Legendary Rodriguez in Stará Tržnica
The story of Sixto Rodriguez can be boldly called one of the most powerful in the history of music. His songs were copied by millions, they inspired anti-apartheid warriors, and legends were being told about him, while he was working at construction sites back home. One of the best songwriters from the end of the hippie era has finally earned the merited recognition thanks to the Oscar documentary “Searching for Sugar Man”. His history with Pohoda was powerful, too. It took us six years to finally drag him to our festival, and once here, he did not want to leave. He eventually became the last foreign artist to leave the festival grounds. In the course of conversation, he mentioned his two almost-sold-out shows in the Royal Albert Hall as well as the fact that he would like to return to Slovakia very soon. Many artists say they would be glad to come back; Sixtoʼs team worked with us from the very first days after Pohoda. As a result, there will be just one concert added to those in one of the most prestigious music halls in the world—you can see this fantastic songwriter, who has lived an incredible musical and life story, in the Old Marketplace in Bratislava on 30th September. You will enjoy the intimate atmosphere of his songs the way he composed them, as this will be an exceptional solo performance.
15. August 2018
Tickets: https://tootoot.fm/sk/events/5b73d21b28b826028c369fe3
Event: www.facebook.com/events/1642032915907396
His first album Cold Fact was co-produced by Dennis Coffey (he worked with artists such as Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, etc.). The second album Coming from Reality was produced by Steve Rowland (The Cure, Boney M). Former Motown boss spoke of him as of one of the five artists who most touched him emotionally (while he worked with names such as Bill Withers, Miles Davis, Michael Jackson, Steve Wonder, Quincy Jones). The above mentioned artist likened Rodriguezʼs song writing talent to the one of Bob Dylan. And the result? The first album did not gain much popularity the second was such a “flop” that the publishing company terminated the contract with him two weeks before Christmas. In 1976, he bought a deserted house in Detroit for $50 (he still lives there). He gradually gave up on music, and despite he graduated from philosophy, he predominantly earned his living as a day labourer in construction sites.
In the meantime, 13,333 km south-east of his home in the Republic of South Africa, he became a cult and his songs were an inspiration of anti-apartheid warriors. His albums have exceeded the sales numbers of Elvis Presleyʼs recordings, while most of his work would spread illegally. Songs such as “Establishment Blues” and “Sugar Man” were a boulder in the eye (ear) of censors who forbade them and systematically destroyed discs and cassettes containing the songs. The legends of his life and death were spread among the fans—it was believed that he ended his career and life with suicide on the stage. Everything changed when in 1997 Rodriguezʼs daughter discovered a page that searched for her father. She contacted the authors on the page, they arranged concerts, and Rodriguez sold out each one of them (he returned to the country several times). Despite his tremendous success in RSA, he returned home and continued his secluded life.
He received recognition not only at home through a documentary film by the Swedish director Malik Bendjelloul Searching for Sugar Man that also won the BAFTA and Oscar Awards. He then appeared on the most popular American shows “Late Show with David Letterman” and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”, on the British show “Later... with Jools Holland”, and performed at festivals such as Glastonbury, Sasquatch, and Montreux Jazz. His songs are being remade by the most famous bands; they appear in films, and are listened to by the generation of the age of grandchildren. Sixto Rodriguez, the hero of one of the most incredible musical stories in history, played his wonderful songs at Pohoda 2018 and we are very happy you will have the chance to hear them in Slovakia in Bratislava's Old Market again on the 30th of September.