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bedsitter23You'll notice I have been posting about my trip to Texas, and so far all my posts are about Nebraska.
So, let me say that I stopped in San Benito, Texas, and saw Freddy Fender's gravesite.
I like Fender and I will tell you why.
He was part of that 70soverproduced music sound that my Grandma listened to, which for my money is about the worst era of music ever. People like Fender, Charlie Rich, John Denver, Tony Orlando, and Crystal Gale dominated the scene.
I am conflicted because as much as I think so much of that era is gawdawful (umm..Bread), it is what I grew up with.
That, and "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" is a classic song. No getting around that. Fender originally sang it in the 50s and even though it has that 70s gleam, it still sounds like classic country.
The reason I like Fender more has to do with what he did in his twilight of his career. While most artists would sit back and collect royalty checks, Fender was busy making music with progressive musicians like Joe Ely, Doug Sahm, and David Hildago to name a few. Credit due.
Also, he was maybe the first Tex-Mex star to reach that level of fame, and even in 2014, as diverse as the country is, it's hard to come up with a dozen Hispanic celebrities (Sure, you can get the first few, but then you stop).
El Benito, Texas loves him and even put him on the water tower.
I think he was a unique talent and saw someone who used to perform with him (whatever that means- whether that means many tours and records or just one appearance) and fender's name lives on in that area, for sure.
So, let me say that I stopped in San Benito, Texas, and saw Freddy Fender's gravesite.
I like Fender and I will tell you why.
He was part of that 70soverproduced music sound that my Grandma listened to, which for my money is about the worst era of music ever. People like Fender, Charlie Rich, John Denver, Tony Orlando, and Crystal Gale dominated the scene.
I am conflicted because as much as I think so much of that era is gawdawful (umm..Bread), it is what I grew up with.
That, and "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" is a classic song. No getting around that. Fender originally sang it in the 50s and even though it has that 70s gleam, it still sounds like classic country.
The reason I like Fender more has to do with what he did in his twilight of his career. While most artists would sit back and collect royalty checks, Fender was busy making music with progressive musicians like Joe Ely, Doug Sahm, and David Hildago to name a few. Credit due.
Also, he was maybe the first Tex-Mex star to reach that level of fame, and even in 2014, as diverse as the country is, it's hard to come up with a dozen Hispanic celebrities (Sure, you can get the first few, but then you stop).
El Benito, Texas loves him and even put him on the water tower.
I think he was a unique talent and saw someone who used to perform with him (whatever that means- whether that means many tours and records or just one appearance) and fender's name lives on in that area, for sure.
