Freddy Fender: Biography

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• Doug Sahm
• Willie Nelson
• The Tornados
• Flaco Jiménez
• Johnny Rodriguez
• Louie & the Lovers
• The Quintet

• Jim Reeves
• Santiago Jiménez
• Hank Williams
• Ritchie Valens
• Fats Domino
• Bobby Charles
• Floyd Tillman

• Joe "King" Carrasco
• Texas Tornados
• Scott H. Biram
• Delevantes
• Joe Ely
• Duelo
• Nadia

• Los Super Seven
• Tommy McLain

Birth Name:

Baldemar Huerta

Born:

Jun 4, 1937 in San Benito, TX

Died:

Oct 14, 2006 in Corpus Christi, TX

Genres:

Classical Music, Country Music, Holiday Music

Decades Active:

1950's|1960's|1970's|1980's|1990's|2000's

Artistic Quality

Medium

Cultural Impact

Medium

Popularity

Medium

Ratings Guide

Freddy Fender was one of the few Hispanic stars in country music, a singer and songwriter whose work was defined largely by its strong Latin sensibility. Born Baldemar Huerta to a family of migrant laborers in San Benito, TX, on June 4, 1937, Fender began playing guitar early in his childhood. After dropping out of school at the age of 16 to join the Marine Corps, he released his first Spanishlanguage recordings under his given name in 1958.

While his initial sides were successful with listeners in Texas and Mexico, in 1959 he decided to adopt his stage name, along with a stronger rockabilly feel, in order to attract "gringo" audiences. The following year, he released the selfpenned "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights," his most successful single yet. But in May of 1960, Fender was convicted of marijuana possession, and was sentenced to five years in Louisiana's notorious Angola State Prison (the same correctional facility which once held blues legend Leadbelly). After serving three years, he was paroled thanks to the efforts of Louisiana governor Jimmie Davis, on the condition that upon Fender's release he stay away from the corruptive influences of the music scene. After his parole ended, Fender tried to reignite his career, but with the exception of a few scattered nightclub gigs in the New Orleans area, he found little success, and ultimately returned to San Benito.

In Texas, he spent several years working as an auto mechanic, and even returned to school to pursue a degree in sociology. In 1974, he met Huey P. Meaux, the owner of the Houstonbased Crazy Cajun label; after agreeing on a recording deal, it was Meaux who convinced Fender to steer in the direction of country western while maintaining his music's Hispanic roots. After Fender's first Meauxproduced single, "Before the Next Teardrop Falls," failed to attract the attention of a major label, it was released on Crazy Cajun; in the first weeks of 1975, the song hit the top of both the country and pop charts, and Fender became an overnight star. For the followup, he rerecorded his early single, "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights," and notched his second straight number one country hit. Before the year ended, he had released yet another charttopper in "Secret Love," and also issued two LPs, Since I Met You Baby and a selftitled effort.

Throughout the remainder of the '70s, Fender's success continued, most notably with the number two single "Living It Down" in 1976. That same year, he released two more albums, Your Cheatin' Heart and Rock 'N' Country. In 1977, he also issued a holiday record, Merry Christmas/Feliz Navidad. As the 1980s dawned, however, his popularity began slipping; after his final chart hit, 1983's "Chokin' Kind," he focused on an acting career, highlighted by an appearance in the 1988 Robert Redford film The Milagro Beanfield War. He remained largely silent as a musician until 1990, when he formed the TexMex supergroup Texas Tornados with Doug Sahm, Flaco Jimenez, and Augie Meyers. After three albums, the group disbanded, and Fender again resumed his solo career.

- Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide