THE OFFICIAL RODRIGUEZ WEBSITE
Whatever the reason Rodriguez presently is a famed artist and has some of the most loyal and varied fans out there. In marketing terms he has unwittingly created a strong, mysterious brand image and a legacy far beyond his years, Rodriguez is NOT A FAD. Although reasons for this may be hard to pin he remains a remarkable case study for marketers, marketing through non-marketing.
Read more at Rodriguez… A Man on Fire | Maties Marketing244.
It’s not often that an artist plays a sold-out, 5,000 capacity venue at the age of 70. It’s even less common that an artist does this feat having only released two studio albums that, initially, sold poorly.
But, that is what Rodriguez did at Hammersmith Apollo on Friday.
Rodriguez (birth name Sixto Rodriguez) is a Detroit-born singer-songwriter who was thought to be the next Bob Dylan (a frequent comparison), but his albums sold very little on their initial release in the early 70’s.
Read more at Review – Rodriguez @ Hammersmith Apollo, London, June 8 2013 | Young & Serious.
Revolution Harmony, a new project dreamt up by music lecturer and journalist Ray Holroyd, will release a special charity single featuring System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian, Devin Townsend and former Emperor frontman Ihsahn on July 18.
All proceeds from the single, titled We Are, will be donated to Buskaid, a charity that provides free music lessons and instruments to children in the townships of South Africa.
“It has been an absolute honour being involved with the Revolution Harmony project to bring much needed financial aid to Buskaid in South Africa,” says Serj. “Music has saved my life and has the potential to create positive change in all those young kids struggling to make themselves heard and to survive.” He continues on the single itself: “The song is a musical collage of complex yet moving colours intertwining genres and vibes.”
“Revolution Harmony is a dream come true, it’s the perfect harmonious marriage of my two callings: making music and making a positive change in the world!,” adds Ray. “We Are is the first milestone for Revolution Harmony, and to share it with three of my musical heroes, Serj, Ihsahn and Devin, who all believe in my vision, is deeply heartwarming and humbling. These musicians are overflowing with talent and compassion, and I am eternally grateful and monumentally honoured to have had them contribute to my cause by singing and playing on a piece of my music. The goal for these All-Star charity singles is to raise significant funds for various smaller charities, by making/selling creative and meaningful music that features rare collaborations by inspirational artists.”
Broadcast date: Tuesday, 23 April 2013
Singer Songwriter Sixto Rodriguez’s first album Cold Fact was released over forty years ago. Though unknown in America, his music had been a huge hit in South Africa since the 70s. Now years later, an Oscar-winning documentary has finally made him a star in his own country, and around the world.
South Africa has a special place in his heart and his daughter Eva was drawn to the place where her father’s music had resonated for so long. She settled in the beautiful Wilderness on the Cape Garden Route 12 years ago after a 20 year career as a pilot in the United States military.
Now, she has turned her life towards the healing arts. She trained as a Sangoma in the Eastern Cape and has found a deep connection to South Africa.
Like her father Rodriguez, Eva focuses on freedom, enlightenment and harmony, a message South Africa and the rest of the world seems ready to hear.
3rd Degree travelled to the Wilderness to meet Eva and find out about her journey, and what it’s like to be the daughter of Sugar Man.
3rd Degree is on e.tv, the eNews channel and SKY Digital Platform in the UK – on Tuesdays at 21h30.
South African music is entering an exciting era of opportunity and progress as new markets open up for homegrown sounds. This was one of the key messages emerging from the 2013 Music Exchange Conference, which saw industry moguls and musicians congregating at the iconic Cape Town City Hall to talk about the serious business of music.
For three days, from 21 to 23 March 2013, the City Hall was abuzz with the sound of music – with a full programme of workshops and panel discussions on making it, marketing it, getting it heard on various platforms and ensuring that it moves with the times.
