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
Winter of My Life
FREDDY FENDER Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Get out my life woman
You don't love me no more
Get out my life woman
You don't love me no more
Get out my eyes teardrops
I got to see my way around
I got to see my way around
Get out my life, heartaches
Nothin' but heartaches by the pound
Get off my ladder, woman
I got to climb up to the top
Get off my ladder, woman
There is nothin that can make me stop
Get out the way, woman
I got to be movin' on
Get out the way, woman
I got to be movin' on
Get out the way, woman
I got to be movin' on
I'm sorry I've got leave you
The lyrics to Freddy Fender's song "Winter of My Life" are about a relationship that has ended. The singer is telling his former lover that she does not love him anymore and that she needs to get out of his life. He wants to move on and see the world without the teardrops in his eyes and the heartaches in his life. He tells her to get off his ladder, meaning that he needs to climb up to the top of his own goals and aspirations, and there is nothing that can stop him. The singer is determined to move on from the relationship, and he asks the woman to get out of his way so that he can continue on his journey without any more obstacles.
The lyrics are emotional and demonstrate the feelings that come with a breakup. The singer is experiencing heartbreak, yet he is determined to move on and not let the breakup keep him down. He is taking control of his own life and moving forward.
Line by Line Meaning
You don't love me no more
Your feelings towards me have changed, and you no longer have love for me.
Get out my life woman
Please leave my life, as your presence is no longer welcome.
Get out my eyes teardrops
Stop making me cry and leave me alone to see things more clearly.
I got to see my way around
I need to navigate through life and make decisions without the burden of emotional pain.
Get out my life, heartaches
I don't want to carry the weight of sadness and pain with me anymore.
Nothin' but heartaches by the pound
The amount of emotional pain I'm feeling is overwhelming and exhausting.
Get off my ladder, woman
Please don't hold me back or prevent me from achieving my goals and aspirations.
I got to climb up to the top
I need to achieve success and reach new heights in my life.
Get out the way, woman
Please move aside and don't hinder me from progressing.
I got to be movin' on
I need to continue on my life journey without any obstacles in my way.
I'm sorry I've got leave you
I regret that circumstances have led me to leave you behind, but I must do what is necessary for my own well-being.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Allen Toussaint
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind