Detroit singer/songwriter may just be the coolest dude touring Australia at the moment and the guy hasn’t released a new album in 39-years.
In fact, Rodriguez never had any fame when he initially released ‘Cold Fact’ in 1970 and ‘Coming From Reality’ in 1971. To date they are still his only two studio albums.Rodriguez would have been completely unnoticed had it not been for Sydney DJ Holger Brockman who started playing his music on 2JJ in 1975. In doing so Brockman created a cult hit.
Rodriguez toured Australia in 1979 for the first time. To say the shows were awful would be an understatement. Rodriguez was put in a big show environment for the first time ever but had no experience to carry it off. He was clearly nervous and out of his depth.
The good news is he got better. A LOT better.
Rodriguez spent most of the 80s and 90s away from the music business. He worked as a social worker. During this time South Africa got the Rodriguez message and he became a cult hit in that country as well.
The profile got another boost in 2002 when his song ‘Sugar Man’ was sampled by DJ David Holmes. Then in 2006, Heath Ledger used he song on the soundtrack to his movie ‘Candy’.
Rodriguez was enticed back to Australia for the East Coast Blues and Roots Festival in 2007 and this year he was back doing it again.
Last night Rodriguez performed at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne. He has two sold-out shows in Melbourne this week and the 67-year old performer is playing to a remarkably young crowd considering its been nearly 40 years since his last album.
A highlight from last night was his cover of Midnight Oil’s ‘Redneck Wonderland’. He first toured Australia with the Oils in 1981 and last night plugged the new band The Break featuring ex-Oils and Brian Ritchie from Violent Femmes.
Rodriguez performs again tonight at The Corner in Melbourne then:
April 10, Adelaide, The Governor Hindmarsh Hotel
April 11, Sydney, The Factory Theatre
