Hate to hear this one.
Country music legend Johnny Rodriguez, the Texas native who pioneered Hispanic country music, died on Friday, May 9 at the age of 73 after being admitted to hospice.
Rodriguez was born Juan Raul Davis Rodriguez in 1951, the youngest of 10 children to a Mexican American family in Texas. But a series of family tragedies led to Johnny ending up in jail by the age of 18. While he was locked up, a Texas Ranger heard him singing in his cell and told promoter Happy Shahan about his talent.
After he was released, Shahan hired Rodriguez to perform at Alamo Village, a tourist attraction and movie set that was built in 1957 for the John Wayne movie The Alamo. And it was while performing there that he caught the attention of country singers Tom T. Hall and Bobby Bare, who encouraged Rodriguez to move to Nashville to pursue a career in country music.
Rodriguez moved to music city at the age of 21 with only $14 in his pocket, but Hall hired him as a member of his band and he began writing songs before landing a record deal with Mercury Records.
In 1972 he released his first single “Pass Me By (If You’re Only Passing Through),” and the next year he scored his first #1 singles with “You Always Come Back To Hurting Me” and “Riding My Thumb to Mexico.”
He released his debut album Introducting in 1973, reaching the top of the country charts and earning Rodriguez a nomination for Male Vocalist of the Year at the CMA Awards. And the success led to three more #1 singles in 1975, with “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.”
In 1979 Rodriguez moved to Epic Records and partnered with legendary producer Billy Sherrill, who was best known for his work with George Jones and Tammy Wynette. But his mainstream success faded, and along with problems in his career Rodriguez also began struggling with drug addiction. His last top 20 hit came in 1988 with “I Didn’t (Every Chance I Had).”
He was briefly married to Willie Nelson’s daughter, Lana Nelson, in 1995, but the marriage only lasted 7 months.
Despite his success slowing down in the ’90s, Rodriguez continued to tour and release new material, but in 1998 he was charged with murder after accidentally shooting and killing an acquaintance at his home in Texas after mistakenly believing the man to be a burglar. He would be acquitted of murder by a jury in 1999, and he got back to touring and releasing new albums, including several greatest hits records and his final Live From Texas album in 2012.
In 2007, Rodriguez was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, and in 2010 he received the Institute of Hispanic Culture Pioneer Award for his accomplishment as the first major Hispanic singer in country music.
Rodriguez leaves behind his wife Debbie McNeely, who he married in 1998 and a daughter, 27-year old Aubry Rae Rodriguez. And he of course also leaves behind a legacy as a pioneer for Hispanic country music, often infusing Latin sounds into his music and even singing some verses of his music in Spanish.
In a touching post announcing his passing, his daughter Aubry remembered her dad as a “legendary musician” and a “deeply loved” husband and father:
“It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Johnny Rodriguez, who left us peacefully on May 9th, 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.
We are immensely grateful for the outpouring of love and support from fans, colleagues, and friends during this time of grief. 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.”
