Released in 1970 through Sussex Records, Sixto Diaz Rodriguez’s debut album Cold Fact was expected to affect change and dialogue much in the way of Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan. Twelve unbelievable tracks, keenly tuned to the social injustices of the ’60s and early ’70s, boasting lyrics that contained the sweep of human experience, brilliant musical arrangements, and the simplicity of one man and one guitar, the album nonetheless flopped.
In 1971, the album made its way to South Africa and Australia by A&M Records, and became the unofficial soundtrack to the anti-Apartheid movement. Rodriguez, in the meantime, was completely unaware of his success and popularity in South Africa. Due to his isolation from the music community, it was rumoured that he had killed himself during a live performance during the ’70s.
The 2012 documentary Searching for Sugar Man documents Rodriguez’s failed career in the States, his popularity abroad, the discovery that Sugarman was in fact still alive, and his ensuing tour through South Africa to sold-out crowds.
Highlights from Cold Fact include “This Is Not a Song, It’s An Outburst: Or, the Establishment Blues,” “Sugar Man,” and the incomparable “I Wonder” (which contains, arguably, one of the most complicated and compelling bass lines ever composed).
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