Discover Freddy Fender

Baldemar Huerta, better known as Freddy Fender, was a country and Tejano musician. Born on June 4, 1937, near the Mexican border in San Benito, Texas, , Fender’s career spanned five decades. He passed away in 2006, but his legacy in pop, country, and Tejano music lives on.

Fender’s Musical Sound

Tejano music is a style of Mexican American music from southern Texas, where Fender is from. Growing up, he listened to popular music of the region, including conjunto, Tejano, and blues. Fender mixed American rock & roll and country music with Mexican American conjunto instrumentation (accordion, guitar, bass, and drums) to create his unique Tejano sound. Fender sang in both English and Spanish and found early success through recording cover versions of popular songs in Spanish.

Discover Freddy Fender’s sound here!

Cover art for the ABC Records album The Best of Freddy Fender, 1977

El Bebop Kid

Early on, Freddy Fender used different stage names including Eddie Con Los Shades (Eddie with the Shades) and El Bebop Kid (The Bebop Kid). Ultimately, he chose his stage name by combining Fender, from the Fender guitar and amplifier company, and Freddy for alliteration (similar sounds at the beginning of words or phrases).

With Spanish renditions of Elvis Presley’s “Don’t Be Cruel” (“No Seas Cruel”) and Harry Belafonte’s “Jamaica Farewell,” Fender became the first Mexican American singer to reach number one on the charts in America. His self-penned “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights” received national attention in the United States. These successes helped pave the way for Latin American performers in country and popular music.

Baldemar Huerta as Freddy Fender (El Bebop Kid), 1957

Country Crossover

Fender released the album Before the Last Teardrop Falls in 1974. The title track became a surprise hit, and the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in less than a year for selling 500,000 records. The “Teardrop” single went to #1 on the pop and country charts and won the Country Music Association’s (CMA) Single of the Year award in 1975, with Fender taking home the CMA Male Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year awards as well.

Freddy Fender accepting the award for Single of the Year for “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” at the 9th Annual Country Music Association Awards, 1975.

Returning to His Roots

After a brief acting career in the 1980s, Freddy Fender returned to music that drew inspiration from his Tejano heritage in the early 1990s. Freddy went on to record multiple Grammy-winning albums with two different Tex-Mex supergroups, Texas Tornadoes and Los Super Seven. He also won a Grammy for his final solo album, La Musica de Baldemar Huerta, which Freddy considered to be a combination of musical genres he termed “mariachi country.”

English version of the debut album from Texas Tornados, released by the supergroup in 1990, featuring Flaco Jiménez, Augie Meyers, Doug Sahm, and Freddy Fender

Watch & Listen

Freddy Fender and Charley Pride present the award for Vocal Duo of The Year at the 10th Annual CMA Awards, 1976.

Freddy Fender performs “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights” on Pop! Goes The Country, 1976.

Dolly Parton introduces Freddy Fender singing “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights,” 1977.

Freddy Fender performs “Cielito Lindo” on Nashville Now, 1983.

Freddy Fender performs his #1 hit “Before the Next Teardrop Falls,” 1989.

Photographs

Freddy Fender after singing the national anthem at a Cubs game in Chicago, Illinois, 1978.
Freddy Fender, Willie Nelson, and Doug Sahm, c. 1976
Texas Tornados publicity photo, c. 1991
Freddy Fender (right) and Flaco Jiménez (left) performing at South by Southwest Music and Media Conference in Austin, Texas, 1994.
Freddy Fender interacting with fans, 1976.
Ralph Emery (left) presents Freddy Fender (right) with a platinum commemorative record for his album Before the Next Teardrop Falls, 1976.
Publicity photo of Freddy Fender, 1991, Music City News Collection