Johnny Rodriguez, Pioneering Hispanic Country Singer, Dies at 73
Johnny Rodriguez, one of country music's first Hispanic stars and known for 1970s hits 'Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico' and 'That's the Way Love Goes,' has died at the age of 73.
Rodriguez died on Friday after entering hospice care. His daughter, Aubry Rodriguez, announced news of his death on social media, stating that he was surrounded by family. 'Dad was not only a legendary musician whose artistry touched millions around the world, but also a deeply loved husband, father, uncle, and brother whose warmth, humor, and compassion shaped the lives of all who knew him,' she wrote. 'We are immensely grateful for the outpouring of love and support from fans, colleagues, and friends during this time of grief.'
Throughout his career, Rodriguez blazed the trail for Hispanic musicians in the country space. He found success on the charts since the start of his career, earning six No. 1 songs on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and 20 top 10s. He was also honored by the Academy of Country Music and nominated for CMA Awards, and was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007.
Rodriguez was born in Sabinal, Texas, in 1951. At the age of 18, he ended up in jail, where Texas Ranger Joaquin Jackson heard him and introduced him to promoter 'Happy' Shahan. He moved to Nashville at 21, where he auditioned for Mercury Records and was subsequently signed to release his 1972 breakthrough singles 'Pass Me By (If You're Only Passing Through)' and 'Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico.'
He released his debut 'Introducing Johnny Rodriguez' in 1973, earning a No. 1 record on the Billboard Top Country Albums tally. After putting out more than a dozen records with Mercury, he signed to Epic in 1979, where he found moderate success through the 1980s and worked with producer Billy Sherrill.
Though he continued to release albums throughout the years, he faced personal turmoil in 1998 after he shot and killed a man in his home, thinking he was a burglar. After he was acquitted on all charges, he continued to tour and release albums over the years, including 2012's 'Live From Texas.'
Best of Variety
New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz
Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
27 minutes ago
- Forbes
A Special 60th Summer At California's Omni La Costa Resort And Spa
The Omni La Costa Resort And Spa in Carlsbad, California, with a view of the restaurant and ... More clubhouse from the championship golf course. Opened in 1965 and host to celebrities from Jackie Kennedy to Frank Sinatra, La Costa celebrates its 60th anniversary this summer. The Omni La Costa resort in Carlsbad, CA, has been a classic sport to swing a golf club, hoist a racket or hold a highball since its founding in the mid-1960's. Now it's summer and the updated resort is ready to kick off its next 60 years with a nod to the celebrities, stars and athletes who have made La Costa a destination since its 1965 opening. Of course, the classic Spanish Mission-style property is focused on offering what guests want in 2025. Renovated in 2024, Omni La Costa Resort & Spa offers over 600 guestrooms, suites and villas, an athletic club, and eight pools including an adults-only pool. Kids and adult thrill seekers get tall, dizzying waterslides. And La Costa is offering a specialty booking package from now through December 31, 2025 which includes 25% off all accommodations (with a minimum of two nights) this year and $100 resort credit. The property has a new state-of-the-art golf practice facility, offering Southern California's most comprehensive game improvement program. Tennis and pickleball are also available, so guests can awaken their inner athlete when not relaxing at the spa. The 43,000-square-foot Spa at La Costa includes a private pool, waterfall showers and café. The first-ever spa resort in the U.S., the Spa at La Costa helped start America's wellness revolution. Guests can try standard massage, facials and other treatments as well as therapies from advanced hydrotherapy