I read on the news today about the passing of the pop singer known only by his last name, Rodriguez. He was beloved by millions; one of his fans described him as providing the soundtrack of their lives.
What’s that? You’ve never heard of him? That’s because his fame was almost entirely in South Africa, where it is said he is better known and loved than Elvis or the Beatles.
Rodriguez himself is not South African; rather he is an American, who lived (and died) in Detroit, Michigan. In his younger years he sang in local bars and clubs in Detroit. He was signed to a recording contract with Motown and made a couple of albums. But the albums never went anywhere. That is to say they never went anywhere in this country. But they became exceedingly popular in South Africa. Rodriguez, himself, knew none of this (and never received a penny of the royalties from his albums).
Most of Rodriguez’s fans in South Africa believed he was dead, but someone there eventually discovered that he was alive (and working as a construction worker in Detroit). He was invited to South Africa to do a tour.
Rodriguez was surprised but went. He was expecting to play in small clubs or bars. His adult daughter said she expected 30 or 40 people. Instead he played in a football stadium with over 5,000 fans in the audience; they greeted him with a five-minute ovation when he first came on stage. When he began to sing, the whole audience knew his songs and many sang along. I can only imagine what that would be like for someone who had assumed his music career had been a failure.
I learned about this from seeing a story on 60 Minutes several years. If you care to, you can watch it here:
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/rodriguez-the-2012-60-minutes-interview/