Freddy Fender (born Baldemar Garza Huerta in San Benito, Texas, USA on 4 Ju… Read Full Bio ↴Freddy Fender (born Baldemar Garza Huerta in San Benito, Texas, USA on 4 June 1937 – 14 October 2006) was a Mexican-American 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. He is best known for his 1975 hits "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" and the subsequent remake of his own "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights".

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

It's Raining
FREDDY FENDER Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Drip drop
Drip drop
Drip drop
Drip drop

It's raining so hard
Looks like it's gonna rain all night
And this is the time

I'd love to be holding you tight
But I guess I'll have to accept
The fact that you're not here
I wish the rain would hurry up
And end, my dear

It's raining so hard
It's really coming down
Sittin' by my window
Watching the rain fall to the ground
This is the time
I'd love to be holding you tight
But I guess I'll just go crazy tonight

It's raining so hard
It brings back memories
Of the time
That you were here with me
Counting every drop
About to lose my top
I wish the rain would hurry up and stop

I've got the blues so bad
I can hardly catch my breath
The harder it rains
The worse it gets
This is the time
I'd love to be holding you tight
But I guess I'll just go crazy tonight

Drip drop

Drip drop
Drip drop

Overall Meaning

Freddy Fender's song "It's Raining" is a classic example of a heartbreak ballad. The song is about a man who is watching the rain pour down, reminiscing about how much he wishes he was with his lover. He's filled with sadness, unable to breathe because of the pain of lost love.

Fender's repeated refrain of "drip drop" creates a rhythmic sound that mimics the sound of raindrops. It also serves to underscore his despair – drip drop, drip drop, it never ends.

In the first verse, Fender speaks directly to his absent lover, wishing he could hold her tightly. He acknowledges the fact that she's not there, and he's accepted his loneliness, but it's not enough. He wants the rain to hurry up because he's in agony.

The second verse continues in the same vein. Fender is sitting by the window watching the rain, wishing he was holding her, but he's going crazy instead.

In the third verse, Fender recalls the times she was there with him, and the memories represent the agony he's in. He's counting the drops, ready to lose his mind, and wishes the rain would stop.

The chorus underlines Fender's pain. He's got the blues so bad that he can hardly catch his breath. The harder it rains, the worse it gets. He wants to hold her so badly, but he can't.

Overall, the song is a tribute to lost love and the pain that comes with it. Fender's soulful voice perfectly captures the deep sorrow and longing that anyone who's experienced heartbreak can relate to.

Line by Line Meaning

Drip drop
The sound of raindrops falling on a surface

It's raining so hard
The rain is heavy and persistent

Looks like it's gonna rain all night
The rain is expected to continue throughout the night

And this is the time
The current moment or situation

I'd love to be holding you tight
I want to be close to you

But I guess I'll have to accept
I must acknowledge and come to terms with

The fact that you're not here
You are not present with me

I wish the rain would hurry up
I hope the rain stops soon

And end, my dear
To come to a conclusion, my love

It's really coming down
The rain is falling heavily

Sittin' by my window
I am sitting next to the window