Freddy Fender

Texas-born Freddy Fender knew from an early age where his destiny lay. Performing for the first time on the radio station KGBT at the age of ten, Fender discovered a love for music and entertaining. At the age of 16 he dropped out of school and enlisted into the US Marine Corps where he spent the next three years of his life before being dishonorably discharged due to his drinking problem. Fender returned to Texas where he gave himself the name of El Bebop Kid and began touring the bars and clubs of his home county.

In 1957 El Bebop Kid released Spanish-language versions of Elvis Presley's 'Don't Be Cruel' and Harry Belafonte's 'Jamaica Farewell'. In 1958, El Bebop Kid ceased to exist and he changed his name to Freddy Fender releasing the blues ballad ;Wasted Days and Wasted Nights' which earned him a top ten spot and a loyal fan base. Unfortunately, the celebrations were cut short after Fender was arrested for drug possession and sentenced to three years in prison. After his release Fender kept himself out of the limelight for a while, waiting until 1974 to release his next big single 'Before the Next Teardrop Falls'. The single sold more than a million copies, earning Fender a gold disc and a number one spot in the US Billboard Country and Pop Charts. He went on to score three more number ones with 'Secret Love', 'You'll Lose a Good Thing' and a re-release of 'Wasted Days and Wasted Nights', before forming the Texas Tornados in 1989 with Doug Sahm, Augie Meyers and Flaco Jimenez.

In 1998 Fender won a Grammy Award for Best Mexican-American Performance for his work with Los Super Seven and in 2001 he made his final recording, 'La Musica De Baldemar Huerta', that won him the Latin Pop Album Grammy. In 2006, after a lengthy battle with cancer, Freddy Fender died, aged 69.