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
Secret Love
FREDDY FENDER Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That lived within this part of me
All too soon my secret love
Became impassioned to be free
So I told a friendly star
The way that dreamers often do
Just I wonder of your eyes
And why I'm so in love with you
Now shout this highest hill
Even told the golden best of you
And now my heart's an open door
And my secret love is no secret anymore
Ai amor mon me le quer morir
Que non miras lo que pasa en mi
Ven y da-me tu calor
Que mi corazon se muere sin tu amor
And my secret love is nno secret anymore
The lyrics of Freddy Fender's song Secret Love talk about a love that was initially kept a secret, but eventually became too strong to be contained. The singer speaks of confiding in a star, a common practice done by dreamers. The lyrics highlight the power of love to transcend boundaries and make even the most guarded heart open up. The singer professes their love openly, speaking of shouting it from the highest hill and telling the golden best of it. The lines "Ai amor mon me le quer morir" roughly translate to "my love, I want to die, can't you see what's happening to me?" The singer is beseeching their lover to come to them and fill them with their love because their heart is dying without it.
The lyrics of Secret Love are poignant and heartfelt. They communicate the desperation and depth of love that the singer feels. The urging of the lover to come and rescue them from a dying heart is powerful imagery that many can relate to. The lyrics show the universal nature of love and how it can make even the most guarded heart open up.
Line by Line Meaning
Once I had secret love
In the past, I had a hidden love.
That lived within this part of me
The feeling was kept hidden within me.
All too soon my secret love
Unfortunately, my hidden love
Became impassioned to be free
Yearned to be expressed openly.
So I told a friendly star
I confided in a star as they say dreamers do.
The way that dreamers often do
As they say dreamers share their secrets.
Just I wonder of your eyes
I cannot help but ponder the beauty of your eyes.
And why I'm so in love with you
Why my heart is captivated by you.
Now shout this highest hill
Now I proclaim this from the highest mountain.
Even told the golden best of you
I spoke about the very best qualities of yours.
And now my heart's an open door
My heart had opened up.
And my secret love is no secret anymore
My previously hidden affection is now public.
Ai amor mon me le quer morir
O love, it almost makes me die.
Que non miras lo que pasa en mi
You don't see what's happening within me.
Ven y da-me tu calor
Come and give me your warmth.
Que mi corazon se muere sin tu amor
My heart is dying without your love.
And my secret love is no secret anymore
My hidden love is now known to all.
Lyrics © Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Tratore, Capitol CMG Publishing, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Paul Francis Webster, Sammy Fain
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ruthboykin9873
Love this song by him ; first heard it by Slim Whitman and he whistles in it; I love love that version too! Thanks for having it Jackie! 🎶❤️🎶
@lupitagomezramirez4292
Era su ídolo d mi papá en paz descanse!!😪
@janesmith5436
El era "el Mexican Elvis!"
@judypowell520
Love Freddy Fenders music. 👍. Judy
@renaysari6631
I used to put this album on when I was a young girl and played it through beginning to end, and today many years later, I can still listen to it beginning to end. Timeless beauty.
@zosimosupremo1192
The w/ me i am now 85 yrs old and it is still in my heart this day
@bobbymartin9616
This song is a timeless beauty, I am 65 and I have listened to this song since I was 17. God bless Freddy's version of this song.
@renaysari6631
@@bobbymartin9616 I first heard him when I was about 7, I am now in my 50's, and still love it. He puts so much heart into this song.
@ronkalishoek2005
Fantastic.
@rudygracia5573
EXCELLENT version!(The best IMO).Throwing a heartfelt Spanish chorus in an English love song add's extra stun power!💪