'Sixto Rodriguez released his debut album, Cold Fact in 1970. It's crushingly good stuff, filled with tales of bad drugs, lost love, and itchy-footed songs about life in late '60s inner-city America. But the album sank without trace, thanks, in part, to some of Rodriguez's more idiosyncratic behaviour, like performing at an industry showcase with his back to the audience throughout. When the follow-up, 1972's Coming From Reality, also sold poorly, Rodriguez called an end to his recording career.
But in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Cold Fact became a word of mouth success, particularly among young people in the South African armed forces, who identified with its counter-cultural bent. But Rodriguez was an enigma - not even the label knew where to find him - and his demise became the subject of debate and conjecture.
Barring a couple of sold out Australian tours in 1979 and 1981, nothing had been heard of Rodriguez for almost 30 years when journalist Craig Bartholemew found him working as a labourer in Detroit in 1996. Rodriguez himself had no idea about his fame in South Africa (the album had gone multi-platinum, Rodriguez has received not so much as a Rand in royalties), and embarked on a triumphant South African tour followed, filling 5,000 capacity venues across the country. In 1998 the documentary 'Dead Men Don't Tour: Rodriguez in South Africa’ was screened on national TV in the US. Now the Australian audiences can find out why Rodriguez is spoken of in the same reverent tones as The Doors, Love and Jimi Hendrix.'
The Tivoli
Rodriguez