to customized skin rejuvenation to a therapeutic reflexology path. This summer the Spa at La Costa will offer night spa-inspired experiences as well. Guests enjoying the grounds at the Spa at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, CA. La Costa also offers one of the largest resort meeting spaces in the Southwest, with Costa de la Luna ballroom and Luna Lawn added in 2021. The resort has 170,000 square feet of meeting and event space. Restaurants like Bob's Steak & Chop House, VUE, and Bar Traza provide hearty food and drink. This summer, the partying kicks off with A Star Spangled Spectacular. The Omni La Costa is celebrating Independence Day (July 4, 2025) with an evening under the stars, lighting up the sky with a drone show set to a live band. Ticketed guests will dine and enjoy an array of activities. As for the 60th anniversary, La Costa will host a weekend-long celebration from July 11–13, 2025, featuring vintage-themed experiences for both locals and guests. Highlights will include: Golf legend Lee Trevino looks on as Jack Nicklaus holds the winner's check from the Tournament of ... More Champions at La Costa Country Club in this vintage photo. The La Costa celebration of its past and future will continue all summer long, as the Beach Boys sang. In addition to the 4th of July and the anniversary celebration, the La Costa calendar is full of live music, Secret Garden Spa Parties, Night Camp and Kids Movie and Dinner Night with child care. There are Scoop Socials with an ice cream cart, and a Tiki Social. A specialty menu of tiki-inspired creations will celebrate the ultimate drink of the 1950's and 1960's. Families with children and teens are not forgotten at Omni La Costa, with its onsite Kids Club and special programs for teens. The resort's kids club, Kidtopia, is now Little Sprouts. The counselor-supervised program for children ages six months to 12 years is available year-round but is especially valuable when children are off from school for the summer. Kids get daily hands-on activities & experiences like gardening and outdoor excursions, arts and crafts, golf, and pool games. There are even night camps on designated evenings, offering a drop-off experience for children while parents enjoy a night out on the property. The fireplace and outdoor cafe at the Spa, at La Costa Resort and Spac, Carlsbad, CA. With many families concerned about teen wellness and mental health, the Spa Summer Camp offers a seasonal retreat where moms, dads, and teens can unwind together at The Spa. Through September, the resort is also offering Neon Nights for families, with a rotating series of glow-in-the-dark events including Neon Golf Nights, Neon Paint Nights, and Neon Pool Nights. The La Costa story started in The1963, when Las Vegas real estate developer Merv Adelson discovered the area during a horseback ride through the coastal foothills north of San Diego. Adelson looked down upon the empty valley and a vision of a resort and spa appeared to him. Adelson worked with partners to open La Costa in 1965 as the nation's first destination spa. The resort featured golf and tennis, catnip to its celebrity clientele like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Bob Hope. A tennis camp for children at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, CA. The original 72-par, 7,200-yard golf course covered 215 acres. It hosted the CBS Golf Classic, with players including Sam Snead, Ray Floyd, Arnold Palmer, Bobby Nichols, and Jack Nicklaus. The Tournament of Champions had a 30-year run featuring the greatest golfers of the era, from Nicklaus to Tiger Woods. In 2024 a revamped North Course was completed, that hosts the NCAA Championships through 2028. Tennis was a draw for stars like Charlton Heston, Johnny Carson and Desi Arnaz, while The Spa provided relaxation for powerful people from Richard Nixon to Jackie Kennedy. But as Shakespeare put it in The Tempest, 'what's past is prologue.' Perhaps this summer you can make a little family history at La Costa. The Spa Courtyard at Night at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa, in Carlsbad, CA.
Forbes
42 minutes ago
- Forbes
Today's ‘Wordle' #1457 Hints, Clues And Answer For Sunday, June 15th
How to solve today's Wordle. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Looking for Saturday's Wordle hints, clues and answer? You can find them here: It's Father's Day! Happy day to all you dads out there, and to all of you who may just be filling that role in someone's life, whether that's a single mom or a grandpa or a stepdad or whoever else. It's an important job! It's also one of the best jobs, certainly my favorite out of all the many gigs I've had over the years. I'm excited to spend the day with my kids. And a very special Happy Father's Day to my dad! You couldn't ask for a better father and role model. But before we get to that, let's solve today's Wordle! The Hint: Avian. The Clue: This Wordle has two letters that almost always go together. Okay, spoilers below! The answer is coming! . . . Today's Wordle Screenshot: Erik Kain Every day I check Wordle Bot to help analyze my guessing game. You can check your Wordles with Wordle Bot right here. SPACE wasn't a bad opening guess, but it left me with just one green 'A' and little to work with. BOINK, unfortunately, only slashed 71 words down to 12. Little chance of guessing on three. I guessed FLAIR in the hopes of cutting out as many solutions as possible, and was left with two to choose from: AVAIL or QUAIL. I went with the one that didn't have a double letter and luckily for me, that was the Wordle. Huzzah! Today's Wordle Bot Screenshot: Erik Kain The Bot and I each got this in four, meaning we each got zero points. Our June totals remain the same. Erik: 11 points Wordle Bot: 8 points The word quail (the bird) comes from Middle English quaille, borrowed from Old French quaille, which likely comes from Medieval Latin quaccula, an imitation of the bird's call (onomatopoeic origin). As a verb meaning "to cower or lose courage," quail is unrelated and comes from Middle English quailen, likely from Old English cwacian meaning "to quake or tremble." Let me know how you fared with your Wordle today on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Also be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me here on this blog where I write about games, TV shows and movies when I'm not writing puzzle guides. Sign up for my newsletter for more reviews and commentary on entertainment and culture.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Mystery Las Vegas Development Is Revealed To Be A Soundstage For YouTube Star MrBeast's New Reality TV Show
Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. A YouTube following with 385 million subscribers has given MrBeast — Jimmy Donaldson to his parents — a lot of leverage. So much so that Amazon MGM studios has constructed a Las Vegas soundstage to tape his upcoming 'Beast Games Season 2,' the Las Vegas Review-Journal Reports. There was some conjecture regarding the use of the airport hanger-type structure being built near the South Point Hotel and Casino. Adding literal fuel to the fire were documents approved by Clark County for a dirt lot at 2725 W. Pyle Ave., owned by Michael Gaughan, the owner of South Point's South 80 LLC. They required a review by the Clark County Fire Prevention Bureau due to plans that include the temporary use of six diesel generators and 500-gallon fuel tanks, with a total fuel capacity of 7,562 gallons. Don't Miss: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. You can The permit listed a move-in day of May 1, with the building expected to be demolished by June 30. Compounding the mystery were the nondisclosure agreements that the companies involved, including South Point and the contractor, were asked to sign. However, multiple reports provided to the Review-Journal confirmed the intended use of the structure as MrBeast's soundstage. The first season of BeastGames was shot at the city's Allegiant Stadium in July. It featured 2,000 contestants competing for a $5 million prize and was billed as 'the biggest competition in game show history.' It premiered on Amazon Prime Video, and its success led to it being renewed for two more seasons. The large streaming numbers did not come without controversy. A class action lawsuit was filed in September by five contestants who alleged they were subjected to unsafe conditions in an environment of misogyny and sexism and were not paid for their participation, the Review-Journal reported. Trending: Invest Where It Hurts — And Help Millions Heal: MrBeast, who is 27 and hails from Greenville, North Carolina, earned $85 million in 2024, according to Forbes. With 500 million followers, MrBeast is the most followed content creator in the world, with an empire collectively known as Beast Industries, comprising closing food and media, valued at $5 billion by Bloomberg. However, Donaldson recently admitted that he invests all his revenue back into his business and is cash-poor, despite some websites estimating him to be a billionaire. 'I literally have almost no money,' MrBeast said in a June 2 post on X. 'I've just been reinvesting everything into content and 'literally' had to borrow money from my mom to help with my wedding lol.' , His empire is about to expand into fiction, as The New York Times reported that the influencer is teaming up with best-selling novelist James Patterson to co-author a thriller, which will be released by HarperCollins in 2026. The plot is tailor-made for Donaldson — it concerns a global contest with life-threatening situations and a huge prize. What could go wrong? The bidding war between publishers to land the book was intense, The Times reported, due to both Donaldson and Patterson's massive followings. 'He's such a smart operator in understanding the social media algorithms, what drives engagement, what drives activation,' Brian Murray, president and chief executive of HarperCollins, told the Times of MrBeast. 'One of the challenges we have in publishing is there's so much noise out there in the media and entertainment landscape, and trying to break through with books can be difficult.' Read Next: With Point, you can Inspired by Uber and Airbnb – Deloitte's fastest-growing software company is transforming 7 billion smartphones into income-generating assets – Image: Shutterstock This article Mystery Las Vegas Development Is Revealed To Be A Soundstage For YouTube Star MrBeast's New Reality TV Show originally appeared on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
