AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Freddy Fender

Artist:Freddy Fender
Song:Before The Next Teardrop Falls
Album:20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best Of Freddy Fender




Freddy Fender had a lot of success on the country music charts in the 70s. He also crossed over to pop and Before The Next Teardrop Falls was his only number one pop hit in 1975. Of course the other unusual thing about Fender is he was Hispanic. He was born Baldemar Garza Huerta June 4, 1937 in San Benito, TX. His father was a Mexican immigrant. He sang on radio as a child. At age 16, he enlisted in the Marines but was court martialed and discharged in 1956. He moved back to Texas and sang in clubs as El Bebop Kid and Eddie Con Los Shades. But in 1958 he took the name Freddy Fender because he played a Fender guitar. In 1959 he had regional success with his classic Wasted Days and Wasted Nights. But Fender was convicted of marijuana possession in Louisiana and was tossed in jail. He was paroled after three years. By the late 60s, he was working as a mechanic and singing on weekends. Fender's big break came when he met producer Huey P. Meaux and signed with his Crazy Cajun label in 1974. His first single was Before The Next Teardrop Falls. Apparently Fender didn't like the song. But Meaux convinced him to record it and Fender thought nothing would come of it. Instead Fender was picked up by Dot Records which would soon be purchased by MCA Records. Before The Next Teardrop Falls topped the Country Singles chart and the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written by veteran songwriter Ben Peters and his secretary Vivian Keith. Peters wrote several hits for Charley Pride including Kiss An Angel Good Morning. The song had been recorded several time before Fender had a hit with it. Fender's other top ten pop hit was his re-recording of Wasted Days and Wasted Nights and his other #1 country hits were Secret Love and You'll Lose A Good Thing. Fender faded by the late 70s and MCA dropped him in 1980. You can get all his hits on this budget comp. Fender returned to success with The Texas Tornados in 1989 and the spinoff group Los Super Seven. Freddy Fender underwent a kidney transplant in 2002 and then a liver transplant in 2004. But his health hot worse and he died on Oct. 15, 2006 at age 69. Here's Freddy Fender performing Before The Next Teardrop Falls on Hee Haw 1975.