Rodriguez