Sixto Diaz Rodriguez
Detroit-born musician series
The artist also known as Rodriguez is a folk singer whose three albums were celebrated in South Africa and Australia…unbeknownst to him.
Cold Fact and Coming from Reality, recorded in the early 70s, did poorly on the US charts, and he was dropped from Sussex Records.
Because of the anti-establishment themes in his music, though, during a time when apartheid was being challenged, his music was celebrated in South Africa. A record company put together a third album consisting of his unreleased tracks, At His Best, which went platinum.
Rodriguez learned of his popularity when his daughter happened upon a website celebrating his work in 1997. He then embarked on a successful tour in South Africa and then Australia.
Sugar Man, his signature song, has been sampled by artists like Nas, and the film Searching for Sugar Man won an Academy Award for best documentary in 2012.
