Latest news with #AubryRodriguez
Los Angeles Times
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Johnny Rodriguez, Mexican American country star, dead at 73
Johnny Rodriguez, the pioneering singer-songwriter widely regarded as the first Mexican American country star, has died. He was 73. His death on May 9 was confirmed in a social media post from his daughter Aubry Rodriguez. It did not list a cause of death. '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,' Aubry Rodriguez wrote. Born in Sabinal, Texas, Juan Raul Davis Rodriguez rose to fame in the '70s, with a sound rooted in western swing and honky-tonk traditions. He had six singles top Billboard's hot country songs chart, with nine others in the Top 10, including beloved hits like 'Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico.' Rodriguez began his career singing at Alamo Village, a former set for a John Wayne film revamped into a Texas tourist destination. He'd gotten the job after famed Texas Ranger, Joaquin Jackson, heard him singing in jail and connected him to local music promoter James 'Happy' Shahan. At the Alamo Village, he was discovered by country singer Tom T. Hall, who hired the 20-year-old to play guitar in his band. Rodriguez soon signed to Mercury and released his debut, 'Introducing Johnny Rodriguez,' in 1973. That album featured his first hit, 'Pass Me By (If You're Only passing Through),' and the country chart-topper 'You Always Come Back (to Hurting Me),' a plaintive barroom heartbreak ballad in the tradition of George Jones. Rodriguez's honky-tonk instincts owed to Merle Haggard and Lefty Frizzell (Rodriguez sent a cover of Frizzell's 'That's The Way Love Goes' up the charts in 1973). But like his '70s-era peer Freddy Fender, who incorporated Tejano sounds into his music, Rodriguez deftly wove mariachi and Tex-Mex elements into his arrangements and would sometimes sing in Spanish, including a famous audition for Mercury, where he sang a verse of Don Gibson's 'I Can't Stop Loving You' in Spanish. Describing his cultural relationship to country music, Rodriguez told Ken Burns in a PBS documentary that 'It was just like the music of our people. In Mexican music, you have stories. Mexican music and country music said almost the same thing, just in different languages.' His hitmaking streak continued well into the '70s and '80s, with singles like 'Dance With Me (Just One More Time)' and 'I Just Can't Get Her Out of My Mind.' He had a knack for adventurous covers, taking on the Beatles' 'Something' as well as the Eagles' staple 'Desperado.' The supergroup the Highwaymen brought him in to sing on their version of Woody Guthrie's 'Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos),' which addressed a real-life incident illustrating the mistreatment Mexican farmworkers faced in the U.S. Rodriguez had personal struggles common to his country-star era, including substance abuse issues and a 1998 arrest after shooting a an acquaintance he mistook for a home invader. Rodriguez was acquitted. He had three brief marriages, including one to Willie Nelson's daughter Lana in 1995. Still, Rodriguez's landmark career was lauded at the heights of power — he performed at the inaugural ball for George H. W. Bush in 1989. In 2007, he was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame and received the Institute of Hispanic Culture's Pioneer Award in 2010. He continued performing well into his 60s.
New York Times
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Johnny Rodriguez, Country Music Star, Is Dead at 73
Johnny Rodriguez, who became the first Mexican American country music star with a string of hits, died on Friday. He was 73. His daughter, Aubry Rodriguez, announced his death in a social media post on Saturday. The post did not cite a cause of death. Mr. Rodriguez rose to fame in the 1970s and was best known for the hits 'Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico' and 'You Always Come Back (to Hurting Me).' He released six singles that reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, and nine others reached the Top 10. In 2007, Mr. Rodriguez was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, which described him as the 'greatest and most memorable Chicano Country singer of all time.' Juan Raoul Davis Rodriguez was born on Dec. 10, 1951, in Sabinal, Texas, around 65 miles west of San Antonio. A list of survivors was not immediately available. Mr. Rodriguez, the second youngest of 10 children, started playing guitar at the age of 7 when his older brother, Andres, bought him one. Their father died of cancer when Mr. Rodriguez was 16, around the same time Rodriguez formed a band, and Andres died the next year. The losses sent him 'spiraling,' according to the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame. Mr. Rodriguez had spent time in jail by the time he was 18 for what is said to be an unpaid fine. He would pass time in the cell by singing and was overheard by Joaquin Jackson, a Texas Ranger, who eventually helped find Mr. Rodriguez a job as a singer and stagecoach driver at the Alamo Village, then a popular tourist attraction in Texas. The country musicians Tom T. Hall and Bobby Bare heard Mr. Rodriguez performing at the Alamo in 1971 and invited him to Nashville. Mr. Rodriguez, then 20, brought just his guitar and $14. Shortly after his arrival, he became a lead guitarist in Hall's band. In 1973, Mr. Rodriguez released his debut single and first Top 10 single, 'Pass Me By (If You're Only Passing Through).' His next three singles — 'You Always Come Back (to Hurting Me),' 'Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico' and 'That's the Way Love Goes' — all topped the charts. He was also nominated for the Country Music Association's male vocalist of the year award in 1973 and won the Billboard Trend Setter Award for first Mexican American to capture a national audience. In 1979, Mr. Rodriguez parted ways with his record label, Mercury, and signed with Epic. Three more of his songs — 'Down on the Rio Grande,' Foolin'' and 'How Could I Love Her So Much' — later reached the Top 10. He continued making music into the 1990s. In 1999, a jury acquitted Mr. Rodriguez of murder in the killing of an acquaintance he said was a burglar. The acquaintance, Israel Borrego, 26, was fatally shot once in the abdomen in 1998 at Mr. Rodriguez's home in Sabinal. Lawyers for Mr. Rodriguez argued that he was justified under Texas law to defend himself and his property. The singer, who was facing life in prison, rested his face in his hands as the verdict was announced. 'I'm just sorry that the whole incident took place,' he said. 'I don't want to go through anything like this again.' In 2010, he received the Pioneer Award from the Institute of Hispanic Culture, and in 2019, he was given the Living Legend Award from the Country Music Association of Texas. He released 35 albums in his four-decade career. During an interview in 2019, Mr. Rodriguez advised young artists to always write their own material. 'It separates you from everybody else,' he said. 'If you're really honest about it, that's the hardest part,' he added. 'It's like taking your clothes off in front of somebody.'
