Last Teardrop Falls
The great Baldemar Huerta, aka Freddy Fender has died at age 69. I’ve been a big fan of Freddy’s since his popular breakthrough in the 1970′s.
When I lived in Buenos Aires in 1975-76 I had a total of two LP’s in my pathetic collection: Cream’s Disraeli Gears, and Freddy Fender’s Before the Next Teardrop Falls.
I have to admit that I abandoned Fender for a couple of decades in between. But I came back to him in a big way earlier this year when I decided to add a Nano I-Pod to the gear I use when playing Texas Hold’em. My most-listened-to playlist includes Freddy singing Margaritaville (and sounding like he’s indeed half in the tank), The Wild Side of Life and Wasted Days and Wasted Nights. The more warbly and off-key he is, the more goosebumps I get.
When I find myself in some sort of a real cruncher hand, like going all in with Queens hoping my opponent doesn’t have Kings or Aces, for courage I inevitably dial up Freddy singing his live and almost unrecognizable version of Wichita Lineman.
Only once in my life have I dared to engage in a public act of Karaoke. That was a few months ago, in a South Tucson bar (seemingly lifted from a Tarantino film) where I croaked out my own version of Wasted Days much to the amazement and disgust of my friends and onlookers.
Freddy, compadre, you live on in my I-pod.
October 16th, 2006 at 10:21 pm
Freddy did a lovely roots album a few years ago called “La Musica de Baldemar Huerta”, which was comprised almost entirely of “rancheras” and related songs in Spanish that he’d grown up singing. A deeper layer of his Tex-Mex sound and a nice addition to the country, R&B-flavored and schlock-pop stuff he was best known for. It also has a newer, more acoustic version of “Teardrop”, one of those songs that is as beautiful as it is corny. He was one of maybe two modern masters of the ultra-sacharine ballad – the other being Aaron Neville. In addition to genuinely soulful stuff and participation in hip, eclectic ensembles (Aaron with his brothers and Freddy with the Tornadoes and Los Super Seven) that was just straight-ahead terrific, they could both pull off solo versions of some sappy material that would likely make you retch in the hands of almost anyone else. (They also had in common hard time in Louisiana State Penitentiary for possession of controlled substances – in Freddy’s case, mere weed.) Definitely a unique voice in American music who will be missed.
October 17th, 2006 at 1:10 am
The Texas Tornados rule. Last teardrop indeed. In losing him, we lost a good thing.
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“He was one of maybe two modern masters of the ultra-sacharine ballad – the other being Aaron Neville.” Never thought of it that way. But hard to argue with either part of the statement.
(Hey, and while we’re on the subject of glorious ensembles, reg, you missed listing Aaron with the Wild Tchoupitoulas.)
October 17th, 2006 at 4:05 am
Q.E.P.D.
October 17th, 2006 at 6:53 am
Freddy’s music brings back the polkas and cumbias of the migrant labor camps in South Florida during the sixties, where I met my future wife.
For an uptight “gavacho” from Boston, everytime I hear “Los Ojos Negros” I get a knee-jerk reaction of grabbing somebody’s hand and running to a dance floor. “La Band Esta Borracha” on the other hand doubles up my feet in a crippling cross-over step that I never mastered. Simply amazing.
October 17th, 2006 at 11:21 am
I rarely enjoy Weekly Standard articles, but Matt Labash is a terrific writer (Caldwell is also pretty good…that’s about it) and Kinky Friedman, with his shake-and-bake populist politics, would probably make a better governor than most – which he’d be the first to admit is a pretty low bar. (Campaign slogan – “Why The Hell Not ?”) Anyway, it’s a good read. (JCummings can direct any questions to the campaign website – I’m linking this on a Texas music/entertainment thread.)
http://tinyurl.com/ygv22c
October 17th, 2006 at 2:34 pm
He was one of the greats.
Los Super Seven and the Texas Tornados were wonderful, too.
Rest in peace, Freddy.
October 17th, 2006 at 3:41 pm
Inre Friedman – I like his mystery novels, his music doesn’t do much for me. I think he’s politically a Ventura type, a right wing libertarian masked as a populist. He’s probably having fun, I hope he doesn’t win.
I’m told, despite music history saying otherwise (John Lennon inventing feedback on “I Feel Fine”) that Fender was using feedback in the late fifties.
October 17th, 2006 at 8:18 pm
Anyone writing “They ain’t making Jews like Jesus Anymore” gets my vote!
June 30th, 2007 at 2:52 am
spanish karaoke…
Hi. Very nice blog. I\’ve been reading your other entries all day long..lol….
September 3rd, 2007 at 12:39 am
Freddy Fender was my grandmother’s favorite singer. Vaya con dios Freddy!
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