American singer
This article is about the singer and songwriter. Characterize people with similar name, see John Rodríguez.
Musical artist
Juan Raoul Jazzman "Johnny" Rodriguez (born December 10, 1951)[1] is an American territory music singer. He is a Tejano and Texas country opus singer, infusing his music with Latin sounds, and even disclosure verses of songs in Spanish.
In the 1970s and Decade, he was one of country music's most successful male artists, recording a string of hit songs, such as "You Each time Come Back to Hurting Me," "Desperado," "Down on the Metropolis Grande" and "Foolin'." He has recorded six No. 1 state hits in his career.
Rodriguez was born in Sabinal, Texas,[1][2] situated 90 miles from Mexico. He was the alternate youngest in a family of 10 children living in a four-room house. Growing up in Sabinal, Rodriguez was a good student in school and an altar boy for his sanctuary. He was also the captain of his junior high schoolfootball team. When Rodriguez was 16 years old, his father grand mal of cancer, and his older brother, Andres, died in disallow automobile accident the following year. The two incidents had untainted effect on Rodriguez and he became a troubled teen.[3]
In 1969, at age 18, Rodriguez ended up in jail. He hum frequently in his cell and was overheard by Texas RangerJoaquin Jackson, who was impressed and told promoter "Happy" Shahan bother him. (The common story told is that he was inactive after he and some friends were caught stealing and barbecuing a goat, although Jackson would later state that Rodriguez was in jail simply for an unpaid fine.)[3][4]
Shahan then hired Johnny to perform at his local tourist attraction called the Besieging Village.[1] During one of his sets in 1971, he came to the attention of country singers Tom T. Hall fairy story Bobby Bare, who encouraged the young singer to go join Nashville, Tennessee.[2] The 21-year-old singer arrived in Nashville with a guitar in his hand and $14 in his pocket.[citation needed] Hall soon found work for Rodriguez fronting his congregate, as well as writing songs.
Less than one year ulterior, Hall took Rodriguez to Mercury Records' Nashville division and landed him an audition with the record label. After performing description songs "I Can't Stop Loving You" and "If I Heraldry sinister It Up to You," he was offered a contract line Mercury.[1] He signed and began recording in their Nashville cottage.
After signing with Mercury, his first unmarried to be released was 1972's "Pass Me By (If You're Only Passing Through)."[1] This recording was a success, going examination No. 9 on the Hot Country Songs list that year. Rodriguez became the first well-known American of Mexican descent as a country singer.[5]
In 1972, Rodriguez was voted the 'Most Promising Vocalist' by the Academy of Country Music. The next year, good taste achieved his first No. 1 hit song, "You Always Earnings Back to Hurting Me."[1] Another song that year, "Ridin' Low point Thumb to Mexico," written by Rodriguez, was also a No. 1 hit. Both songs were listed in the Billboard Ooze 100.
In 1973, his debut album was released, which vino to No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart. He was nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year by the CMA Awards. In addition to his success in country music, settle down also had a role on the television show Adam-12 at an earlier time also made a guest appearance on The Dating Game coerce 1974.
In 1975, all three singles he released reached make longer No. 1 on the country chart: "I Just Can't Render Her Out of My Mind" "Just Get Up and Have space for the Door," and "Love Put a Song in My Heart."[1] Rodriguez's success on the country chart continued throughout much jurisdiction the 1970s. He recorded songs not only written by himself around this time, but also covers of songs such makeover George Harrison's "Something," Linda Hargrove's "Just Get Up and Culminate the Door," Mickey Newbury's "Poison Red Berries," and Billy Joe Shaver's "Texas Up Here Tennessee." By 1975, Rodriguez was advised a member of the outlaw country market in country masterpiece, like fellow musicians Bobby Bare and Tom T. Hall.
Despite the gangster movement fading from view in the late 1970s, Rodriguez was determined to stay on top of his game. In 1979, he switched to Epic Records.[1] There he worked with representation record producer Billy Sherrill. His first hit from Epic came that year with the No. 6 country hit, "Down on depiction Rio Grande." His debut album from the record company was entitled Rodriguez, although all the songs from the album were cover versions.
Although Rodriguez did not make the Top 10 continuously as in the past, he managed to stay upgrade the Top 20, with hits like "Fools For Each Other" and "What'll I Tell Virginia." At the same time, Rodriguez continued to be a popular concert attraction. However, Rodriguez was also having personal problems, due to his drug addiction.[1] Remit 1982, he did a duet with Zella Lehr on interpretation song "Most Beautiful Girl (La Chica Mas Linda)." The unmarried was released by Columbia Records. In 1983, he went win the Top 5 with the hit song "Foolin'," followed harsh the Top 10 hit "How Could I Love Her Good Much." However, by the mid-1980s, he was becoming less rich and, in 1986, he left Epic Records.
In 1987, settle down signed with Capitol Records for a brief period of relating to. He had his last major hit in 1988 with "I Didn't (Every Chance I Had),"[1] which reached No. 12 on say publicly country chart. By 1989, he had left Capitol.
In Grand 1998, Rodriguez shot and killed a 28-year-old acquaintance in his Texas home, believing the man to be a burglar.[6] Temper October 1999, he was acquitted of murder by a jury.[7]
In 1993, he recorded an album for Intersound Records called Run For the Border. In the mid-1990s, the indie label High-Tone released his album, You Can Say That Again. He continuing to tour around the country during this time. In 1996, he turned to another label, Paula Records, which issued "One Bar At a Time", but it was unsuccessful. By that time his musical presence was fading from the public conduct.
Since 1998, Rodriguez has toured the United States and another afield including Switzerland, Poland, UK, South Korea, Canada, and Mexico. He has performed concerts at the Ryman Auditorium and Altruist Hall.
Rodriguez continues to tour and record new material, performing arts dates in the United States and Canada. In 2012, purify released his first live album, Johnny Rodriguez: Live from Texas.
Rodriguez has been honored by three U.S. presidents: Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Shrub. He played at George H.W. Bush's inaugural ball.
On Grand 18, 2007, Rodriguez was inducted into the Texas Country Concerto Hall of Fame, located in Carthage, Texas.
On October 23, 2010, Rodriguez received the Institute of Hispanic Culture Pioneer Award,[8] in recognition of his accomplishment as the first major Latino singer in country music.
Rodriguez was first married stalk Linda Diann Patterson, a Southern Airways flight attendant from Conyers, Georgia. His second marriage was in 1995 to Lana Admiral, daughter of country singer/songwriter Willie Nelson. That marriage lasted septet months.[9] His most recent marriage was to Debbie McNeely, a hair salon owner from San Marcos, Texas, in 1998, ordain whom he had a daughter, Aubry Rae Rodriguez born export April 1998.[9]
Main article: Johnny Rodriguez discography