Rodriguez

Rodriguez is the recording name used by Sixto Diaz Rodriguez, an American songwriter and folk singer from Detroit, Michigan. Born in 1942 to middle-class Mexican immigrant parents, he is named Sixto because he is the sixth child in his family. His songs often address political themes and the hardships faced by poor people in inner-city communities.

Early releases and Sussex Records

He first records in 1967 under the name Rod Riguez, releasing the single "I'll Slip Away" on the small Impact label. After a three-year gap, he signs to Sussex Records, an offshoot of Buddah, and adopts the shorter professional name Rodriguez. He records two albums for the label: Cold Fact in 1970 and Coming from Reality in 1971. Mixed reviews and poor sales lead to his departure from the label, which later closes in 1975. After this period, he gives up on a career in music.

Later recognition and Australian releases

Although little known in the United States by the mid-1970s, his records begin to receive radio play in South Africa, Rhodesia, New Zealand and Australia. When imported copies of the Sussex albums run out, the Australian label Blue Goose Music acquires the Australian rights to his back catalogue and issues his two studio albums along with the compilation At His Best. That release includes unreleased recordings from 1976, including "Can't Get Away", a re-recording of "I'll Slip Away", and "Street Boy". The compilation goes platinum in South Africa, where he develops cult status without being aware of it.

Tours and later life

He tours Australia in 1979 with the Mark Gillespie Band as support. Two performances from that tour later appear on the Australian-only live album Alive, a title that plays on rumours that he had died. He returns to Australia for a final tour in 1981 with Midnight Oil, then withdraws from public music life.

Documentary and legacy

The story of his obscurity and later rediscovery is the subject of Searching for Sugar Man, a documentary by Swedish director Malik Bendjelloul, produced by Simon Chinn and John Battsek. The film premieres at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and wins the World Cinema Special Jury Prize and the Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary.

Other artists using the name Rodriguez

The name Rodriguez is also used by several other acts, including a band from San Luis Obispo, California, formed in 1991 by Kyle Field and Matt Ward, with Mike Funk joining in 1993. That group releases one album, Swing Like A Metronome, in 2000. Other acts with the same name include a garage punk-rock band from Austria, a Swedish indie-electronica artist who releases two EPs in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and a pop-techno band from Georgia.