Another spoonful of sugar
THE sugar man himself, Rodriguez, continues to bring his sweet music to audiences around the world, and Tasmanians can get another taste when he returns to Hobart next year.
The 76-year-old American singer-songwriter is perhaps best-known for his song Sugar Man, the opening track of his 1970 debut album Cold Fact. The album was inspired by the post-industrial urban decay of his home city Detroit.
Cold Fact and Rodriguez’s follow-up, 1971’s Coming From Reality, went largely unnoticed in the US. But thanks to bootleg recordings and word of mouth, Cold Fact — featuring his signature song, Sugar Man — found its way to Australia and, most importantly South Africa, where his counterculture lyrics struck a chord with the country’s disenfranchised youth.
Rodriguez became a bigger star than Elvis Presley in South Africa. However, without a telephone and years before the advent of the internet, he remained oblivious to his popularity abroad, and spent years working in factory and construction jobs in Detroit to support his family.
Many fans assumed he was dead. And he may have remained an obscure footnote in musical history if not for Malik Bendjelloul’s Oscar-winning 2012 documentary Searching for Sugar Man, which told his extraordinary life story and introduced his music to a new generation of listeners.
Rodriguez continues to tour the world and next year’s Australian trip will see the folk-rock legend play Glenorchy’s Derwent Entertainment Centre among the 13 dates across Australia and New Zealand in February.
The American first toured Australia in 1979 and came to Tasmania in 1981. He last visited Hobart in 2016.
Rodriguez has had strong ties to Australia and New Zealand since his music gained airplay locally in the mid-1970s, long before the rest of the world caught on.
“Australia was my first triumph,” Rodriguez said.
“Australia and New Zealand audiences hold a very special place in my heart, so I can’t wait to return Down Under in 2019.”
The all-ages Hobart show is on February 26, with Rodriguez to be supported by ARIA Award-winning Australian singer-songwriter Sarah Blasko. Tickets are available pre-sale from ticketmaster.com.au