This independent music conference, now in its third year, attracted hundreds of experts and delegates from across the music spectrum – from composers and publishers to record company executives and media – to share knowledge and ideas, network, perform live showcases and identify opportunities to boost South African music locally, regionally and abroad.
Among the high-profile music creators spotted at the conference were Vicky Sampson, Mynie Grové, Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse, RJ Benjamin, Chad Saaiman, Jimmy Nevis, Mark Haze, Dub Masta China and Arno Carstens, as well as industry heavyweights such as Universal Music A&R consultant Benjy Mudie, Cape Town Jazz festival founder Rashid Lombard and Rolling Stone SA editor-in-chief Miles Keylock.
The international speakers on the programme included acclaimed house music producer and remixer Charles Webster (UK), music promoter Doug Davenport (USA) and Africori CEO Yoel Kenan (France).
One of the conference’s undisputed highlights was the keynote address by Trevor Jones, moderated by Universal Records managing director Randall Abrahams. Now based in the UK, Jones was born in District Six and is considered one of the top five film score composers in the world, with several Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations as well two ASCAP Awards in the bag.
Jones has made an indelible mark on the global entertainment industry, scoring international blockbusters such as Notting Hill, The Last of the Mohicans, Mississippi Burning and The Mighty and working with the likes of U2, Sting, David Bowie, Sinead O’Connor, Britney Spears, Elvis Costello and Charlotte Church.
Jones became overcome with emotion after being given a standing ovation by delegates, who warmly welcomed him back home.
During his inspirational talk, he spoke about the importance of music education and his desire to give something back to South African music industry: “Key to South Africa’s success is hard work and building a positive perception of our country and us a nation,” he said.
Award-winning local singer, songwriter and guitarist Arno Carstens, who spoke at the conference about the song that made him famous, said it was an honour to be part of Music Exchange and it was encouraging and inspiring to see so many enthusiastic people attend and share their experiences and knowledge.
Joining Carstens on the stellar line-up of artists speaking about the song that made them famous, Vicky Sampson acknowledged songwriter Alan Lazar (formerly of Mango Groove, and now a successful composer based in Los Angeles), who wrote African Dream. “I am grateful that Alan gave me the song and did not pass me up for Mango Groove’s Claire Johnston,” Sampson quipped. She spent every minute of the conference absorbing and learning, as well as reconnecting with her mentor Benjy Mudie and her old friend RJ Benjamin.
Versatile singer, composer and teacher Benjamin, who has been invited to be a vocal coach for the upcoming season of Idols and will be composing SABC2’s new signature tune, continuously urged delegates to make use of social media platforms to reach new audiences. Benjamin stood out as one of the speakers to whom delegates were drawn and his presentations proved to be extremely popular.
After the weekend’s proceedings wrapped up, local music legend Hotstix tweeted: “What a conference; what great speakers and delegates – wow!”
Added a delighted Music Exchange founder and board member, Martin Myers: “We have been completely overwhelmed by the positive feedback we’ve received, and the animated conversations on social media platforms about the success of Music Exchange.
“Recording and performing artists, as well as composers and other industry players, have complimented the conference for being relevant, engaging and thought-provoking. There was a strong focus on the business side of music, which elevated this event above a mere talk shop: they left with useful, practical information that will undoubtedly be of immense value in their various professional ventures.”
Visit www.musicexchange.co.za to find out more about next year’s Music Exchange conference, or follow @musicexchange on Twitter.
Issued by JT Communication Solutions on Behalf of Music Exchange – www.musicexchange.co.za
All you really have to know about this surprising and emotive music doc is that you should see it. Anyone who enjoyed, say, The Buena Vista Social Club or Anvil: The Story of Anvil, will surely go for this too. It tells the unlikely story of Sixto Rodriguez, a gifted but way-under-the-radar Detroit-based Hispanic singer-songwriter – and, like those other films, it enshrines a deeply moving idea that, in our cynical, superficial world, an authentic spirit will somehow, somewhere find its way to listeners’ hearts.
