Freddy Fender – The ballad of Baldemar Huerta
The Tornados released three albums on Reprise — their self-titled 1990 debut, 1991’s Zone Of Our Own, and 1992’s Hangin’ On By A Thread — before calling it quits. “The reason we split up is that we couldn’t stand each other,” Fender says, flatly. Even so, they regrouped in 1996 for Four Aces, their most underrated record, and a final live album in 1999, the year of Doug Sahm’s death.
“It hit Augie harder than anybody else,” Fender says. “It was like an arrow right through his heart. I always thought I’d be the first one to go. I was sick all the time. And Doug was just a bundle of energy. I loved him.”
Taking a cue from the Texas Tornados’ supergroup approach was Los Super Seven, which expanded the lineup and steered the sound more toward Mexican-American styles. The group’s self-titled debut on RCA in 1998 included Fender and Jimenez from the Tornados; Los Lobos’ David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas; Texas songwriters/bandleaders Joe Ely, Rick Trevino and Ruben Ramos; and accordionist Joel Jose Guzman.
Fender was not part of the altered Los Super Seven lineup that released Canto last year, instead directing his attention toward La Musica De Baldemar Huerta, his first full exploration of traditional Mexican songs, sung in Spanish. Originally issued independently last year, it caught the attention of Back Porch/Virgin, which gave the disc a broader release on February 12.
La Musica De Baldemar Huerta features songs Fender remembered from his childhood, songs that would have been shared in the border town cantinas and at youthful fiestas in San Benito. The sound alternates from the spartan trio format of rhythm guitar, requinto and guitarron, to florid, string-graced ballads that sound like the most romantic, albeit fading, dreams of youth.
“This younger generation is taking the older generation and throwing it into oblivion,” Fender says. “In terms of Hispanic music, they don’t have much to dig from for the real stuff to come out. But the traditional style can still relate to music from 100 or 200 years ago. It’s not a fad; it’s a continuation of what was.
“But sometimes,” he pauses, “I think I’m the one that’s out of groove.”
The album was produced by brothers Mike and Ron Morales, neither of whom had ever worked on traditional Mexican music before. “We had talked for a number years with a partner of ours of doing a back-to-the-roots album of indigenous music.” Mike says. “We thought we could do a great record if we had the time, the money, and the voice. When we had a chance to work with Freddy, we knew we had the voice.”
“Freddy’s voice hasn’t changed much,” Ron says. “He sounds as good today as he did all those years ago. When we had the initial song meetings, we went through some tunes; some of it was nice, some Americana tunes. But at the end of the meeting, Freddy started singing these songs he used to sing in the cantinas. We were taken aback. That was the exact sound we wanted. In about 10 minutes, he started running through 15 of those songs. He said, ‘If you like that, wait till you hear this.'”
As any longtime resident of San Antonio will tell you, some of the finest traditional music can be heard in the Mexican restaurants, played by trios, many of whom have attained quasi-legendary status. For the basic tracks, the Morales brothers tapped Juan Aguilar, Pancho Perez, and an astonishing lead guitarist and requinto player, Chepe Solis.
“They probably know 2,000 songs,” Ron says. “They’re very talented and versatile. There was a restaurant I was eating at, and they were gigging there. We asked if they’d come into the studio and they did.” In early 2001, Fender met with the musicians to work out arrangements; then, because of his failing health, he returned to Corpus, where he cut the vocal tracks in the back of a music store.
One of the most moving tracks, “Adios Muchachos”, is at times a farewell letter to close friends, at times a farewell to life itself. “In the ’30s, there was Carlos Gardel; he was the greatest in Argentina of the tango singers,” Fender explains. “That song was translated into English and recorded in the U.S. as the song ‘I Get Ideas’. But in reality it’s the song ‘Adios Muchachos’. In the original, it says that God was so jealous that he took my girlfriend away. In a way the singer is saying he’s a little teed off at God. But I changed the wording; it sounded sacrilegious to me.”
The album closes with a couple “bonus tracks” — two of Fender’s biggest hits from the ’70s, “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” and “Secret Love”. As much as any single project could, La Musica De Baldemar Huerta provides a glimpse into the soul of a singer and tells, through simple songs of love and loss, the story of a life.
“I never thought of becoming a great singer,” Fender says. “For years it was just having fun. Later on I just got high, doing dope, enjoying my singing. I thought I was serious, but I was just laughing throughout the whole thing. Now I look back, and it’s like a good boxer who hasn’t gotten all the good fights. I just want a little respect after I’m gone. I want to be remembered as somebody with a heart.”
ND contributing editor Roy Kasten lives and writes in St. Louis, Missouri. He has probably spent enough quarters on “Wasted Days And Wasted Nights” to buy all the jukeboxes in Harlingen.