Remembering Rodriguez, a pioneer with tragic story

In the mid-1990s, there was a show on The Nashville Network that was called "Music City Tonight."The show was hosted by Lorianne Crook and Charlie Chase, a pair of Nashville Djs.On this day, the guest on the show was Johnny Rodriguez, a country music star from the 1970s.Rodriguez — at that time, still in his mid-40s — was dressed in a blue jacket, a red shirt, and a blue tie.Crook told the live audience that before the show, she'd complimented Rodriguez's tie."Tanya Tucker got me this tie," Rodriguez said.Crook did the same for his coat, and Rodriguez revealed that he'd gotten that from George Jones.He had come wearing a different jacket, and that was given to him by Mel Tillis.Rodriguez's entire wardrobe, it seemed, was bestowed upon him by country music royalty.It was played for laughs on the show; Rodriguez was a little frugal.But the fact was, Rodriguez had gone through rough times before he was a country music star.He was going to go through rough times in the years after that light-hearted interview and seemed to know it.He didn't seem to take anything for granted.Rodriguez, who charted six No. 1 country music songs between 1973 and 1976, died last week at 73.In the wake of his death, he has been called a groundbreaking artist, recording albums in English and Spanish and being the first Hispanic country star.Rodriguez's story was so much more than his songs. He spent time in jail as a youngster, then beat a murder charge in the late 1990s.He was liked and appreciated by some of the biggest stars in the world. Willie Nelson — his one time father-in-law — produced for him. George Strait said he was inspired by him.Rodriguez even played for three presidents, and performed at George H. Walker Bush's inauguration in 1988.But for all the talk about him fusing different styles of music, and for his bilingual phrasing, his best known songs were straight-up traditional American country.His biggest hit — or at least most memorable — was a song called "Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico."There is some classical guitar in the beginning of the track, but the song itself is an earnest one, about love, loss and moving on. The song was written by Rodriguez; he was just 21 at the time.Honestly, the song reminded me of one of Strait's first big hits: "Amarillo by Morning," which came nearly a decade later.As time went on, Rodriguez was still a presence in country music, but he was not the massive star he had been in the mid-1970s.In listening to Rodriguez's music, I was kind of sad that he faded away from the mainstream after his initial success. He had a real talent, a natural appeal, and a sincere, if understated, voice.Perhaps the fleeting nature of his fame had to do with shifting musical tastes; perhaps it was due to drug and alcohol issues, which plagued him for years.I have memories of him being a frequent guest with Ralph Emery on Nashville Now in the early '90s (my grandmother always watched it when she visited in the summer from Florida), but by that time, Rodriguez's chart-topping days were behind him.His troubles were not. In 1998, Rodriguez shot and killed an acquaintance, 28-year-old Israel Borrego. He claimed he thought Borrego was a burglar. Rodriguez was acquitted of the murder charge by a jury.Regardless of the trials and tragedies, Rodriguez was a real special performer. His voice was excellent, and he was a trailblazer in music.You just can't help but wonder how big he could have gotten had things played out just a little differently.Maybe he could have been George Strait before George Strait. Zach Baker is the sports editor of The Courier.