ShareThisBy HEATHER ANN WHITE
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
To many, Freddy Fender was a legend. The Grammy Award-winning musician, who died Saturday, not only contributed to music genres including rock 'n' roll, country and Tejano, but also paved the way for Mexican-American and Latino musicians.
"Freddy is one of the few artists who made an impact to different genres. He is one of the first Latinos to cross over into the English market," said Javier "JV" Villanueva, chief executive officer of Tejano ROOTS Hall of Fame in Alice. "He's one of a kind."
Villanueva, 56, met Fender in a small Alice nightclub in 1973 where Villanueva's band was playing. He invited Fender to sit with him and his band. To Villanueva's surprise, Fender accepted. Villanueva said Fender was down to earth and loved his fans.
In 2002, Fender was the first recipient of the Tejano ROOTS Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award, Villanueva said. The company selected Fender because of his accomplishments in so many musical genres, Villanueva said.
"With his contributions, it's just a terrible loss," he added. "We're truly going to miss him."
Texas musician J.T. Coldfire, 26, who performed a benefit concert for Fender last month, said he has been influenced by everything Fender did.
"Being a young man, I can remember dancing around the house, singing his music and watching him on TV," Coldfire said. "My dad would make it a point to drag me out from the yard or my room _ I didn't understand it at the time _ but he was teaching me to respect my heritage."
It was Fender's individuality and accomplishments that earned him a star on the South Texas Music Walk of Fame in Corpus Christi in 2004, said co-founder and director Sue Donahoe.
"We created this tribute to honor the South Texas musicians who enrich our lives," she said. "From the minute we decided to move forward with the walk, we knew the first star had to be Freddy Fender."
Hundreds of fans were waiting for Fender during the ribbon-cutting ceremony, she said.
Donahoe said fans can keep Fender in their hearts by playing his music, telling a story about him or visiting his star.
"He is so huge," she said. "He is so bright in the sky that is Texas music. Love him, play his music _ it's always going to be in our hearts."
Manuel "Daddy D" Davila Jr., owner of Texas Radio 94.7, was 13 when he first saw Fender perform at a San Antonio sock hop in the late 1950s.
Fender knew how to work the crowd even then and could sing any kind of music, he said.
"His craft and sincerity would just come through his voice," Davila said.
That sincerity went beyond his music.
Ron Browning met Fender in the 1970s when he was the owner of Browne's Harley-Davidson, now Corpus Christi Harley-Davidson. Fender was a good customer, he said, and they forged a friendship. In the '80s Fender gave Browning's mother free tickets to his concert in Ohio, where she lived.
"He got my mother on stage and took her back to the dressing room. It was a real treat," Browning said. "He was a good entertainer. He never let the success go to his head."
(Cassandra Hinojosa contributed to this report. Contact Heather Ann White at whiteh(at) caller.com)