It’s also the remarkably round-the-houses route of Rodriguez’s odyssey which makes Searching for Sugar Man so intriguing. But, to be honest, the less you know about it, the richer your experience will be.
Part of the strangeness of the Rodriguez story is that he was never a star in the first place. Director Malik Bendjelloul treats us to generous slices of his early ’70s albums Cold Fact and Coming from Reality (recorded in the old Lansdowne studios in Holland Park, fact fans). The quality of the material is so striking – phantasmagorical lyrics shape a folk-pop hybrid comparable to Cat Stevens and Nick Drake – that it’s hard to believe the records disappeared without trace after their initial US release. It gets even odder from there, since the filmmaker actually came across the Rodriguez phenomenon in South Africa, where his music had spread like wildfire among a white middle class resistant to the apartheid regime. By the mid-’90s – as the film recounts via interviews, archive footage and even a splash of animation – Rodriguez had sold more records in South Africa than Elvis. But fans were starved of information about their idol. The rumour was that he’d shot himself on stage – a genuine rock ’n’ roll suicide!
via Searching for Sugar Man – Time Out Tokyo.
Sixto Rodriguez, the star of the best documentary Oscar winning Searching For Sugar Man, is coming to Amsterdam. Paradiso were the first ones to smartly jump onto the recent hype around the ’70s folk singer. The documentary depicts how the Detroit singer’s two unsuccessful albums make it big years later in South Africa (where he is wrongly presumed dead) without him knowing anything about it. Loyal fans from South Africa track him down and find a humble, poor man working in construction who left all his musical ambitions behind long ago. Anyone who saw it will be in love with Sixto. I’ll see you at the concert!
Sixto Rodriguez at Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ
When: May 29th
Where: Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ, Amsterdam
Tickets: €27.50, pre-sale starts March 9th
“Sugar Man”, the story of a forgotten singer, won the best documentary at the Oscars this week.
Sixto Rodriguez made two records in the early 1970s, but it never took off in America.
Unbeknown to him, it became very popular in South Africa.
Searching for Sugar Man, is the story of two South Africans and their search for this elusive singer.
Big is the surprise when we see a clip showing our own collections in the SABC Record Library and how censorship made it impossible for it to be played during the Apartheid years.
via SABC Media Libraries: Searching for Sugar Man, also in the SABC Archives.
The documentary isn’t only about one man’s humility and passion to do that which he loved and provide a decent living for his family. It’s also a story about dedication and commitment; Sugar worked tirelessly on the Rodriguez website and to connect the singer with South Africa. He and Brian Currin did so much for South African music at the time, setting up the SA Rock Digest that took advantage of the internet in the “early days.” Journalist Craig Bartholomew Strydom, who was doing his own searching too, also added his persistence and tenacity to the story. All essential elements of this feel-good and inspiring story. Topping it off, is the Swedish director himself, who worked for many years on the project, and didn’t even have the funds to finish it so did the music and graphics himself. He just kept going, believing and continuing when he could. For that, this is a story the world deserves to see over and over. With or without an Oscar win.
via The 2013 Oscars: Searching for Sugar Men | Miss Ntertainment.
What happens to gifted artists who slip through the cracks?
“Searching for Sugar Man” takes us on an 85-minute journey to answer this question. We begin in the backseat of a convertible driving along a winding mountain highway, with the ocean on the right. The setting: South Africa, where Mexican-American musician Sixto Rodriguez has a huge cult following. The narrator is in search of Rodriguez, but has no idea if he’s among the living, having heard that Rodriguez burned himself alive on stage.
Cut.
Detroit. Some time in the mid-to-late ’60s. A foggy night.
“Here’s this voice,” says the speaker, who followed his ears into a dark, smoky bar, where he saw just a shadow in the back of the room. Moving closer, he noticed a singer hunched over an acoustic guitar, with his back turned to the crowd. Who was this man?
