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
Whiskey River
FREDDY FENDER Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't let her memory torture me
Whiskey River, don't run dry
You're all I got, take care of me
Whiskey River, take my mind
Don't let her memory torture me
Whiskey River, don't run dry
I'm drowning in a Whiskey River
Bathin' my memory's mind in the wetness of its soul
Feeling the amber current flowing from my mind
To a warm and empty heart you left so cold
Whiskey River, take my mind (whiskey river take my mind)
Don't let her memory torture me (don't let her memory torture me)
Whiskey River, don't run dry
You're all I got, take care of me
Oh
Whiskey River, take my mind
Don't let her memory torture me
Whiskey River, don't run dry
You're all I got, take care of me
Whiskey River, take my mind
Don't let her memory torture me
Whiskey River, don't run dry
You're all I got, take care of me
Oh
Whiskey River, take my mind
Don't let her memory torture me
Whiskey River, don't run dry
You're all I got, take care of me
Whiskey River, take my mind
Don't let her memory torture me
Whiskey River, don't run dry
You're all I got, take care of me
The lyrics of Freddy Fender's song 'Whiskey River' is a plea to the river to take away the memories of a lost love that is tormenting the singer's mind. The singer seems to be drowning in the river of whiskey, hoping that the alcohol will numb the pain of losing his lover. The river is his only source of comfort, and he begs it not to run dry as it is all he has left to take care of him.
The metaphor of the whiskey river represents the escapism that the singer seeks to run from the pain of the past. The heavy drinking and bathing in the river of whiskey is a representation of his desperation to forget the painful memories. The line, 'Bathin' my memory's mind in the wetness of its soul' emphasizes the extent of his desire to escape.
There is a sense of desperation in the repeated lines of the chorus, where the singer pleads to the river to take his mind and not let his lover's memory torture him. In essence, the song is about a man who is coping with heartache by immersing himself in alcohol and hoping that the river of whiskey will ease the pain.
Line by Line Meaning
Whiskey River, take my mind
I am asking the Whiskey River to help take my mind off of my past lover.
Don't let her memory torture me
I don't want to be tormented by the memories of my previous lover.
Whiskey River, don't run dry
I'm depending on the Whiskey River to stay full and get me through my tough times.
You're all I got, take care of me
I only have the Whiskey River to depend on to ease my pain.
I'm drowning in a Whiskey River
I'm feeling overwhelmed by the Whiskey River and its effects.
Bathin' my memory's mind in the wetness of its soul
I'm bathing my mind in the soul of the Whiskey River to try and forget my past lover.
Feeling the amber current flowing from my mind
I can feel the Whiskey River flowing through my mind like amber.
To a warm and empty heart you left so cold
My heart is empty because of you, and I'm trying to fill it with the warmth of the Whiskey River.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Johnny Bush
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind