Sugar Man

Sugar Man — the Mexican American singer-songwriter Rodriguez — died in his Detroit home at age 81 on August 8th.? It was like hearing about an old friend and the sadness was laced with some wonderful memories.

For those of you who don’t know, Sugar Man came of age in the folk-rock era, influenced by musicians like Bob Dylan, who wrote about dark social realities yet inspired people to find hope and fight for change.??

Thought by many in the Detroit music scene to be extremely talented, he recorded two records in the 1970s.? But they were absolute flops, and more contracts and shows didn’t come.? So he followed his Latino heart and values, and decided to put music aside in favor of more reliable construction work, because first and foremost he felt himself a family man.

Yet, unbeknownst to him, in South Africa, he found a mass audience of people who found his songs just the anthems they needed as they struggled and fought against apartheid.? There he was, in fact, as popular as Elvis Presley, selling millions and millions of records.??

In the US, a “zero.” In South Africa, he was a hero.? There is a great documentary made in 2012, “Searching for Sugar Man,” made by the Swedish director Malik Bendjelloul, that won Best Documentary at the Oscars. If you haven’t seen it yet, please do.? It is a beautiful film and you can find it online easily.??

“Searching for Sugar Man” tells the extraordinary story of how two of his fans from Cape Town, Craig Strydom and Stephen “Sugar” Segerman, decided to find Rodriguez and bring him to Cape Town.? Their search for him in the 1990s was, of course, before the internet let us track everyone, everything, everywhere.

But they were persistent and they found him in Detroit, where he was still working construction, completely oblivious to his fame in South Africa. They brought him to South Africa for a few concerts, but then he returned to his quiet Detroit life.?

I, too, love his music, his life story, his roots as the son of Mexican immigrants.? I continue to be moved and intrigued by the beauty and power of his song to help galvanize a movement for change. Living in Europe then and working for the United Nations, I traveled to Africa, where I had the honor of meeting Rodriguez, along with Segerman.

I had hoped that I could pair him together with an Italian singer, Zucchero (the Italian word for sugar) or bring him to the United Nations, where I thought a performance would be particularly poignant. But despite efforts all around, it didn’t come to pass.?

Thinking about Rodriguez, about Sugar Man, is another reminder of how Latinos help shape global culture. ? I only lament that here, in his own country, he remained unknown and unappreciated.? In my own life, his music helped reinforce my own beliefs about what makes advocacy resonate — the practical must always be infused with passion and poetry.? In order for change to happen, a movement must connect with people deeply.? He had a true gift for that.

?????????I feel truly sad to hear Rodriguez had passed away.? Sugar Man remains an icon of the revolution in South Africa, and his beautiful songs and voice live on.? Perhaps now is a perfect time to rediscover him here. ?