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USA Today
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Johnny Rodriguez, Chicano country star who sang 'Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico,' dies at 73
Johnny Rodriguez, Chicano country star who sang 'Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico,' dies at 73 Johnny Rodriguez, a trailblazing Mexican American country music star whose folksy storytelling propelled him to fame in the 1970s, has died, according to reports. He was 73. His daughter, Aubry Rodriguez, confirmed his May 9 death to the Washington Post and Associated Press, citing health complications, and revealing he was in hospice care. A specific cause of death was not released. Born just east of the Mexico border in Sabinal, Texas, Rodriguez became the first Mexican American artist to make a splash in the American country music scene. The second youngest of 10 children in a four-bedroom home, he gained local renown singing in church. By his later teenage years, he was playing country and Mexican music and covering Beatles hits in local bars. Infusing Spanish language and Latin influence into his music, his debut album "Introducing Johnny Rodriguez" was nominated for album of the year at the 1974 Academy of Country Music Awards. He had won most promising male vocalist the year prior. Here is every 2025 ACM Awards winner: Lainey Wilson, Ella Langley win big With popular tracks like "Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico" and "I Just Can't Get Her Out of My Mind," Rodriguez endeared himself to fans with slow but soaring vocals, nailing the genre's signature narrative constructions. In the style of John Denver or Merle Haggard, he laid out a story of the blues or of new love clearly, canonizing himself as a classic cowboy crooner. In 2007, Rodriguez was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame and in 2010 received the Institute of Hispanic Culture Pioneer Award, honoring his decades of country stardom. Discovered first behind bars, when his singing caught the ears of a well-connected local businessman, Rodriguez's brushes with the law did not end even as he reached peak success. In 1998, Rodriguez, back in his native San Marcos, shot and killed 28-year-old Israel Borrego. According to Uvalde County district attorney Tony Hackebeil, Rodriguez, who had been drinking, believed his acquaintance, Borrego, whose blood alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit, to be a burglar. Fifteen months later, Rodriguez was acquitted of murder by a jury. Rodriguez's love life was also marked by tumult. He married Linda Patterson in 1976 — they divorced by 1979. Two decades later, in 1995, he married Willie Nelson's daughter, Lana. That marriage lasted seven months. In 1998, he married Debbie McNeely. McNeely gave birth to their daughter, Aubry Rae Rodriguez, in April of that year. By August 1998, McNeely and Rodriguez had parted ways. According to Texas Monthly reporting, the singer returned to the same San Marcos land where he was raised, but had torn down his original home to build a new one during his career's height. Contributing: Marcus K. Dowling, The Nashville Tennessean
Express Tribune
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Johnny Rodriguez, pioneering Mexican American country music star, dies at 73
Johnny Rodriguez, a trailblazer in country music and the first major Mexican American artist in the genre, died on Friday at the age of 73. His daughter, Aubry Rodriguez, confirmed the news on social media, though no cause of death was disclosed. Rodriguez rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of chart-topping hits including 'Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico' and 'You Always Come Back (to Hurting Me).' He scored six No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and was known for his honky-tonk style, heavily influenced by legends like Merle Haggard and Lefty Frizzell. Born Juan Raoul Davis Rodriguez in Sabinal, Texas, he began playing guitar at age 7 and suffered personal tragedies early in life, including the deaths of his father and brother. He was discovered while singing in a Texas jail and later invited to Nashville, where he joined Tom T. Hall's band before launching his solo career. In 1973, Rodriguez released his debut single, 'Pass Me By (If You're Only Passing Through),' followed by multiple chart-topping hits. He received the Billboard Trend Setter Award as the first Mexican American to break into mainstream country music and was nominated for CMA Male Vocalist of the Year. Rodriguez was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007 and released over 35 albums across a four-decade career. He is survived by his wife, Debbie McNeely; daughter, Aubry; and sisters, Antonia and Eloisa. His influence on Chicano and Latino representation in country music remains profound, as he paved the way for future generations of Hispanic artists in the genre.
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.
Mint
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Musician Johnny Rodriguez passes away
Los Angeles [US], May 12 (ANI): Veteran country music star Johnny Rodriguez is no more. As per The Hollywood Reporter, Johnny, best known for the tracks 'That's the Way Love Goes' and 'Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico', breathed his last on May 9 at the age of 73. The news of his demise was announced by his daughter, Aubry Rodriguez, on social media last weekend. "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 in an Instagram post. "We are immensely grateful for the outpouring of love and support from fans, colleagues and friends during this time of grief." She also requested privacy as her family "navigates this painful moment." "While the world has lost an extraordinary talent, we have lost someone irreplaceable -- and we ask for privacy as we navigate this painful moment together," Aubry concluded. Rodriguez was one of the first Hispanic country music stars, finding success at the beginning of his career after moving to Nashville at 21 and signing a deal with Mercury Records. His first single with the label, 1972's "Pass Me By (If You're Only Passing Through)," reached No. 9 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. His first No. 1 hit on the country charts arrived in 1973 with his track "You Always Come Back to Hurting Me," with his song "Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico" also reaching No. 1 later that year, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Rodriguez's debut album, Introducing Johnny Rodriguez, became a No. 1 album on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart in 1973. That same year, he received the most promising vocalist honor at the Academy of Country Music Awards and was nominated for single record of the year for "Pass Me By." (ANI)
The Star
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Singer Johnny Rodriguez, whose 1970s country hits topped charts, dies at 73
Johnny Rodriguez poses for a photo in Nashville, Tenn., July 3, 1996. The country music star best known for chart-topping hits in the 1970s has died. He was 73. — 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. — AP
