Johnny Rodriguez
- Birth name: Juan Raoul Davis Rodriguez
- Born: December 10, 1951, Sabinal, Texas, U.S.
- Died: May 9, 2025 (aged 73)
- Genres: Country, Outlaw country
- Occupations: Singer/songwriter
- Instruments: Vocals, guitar
- Years active: 1972–2025
- Labels: Mercury, Epic, Capitol. Paula
- Website: johnnyrodriguezmusic.com
Juan Raoul Davis “Johnny” Rodriguez (December 10, 1951 – May 9, 2025) was an American country music singer. He was a Tejano and Texas country music singer, infusing his music with Latin sounds, and sang selected verses of songs in Spanish.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Rodriguez was one of country music’s most successful male artists, recording a string of hit songs, such as “You Always Come Back To Hurting Me,” “Desperado,” “Down on the Rio Grande” and “Foolin’.” He recorded six No. 1 country hits in his career.
Early life
Rodriguez was born in Sabinal, Texas on December 10, 1951, situated 90 miles from Mexico. He was the second youngest in a family of 10 children living in a four-room house. Growing up in Sabinal, Rodriguez was a good student in school and an altar boy for his church. He was also the captain of his junior high school football team.
When Rodriguez was 16 years old, his father died of cancer, and his older brother, Andres, died in an automobile accident the following year. The two incidents had an effect on Rodriguez and he became a troubled teen.
In 1969, at age 18, Rodriguez ended up in jail. He sang frequently in his cell and was overheard by Texas Ranger Joaquin Jackson, who was impressed and told promoter “Happy” Shahan about him. (The common story told is that he was arrested after he and some friends were caught stealing and barbecuing a goat, although Jackson would later state that Rodriguez was in jail simply for an unpaid fine.)
Shahan then hired Johnny to perform at his local tourist attraction called the Alamo Village.During one of his sets in 1971, he came to the attention of country singers Tom T. Hall and Bobby Bare, who encouraged the young singer to go to Nashville, Tennessee. The 21-year-old singer arrived in Nashville with only a guitar in his hand and $14 in his pocket. Hall soon found work for Rodriguez fronting his band, as well as writing songs.
Less than one year later, Hall took Rodriguez to Mercury Records’ Nashville division and landed him an audition with the record label. After performing the songs “I Can’t Stop Loving You” and “If I Left It Up to You,” he was offered a contract with Mercury.[1] He signed and began recording in their Nashville studio.
Career in the 1970s
After signing with Mercury, his first single to be released was 1972’s “Pass Me By (If You’re Only Passing Through).”
This recording was a success, going to No. 9 on the Hot Country Songs list that year. Rodriguez became the first well-known American of Mexican descent as a country singer.
In 1972, Rodriguez was voted the ‘Most Promising Vocalist’ by the Academy of Country Music. The next year, he achieved his first No. 1 hit song, “You Always Come Back to Hurting Me.” Another song that year, “Ridin’ My Thumb to Mexico,” written by Rodriguez, was also a No. 1 hit. Both songs were listed in the Billboard Hot 100.
In 1973, his debut album was released, which rose to No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart. He was nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year by the CMA Awards. In addition to his success in country music, he also had a role on the television show Adam-12 and also made a guest appearance on The Dating Game in 1974.
In 1975, all three singles he released reached to No. 1 on the country chart: “I Just Can’t Get Her Out of My Mind” “Just Get Up and Close the Door,” and “Love Put a Song in My Heart.” Rodriguez’s success on the country chart continued throughout much of the 1970s.
He recorded songs not only written by himself around this time, but also covers of songs such as George Harrison’s “Something,” Linda Hargrove’s “Just Get Up and Close the Door,” Mickey Newbury’s “Poison Red Berries,” and Billy Joe Shaver’s “Texas Up Here Tennessee.”
By 1975, Rodriguez was considered a member of the outlaw country market in country music, like fellow musicians Bobby Bare and Tom T. Hall …