One local who had bumped into Rodriguez in different areas of Detroit describes him as a “wandering spirit around the city,” and concludes “I thought he was a drifter.” A session musician who discovered Rodriguez and later co-produced his first album had no idea where Rodriguez lived at the time; he always asked to meet at a corner, then seemed to appear out of nowhere.
What we do know is that Rodriguez was a no-nonsense street poet who channeled his hard surroundings in Detroit, called “the city of small hopes” by one of his daughters.
Rodriguez’s first release, “Cold Fact” (1970), was a mix of blues, Dylanesque protest folk, singer-songwriter pop, and straight-up rock. Rodriguez’s voice and acoustic guitar drive the sound, while his co-arrangers add flute, horns, strings, and assorted psychedelia.
Cut.
Palm Springs, CA. Steve Rowland, the producer of Rodriguez’s second album, “Coming from Reality” (1971), pulls out a book of photos he hasn’t looked at in 35 years, the last time he saw Rodriguez. As always, Rodriguez is hidden behind sunglasses in all of the photographs.
At the time Rowland produced “Reality,” he thought Rodriguez might be destined to fame and fortune, but the album went nowhere in the U.S.
Rodriguez was dropped from his label two weeks before Christmas, and disappeared.
Back to South Africa. Cape Town in the early ’70s. The country is led by an oppressive, reactionary government that outlaws television, allows no independent media, and censors albums. Civil servants listen to records before they hit the racks, and scratch the grooves of any songs deemed offensive to make them unlistenable.
“Cold Fact” finds its way into South Africa via bootlegs and spreads like wildfire. Its messages of freedom and dissent appeal to young people bridling under a closed society which is isolated by government controls and external sanctions against a brutal Apartheid regime.
One of the kids liberated by “Cold Fact” is Stephen Segerman, who goes on a search for Rodriguez in the ’90s.
There are few concrete, cold facts about the artist known as Rodriguez. The songwriting credits on his debut album list three different names; album jacket photos from more than two decades earlier are all Segerman has to go on. In the liner notes to a South African label’s re-release of “Cold Fact,” Segerman asks if there are “any musicologist detectives out there?” who can help him in his quest.
Music journalist Craig Bartholomew Strydom finds out about the hunt and joins forces with Segerman, though he has heard a rumor that Rodriguez had fatally shot himself onstage after being booed.
Strydom follows the money, the route the royalties from Rodriguez’s platinum album sales in South Africa have traveled. He interviews Clarence Avant, the head of Rodriguez’s Sussex label. Avant praises Rodriguez’s work, but has no insight into why he flopped in his native country while his Detroit contemporaries (Grand Funk Railroad, Ted Nugent, Iggy Pop, Bob Seger) went on to successful careers. Avant has no answers about the royalties or Rodriguez’s fate after being dumped from the label.
In 1997, Segerman and Strydom set up a website dedicated to Rodriguez which solicits leads on the musician’s whereabouts.
A year later, they find a post from one Eva Rodriguez, who says she has information they might want. But she warns that “Sometimes the fantasy is best left alone.”
Segerman thought the story was over soon after finding this post, but it was just beginning. The last third of “Sugar Man” carries a number of surprises that I won’t reveal; do yourself a favor and see this movie.
Narrative arc aside, the heart of “Searching for Sugar Man” is a meditation on the power of art to transform and transcend reality.
As a co-worker points out, Rodriguez elevated the prosaic and the mundane, and turned the raw material of life into art, not unlike a silkworm. The interviewee then asks the audience, “Have you done that?”
© Dan Benbow, 2013
Reprinted by kind permission of Truth and Beauty: “Searching for Sugar Man”.
Rodriguez, the obscure Detroit songman who unknowingly earned a huge cult audience overseas, will meet with producers to discuss making a third album, his first in more than 40 years. Though adamant about having no specific plan, Rodriguez tells Rolling Stone that once he breaks from touring in June he will explore the prospect with Steve Rowland, who produced one of the lost albums resurrected in the Oscar-nominated documentary Searching for Sugar Man.
