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
Silver Wings
FREDDY FENDER Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shinning in the sunlight
Roaring engines
Headed somewhere in flight
Their taking you away
And leaving me lonely
Silver wings
Slowly fading out of sight
Don't take that airplane ride
But you locked me out of your mind
Left me standing here behind
Silver wings
Shining in the sunlight
Roaring engines
Headed somewhere in flight
Their taking you away
Leaving me lonely
Silver wings
Slowly fading out of sight
Silver wings
Shining in the sunlight
Roaring engines
Headed somewhere in flight
Their taking you away
Leaving me lonely
Silver wings slowly fading out of sight
Slowly fading out of sight
The song Silver Wings is a melancholic ballad by Freddy Fender about the heartbreak of watching a loved one leave on an airplane. The imagery used in the lyrics is very powerful and descriptive, creating a vivid picture in the listener's mind. Silver Wings refer to the plane's wings, which shine brightly in the sunlight as the plane prepares to take off. The roaring engines add to the sense of urgency and anticipation, building up to the moment of separation.
The singer pleads with the person leaving not to go, expressing his sadness and loneliness. He feels left behind and forgotten, symbolizing the emotional distance between them. The repetition of the chorus highlights the idea of the silver wings slowly disappearing from view, representing the finality of the separation.
Overall, the song conveys a sense of deep emotional pain and heartbreak. The lyrics and melody work in concert to create an utterly heart-wrenching experience for the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
Silver wings
The silver airplane wings represent the hope and freedom of the one leaving.
Shinning in the sunlight
The brightness of the sun reflects the beauty of the silver wings, and therefore, the freedom of the one leaving.
Roaring engines
The noise of the plane indicates its power and strength, which will take the one leaving somewhere new.
Headed somewhere in flight
The plane is taking the one leaving to a new destination, filled with new possibilities and opportunities.
Their taking you away
The artist acknowledges that there is no stopping the one leaving.
And leaving me lonely
The departure of the person, represented by the silver wings, and going to a new place in life, will leave the singer feeling alone and abandoned.
Slowly fading out of sight
The silver wings will eventually disappear from the singer's life, leaving only memories of the person and the hope they represented.
Don't leave me I cry
The artist is begging the person not to leave, knowing that their departure will create a void in the artist's life.
Don't take that airplane ride
The artist is trying to convince the person not to go, knowing that the plane will take them away from the artist's life and into a new world.
But you locked me out of your mind
The artist feels that the leaving person has mentally separated themselves from the artist, making it easier to leave.
Left me standing here behind
The singer feels left behind by the person leaving, and is left to deal with the pain of their departure alone.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: Merle Haggard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Deanne Costello
Beautiful song, beautiful singing.RIP Freddy..
CC Knoxville
Sad but absolutely beautiful song sung with such feeling !
Nancy Phillips
Love this song, never knew Freddy Fender recorded it. Love this man.
baddacoodoo
Heard this song on the radio today by accident...whilst flicking through the channels....Beautiful song x
Jennifer Hall
I love to hear Freddie fender he has a beautiful voice.
LOUISE L. WALKER
I HAD NEVER HEARD HIM SING THIS SONG BUT IT WAS BEAUTIFUL
javon mojica
My father introduced this music to me, Freddy Fender! Love it brings so many great memories.,
SERGIO ABUNDIS
LA INFLUENCIA DE FREDDY FENDER ESTÁPRESENTE EN MI TRABAJO COMO CANTANTE , EN MI MENTE ESTÁ HACERLE UN DISCO DE 10 EN TRIBUTO .. EXCELENTE CANCIÓN .
Rita Heasman
what a fantastic song this is by freddy fender he has a brilliant voice , I wanna cry everytime I listen to silver wings
Irene Blea
One of my all-time favorites