American singer-songwriter Sixto Rodriguez, whose remarkable life story was told in the 2012 Oscar-winning documentary Searching for Sugar Man, died on Tuesday at the age of 81. The artist, who went by only his surname, took a long hiatus from his career after releasing two albums in the early 1970s while with his engaging work, he gained fans overseas without knowing it.
The Oscar-winning film The Search for Sugar Man was released to Czech cinemas by Aerofilms. Photo: Profimedia.cz | Video: Aerofilms
The news of his death was released by his official web Sugarman.org. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to his daughters, Sandra, Eva and Regan, and his entire family. May his sweet soul rest in peace,” the operators said. The cause of death is unknown.
Rodriguez was born in 1942 in Detroit to immigrants from Mexico. He taught himself to play the guitar, in the 60s he started performing in bars and clubs in and around his hometown.
His two studio albums Cold Fact and Coming from Reality in the USA from the early 1970s did not cause much response. Rodriguez then began to devote himself to philosophy, communal politics and manual labor on construction sites or in factories to support his family.
Some 50 years later, he became the subject of Swedish filmmaker Malik Bendjelloul, who made a documentary about how a pair of South African fans tried to track down Rodriguez years ago and verify rumors of his death. The American singer-songwriter coincidentally became a phenomenon in the country after completing his studio work, also thanks to his socially focused and provocative lyrics, which appealed to listeners in an isolated and racially segregated state.
“Rodriguez’s music was often heard on South African radio stations, his records were released there. However, he himself did not receive any royalties and was unaware of his popularity,” they described Economic newspaper.
South African anti-apartheid activists found inspiration in his compositions and considered him a world-class artist. Rodriguez then played several concerts in South Africa in the late 1990s, his music was previously also popular in Australia, he writes web Variety.
All this is captured in Bendjelloul’s low-budget film, which, in addition to the Academy Award for Best Documentary, won the British Film Academy Award. Following the release of the documentary, Rodriguez appeared on David Letterman’s talk show, among others. He performed all over the world, including the Czech Republic.
In 2016, he sold out Prague’s Forum Karlín. In the typical hat and black glasses, Rodriguez and his group at the time, in addition to several cover songs, offered mainly compositions from the album Cold Fact, released in 1970. He started the concert with an emotional cover of Your Song by Elton John. After another cover, the rock and roll Blue Suede Shoes by Carl Perkins, he then included his hit I Wonder.
Two years later, Rodriguez performed at the Rock for People festival.
“Some of the songs are really excellent and Rodriguez sings them great, but as an author he has limits after all. He was simply one of the folk rock singers following in the footsteps of Bob Dylan, who succeeded in some things, and some did not. He is probably aware of this, that’s why on he quite often includes borrowed titles in his current concerts,” Hospodářské noviny explained.
Video: Sixto Rodriguez sings I Wonder
I Wonder was recorded by Sixto Rodriguez in 1970. | Video: Legacy Recordings