New York Times
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Johnny Rodriguez, Country Music Star, Dead at 73
Johnny Rodriguez, who became the first Mexican American country music star with a string of hits, died on Friday. He was 73. His daughter, Aubry Rodriguez, announced his death in a social media post on Saturday. The post did not cite a cause of death. Rodriguez rose to fame in the 1970s and was best known for the hits 'Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico' and 'You Always Come Back (to Hurting Me).' He released six singles that reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, and nine others reached the Top 10. In 2007, Rodriguez was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, which described him as the 'greatest and most memorable Chicano Country singer of all time.' Juan Raoul Davis Rodriguez was born on Dec. 10, 1951, in Sabinal, Texas, around 65 miles west of San Antonio. A list of survivors was not immediately available. Rodriguez, the second youngest of 10 children, started playing guitar at the age of 7 when his older brother, Andres, bought him one. Their father died of cancer when Rodriguez was 16, around the same time Rodriguez formed a band, and Andres died the next year. The losses sent him 'spiraling,' according to the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame. Rodriguez had spent time in jail by the time he was 18 for what is said to be an unpaid fine. He would pass time in the cell by singing and was overheard by Joaquin Jackson, a Texas Ranger, who eventually helped find Rodriguez a job as a singer and stagecoach driver at the Alamo Village, then a popular tourist attraction in Texas. The country musicians Tom T. Hall and Bobby Bare heard Rodriguez performing at the Alamo in 1971 and invited him to Nashville. Rodriguez, then 20, brought just his guitar and $14. Shortly after his arrival, he became a lead guitarist in Hall's band. In 1973, Rodriguez released his debut single and first Top 10 single, 'Pass Me By (If You're Only Passing Through).' His next three singles — 'You Always Come Back (to Hurting Me),' 'Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico' and 'That's the Way Love Goes' — all topped the charts. He was also nominated for the Country Music Association's male vocalist of the year award in 1973 and won the Billboard Trend Setter Award for first Mexican American to capture a national audience. In 1979, Rodriguez parted ways with his record label, Mercury, and signed with Epic. Three more of his songs — 'Down on the Rio Grande,' Foolin'' and 'How Could I Love Her So Much' — later reached the Top 10. He continued making music into the 1990s. In 1999, a jury acquitted Rodriguez of murder in the killing of an acquaintance he said was a burglar. The acquaintance, Israel Borrego, 26, was fatally shot once in the abdomen in 1998 at Rodriguez's home in Sabinal. Lawyers for Rodriguez argued that he was justified under Texas law to defend himself and his property. The singer, who was facing life in prison, rested his face in his hands as the verdict was announced. 'I'm just sorry that the whole incident took place,' he said. 'I don't want to go through anything like this again.' In 2010, he received the Pioneer Award from the Institute of Hispanic Culture, and in 2019, he was given the Living Legend Award from the Country Music Association of Texas. He released 35 albums in his four-decade career. During an interview in 2019, Rodriguez advised young artists to always write their own material. 'It separates you from everybody else,' he said. 'If you're really honest about it, that's the hardest part,' he added. 'It's like taking your clothes off in front of somebody.'
Associated Press
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Mexican American singer Johnny Rodriguez, whose 1970s country hits topped charts, dies at 73
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Country music star Johnny Rodriguez, a popular Mexican American singer best known for chart-topping hits in the 1970s such as 'I Just Can't Get Her Out of My Mind,' 'Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico' and 'That's the Way Love Goes,' has died. He was 73. Rodriguez died Friday in San Antonio from health complications, according to his daughter, Aubry Rodriguez. She also shared a statement on social media saying he went peacefully and 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. Rodriguez was named the most promising male vocalist at the 1972 Academy of Country Music Awards, and his debut, 'Introducing Johnny Rodriguez,' was nominated for album of the year in 1973. More than a dozen of his albums and singles landed in the Top 10. Rodriguez later said his career suffered after he began to use drugs and alcohol excessively. Rodriguez was born in Sabinal, Texas, a small town about 60 miles (100 kilometers) west of San Antonio and about 90 miles (145 kilometers) east of the U.S.-Mexico border. A Texas jury acquitted Rodriguez of murder in 1999, about a year after he walked into his mother's house in Sabinal and shot once at an acquaintance whom he thought was a burglar. Israel Borrego, 26, died a day after he was shot. Rodriguez continued to play concerts in South Texas, and he was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007.
Washington Post
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Mexican American singer Johnny Rodriguez, whose 1970s country hits topped charts, dies at 73
SAN ANTONIO — Country music star Johnny Rodriguez, a popular Mexican American singer best known for chart-topping hits in the 1970s such as 'I Just Can't Get Her Out of My Mind,' 'Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico' and 'That's the Way Love Goes,' has died. He was 73. Rodriguez died Friday in San Antonio from health complications, according to his daughter, Aubry Rodriguez. She also shared a statement on social media saying he went peacefully and was surrounded by family.