“He told me to send him a couple of tapes, so I’m gonna do that,” Rodriguez said in a phone interview from his Michigan home on Friday. “I certainly want to look him up, because now he’s full of ideas.”
via Rodriguez Weighs Potential Third Album | Music News | Rolling Stone.
Searching for Sugarman, Malik Bendjelloul’s film about the reception of Sixto Rodriguez in South Africa, continues to accumulate awards, critical acclaim and commercial success as its momentum gathers in the lead up to the Academy Awards at the end of next month. It is carrying Rodriguez, seventy years old and partially blind, onto the stages of the Royal Albert Hall and Carnegie Hall, festivals like Glastonbury, Coachella and Primavera and into the pages of the world’s great newspapers. Next month he’ll be playing Cape Town and Johannesburg again.
The film is exquisite and the story that it weaves between Cape Town and Detroit is remarkable and moving. There’s always something slightly magical about how an intense engagement with a particular situation can find an entirely unexpected resonance across space and time. And the enthusiasm of the South African fans who, to their astonishment, found Rodriguez alive and living the life of a poor man in the ruins of downtown Detroit and were then able to bring him to a rapturous welcome in Cape Town is infectious.
The story at the heart of the film, the redemptive return of a hero, is an ancient one. But this particular telling of that story draws its power from the kind of man that the hero proves to be. In his first single, I’ll Slip Away, released in 1967 under a version of his name mangled by a record company that thought it commercially expedient to disguise his Mexican origins, he declared that “You can keep your symbols of success” and “I’m not choosing to be like them.” And from the beginning Rodriguez tried to make his way and to define success on his own terms. At an event to market himself to the record industry suits in Los Angeles in 1970 he gave the stage to the Brown Berets, militant Chicano activists. These kinds of choices may keep one’s soul intact but they don’t do much for one’s career.
Sixto Rodriguez, the Mexican-American singer-songwriter who is enjoying a renaissance more than 40 years after releasing his two and only albums, will play New Zealand for the first time in March.
He plays the Wellington Opera House on March 16 and Auckland’s Logan Campbell Centre on March 17.
Better known as Rodriguez, the Detroit native recorded his tough folk rock debut Cold Fact in 1970 – which included his best-known song, Sugar Man – and follow-up Coming From Reality in 1971, but they never took off in his homeland. Following this lack of interest in his music he went back to renovation and restoration work to support his family, and even ran for the mayor of Detroit at one stage, while still continuing to perform on the side.
via Tour news: Sugar Man on his way – Entertainment – NZ Herald News.
Cape Town – Big Concerts announced that another Cape Town show has been added for legendary singer-songwriter Rodriguez’s tour in South Africa in February.
With three sold-out shows so far in Cape Town, the extra performance was added due to an overwhelming demand and will be taking place on Saturday, 9 February. This will also mark the first performance for Rodriguez in Cape Town.
Tickets for the extra show are on sale via Big Concert’s website, or at any Shoprite, Checkers or Computicket store.
Rodriguez is also scheduled to perform at the Big Top Arena Carnival City on 12, 13, 15, 16 and 18 February in Johannesburg. All tickets for these shows have been sold out.
Cape Town – Big Concerts announced that another Cape Town show has been added for legendary singer-songwriter Rodriguez’s tour in South Africa in February.
With three sold-out shows so far in Cape Town, the extra performance was added due to an overwhelming demand and will be taking place on Saturday, 9 February. This will also mark the first performance for Rodriguez in Cape Town.
Tickets for the extra show are on sale via Big Concert’s website, or at any Shoprite, Checkers or Computicket store.
Rodriguez is also scheduled to perform at the Big Top Arena Carnival City on 12, 13, 15, 16 and 18 February in Johannesburg. All tickets for these shows have been sold out.
via Big Concerts adds 4th CT Rodriguez show | Channel24.
SugarMan.org 