In 1959, Fender recorded the blues ballad "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights." The song became popular in 1959, but he was beset by legal troubles after he and a band member were arrested for possession of marijuana. After a two years in Louisiana's Angola prison farm, he was released through the intercession of Gov. Jimmie Davis, also a songwriter and musician. Davis requested that Fender stay away from music while on probation as a condition of his release. 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.
Number One Pop and Country
In 1974, Fender recorded "Before The Next Teardrop Falls." The single was selected for national distribution, and became a number one hit on the Billboard Country and Pop charts. His next four singles, including a remake of "Wasted Days", all hit the number one spot on the Billboard Country charts. During the next few years, Fender had several major country hits, including the No. 1 hits "Secret Love" (1975) and "You'll Lose a Good Thing" (1976).
Texas Tornados
In the 1990s, Fender teamed up with fellow Tex-Mex musicians Doug Sahm, Flaco Jimenez and Augie Myers to form the Tex-Mex supergroup the Texas Tornados, whose work was widely acclaimed. Following the death of Sahm, the production of the Tornadoes slowed.
Los Super Seven
Freddy Fender continued to still be on top with a groundbreaking collaboration with several musical legends to produce another supergroup, Los Super Seven which consisted of David Hidalgo (vocals, guitar, drums, bass, percussion, requinto, hidalguera); Rick Trevino, Joe Ely (vocals, guitar); Flaco Jimenez (vocals, accordion); Cesar Rosas (vocals, six-string bass, guitar, guitarron, jarana); Freddy Fender (vocals, acoustic bass); Ruben Ramos (vocals). This Super Seven effort won a Grammy in 1999.
On February 4, 1999, Freddy's star was installed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 2004, the Texas Folklife Resources produced a widely acclaimed sell-out show at the Paramount in Austin, Texas " Fifty Years of Freddy Fender", where Freddy was honored and then performed to a packed house. Also in 2004, Freddy's hometown of San Benito Texas honored Freddy with his likeness emblazoned on their new watertower with "Hometown of Freddy Fender". Freddy would later say that this honor meant more to him than any other accolade he had ever won.
Freddy Fender's Masterpiece...
La Musica De Baldemar Huerta
Freddy delves deeply into the music of his forefathers: the boleros and rancheras that would have played in the ghettos of his native San Benito, Texas, and that he sang as a youth in border-town cantinas. Especially gorgeous are "Adios Muchachos," a melancholy meditation on final farewells, and the delicate opener, "Rayito de Luna." El Be Bop Kid isn't just back; he sounds reborn. Freddy won his last Grammy for this album.
Freddy Fender underwent a kidney transplant in 2002 donated by his daughter and a transplant of the liver in 2004. Nonetheless, his condition continued to worsen. He was suffering from an "incurable cancer" in which he had tumors on his lungs. On December 31, 2005, Fender performed his last concert and resumed chemotherapy.
Fender has Passed on...
Rest in Peace, Vaya Con Dios
Freddy Fender passed away on Saturday, October 14, 2006, after a long battle with lung cancer. He is buried in his Hometown of San Benito, Texas.
Plans are underway for a Freddy Fender Museum to be located in his beloved hometown, San Benito, Texas. Check back at: www.freddyfendermuseum.org or
www.freddyfender.com
I Can
FREDDY FENDER Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So I've made up my mind
To live in memory
Of such an old lonesome time
I can't stop wanting you
It's useless to say
So I'll just live my life
Those happy happy hours
That we once knew
Though long ago
They still make me blue
They say that time
Heals a broken heart
But time stood still
Since we've been apart
I can't stop loving you
So I've made up my mind
To live in memory
Of such an old lonesome time
I can't stop wanting you
It's useless to say
So I'll just live my life
In dreams of yesterday
In "I Can't Stop Loving You" by Freddy Fender, the singer expresses the depth of his feelings towards someone he has lost. He cannot stop loving this person and feels that living in the past is the best way to cope with the pain of their absence. He has come to the realization that even though he cannot be with them, he can still hold onto the happy memories they created together. The nostalgia is so strong that it makes him feel blue, despite the fact that the memories are from long ago.
The lyrics illustrate the idea that time does not necessarily heal all wounds. In fact, for the singer, "time stood still" since the loss of his loved one. He has been unable to move on, but instead has learned to live with the pain of his unrequited love. Though he knows that it is "useless to say" that he wants this person back, he continues to dream about the past and hold onto the love he shared.
Overall, the song is a heartfelt expression of love and loss that many listeners can relate to. It highlights the importance of treasuring memories and learning to cope with grief in one's own way.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't stop loving you
The feeling of love towards someone has become so strong that it is impossible to let go
So I've made up my mind
The decision has been made, and there's no going back
To live in memory
The only way to keep the memories alive is to keep revisiting them
Of such an old lonesome time
The time was long ago, and it mostly comprised of solitude
I can't stop wanting you
The thoughts about the person are so intense that it is impossible to forget them
It's useless to say
Expressing the emotions is of no use now
So I'll just live my life
The only way to move on is to live life with a hopeful perspective
In dreams of yesterday
The sweet memories are cherished through imagination of the past
Those happy happy hours
The moments of bliss shared together
That we once knew
The memories of togetherness
Though long ago
Though those memories are of the past
They still make me blue
The melancholic feeling is still present when dwelling in the memories
They say that time
It is said that with time, things get better
Heals a broken heart
It helps in mending the brokenheartedness
But time stood still
Time has not brought any change to the feeling
Since we've been apart
Since the time of separation
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DON GIBSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind