Freddy Fender

Most recently, Freddy Fender has signed a contract with a major label, and continues to sing, play and tour from his base in Texas. His body was brought back to Los Angeles, California for interrment in Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery. Following the death of Sahm, the production of the Tornadoes slowed. Andy Gibb died at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, England, of heart failure. In the 1990s, Fender teamed up with fellow Tex-Mex musicians Doug Sahm, Flaco Jimenez and Augie Myers to form the Texas Tornados, whose work was widely acclaimed. After a brief affair with the actress Victoria Principal, his career began to wane, and the use of drugs, especially cocaine, took its toll on his health. His next four singles, including a remake of "Wasted Days", all hit the number one spot on the Billboard Country charts. He soon followed it up with "Shadow Dancing" (the only Top Ten hit written by all four performing Gibb brothers), and for a brief period was one of the world's top pop stars, achieving almost immediate success in both the USA and UK.

The single was selected for national distribution, and became a number one hit on the Billboard Country and Pop charts. In 1977, he had his first major hit, "I Just Want to Be Your Everything", a song written by his brother Barry. In 1974, Fender recorded "Before The Next Teardrop Falls". They had one child before he left her in 1978, his work and family commitments having come between them. By the end of the 1960s, Fender was back in Texas working as a mechanic, and attending a local junior college, while only playing music on the weekends. In 1976, he married his girlfriend, Kim, in Sydney, Australia. After a two year jail term, Fender ended up in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he would spend the next five years. All of his singles released hit the number one spot simultaneously.

The song became popular in 1960, but he was beset by legal troubles after he and a band member were arrested for narcotics possesion. Instead, he embarked on a successful solo career. In 1959, Fender recorded "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights". The idea of his joining the Bee Gees was often mooted, but the age gap between him and his elder brothers made this difficult to achieve. He then headed for California. He was born Andrew Roy Gibb in Manchester, England, to Hugh and Barbra Gibb, and began performing while still a child, performing in bars in Australia and Spain at only 15 years of age. He took Fender from the headstock of his guitar, and Freddy because it sounded good to him. Andy Gibb (5 March 1958 - 10 March 1988) was a British singer and teen idol, and the younger brother of Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb, also know as the famous Bee Gees.

In 1959, Baldemar changed his name to Freddy Fender. In 1957, he released two songs to moderate success in Mexico and South America, Spanish versions of Elvis Presley's "Don't Be Cruel", and Harry Belafonte's "Jamaica Farewell". He returned to Texas and played bars and honky-tonks throughout the south, mostly to Latino audiences. At the age of 16, Baldemar quit school and started a three year hitch in the US Marines.

As a child, Baldemar and his parents travelled throughout the US as migrant farm hands. Freddy Fender, born Baldemar Huerta in San Benito, Texas on June 4, 1937, is a Tejano, country, and rock and roll musician, known for his work as a solo artist and in the groups Los Super Seven and the Texas Tornados. Official Freddy Fender web site (http://www.freddyfender.com/). HomeFest - an annual festival in San Benito in Freddy Fender's honor.

Grammy Award "Best Latin Pop" (2002) - for La Musica de Baldemar Huerta. Louisiana Hall Of Fame (2001). Grammy Award "Best Mexican/American Performance" (1999) - for Los Super Seven. Nashville Sidewalk of Stars (1999).

Texas Music Hall Of Fame (1999). Hollywood Walk of Fame (1999). Freddy Fender Lane (1994) - dedicated in his hometown of San Benito, Texas. European Walk of Fame (1993) - in Rotterdam, Holland.

Grammy Award "Best Mexican/American Performance" (1990) - for the Texas Tornados. Inaugural Balls - Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush Sr. Tejano Music Hall of Fame (1987). Grammy nominations in 1975, 1976, and 1997.

Country Music Association (1975) - "Single of the Year" for "Before The Next Teardrop Falls". Academy of Country Music (1975) - "Most Promising Male Vocalist".