There is something timeless about the music of Freddy Fender, and at that, he is an original with a signature voice. How many performers can you say that about? Count them on your fingers, please.
Saturday night, at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, Freddy Fender, bowed to an audience that gave him a standing ovation. Not only is he timeless, but he is an extremely genuine man, who's had a rough road healthwise in these past years. But he's returned to what he loves and there is no doubt the audience loves him. What's not to love about a man who can sing "Secret Love" like no one else, and with all of his heart and soul. He looked striking in his black hat and black suit as he belted out tunes like, "God Didn't Make Honky Tonk Angels"; "I Got a Woman"; "The Last Teardrop"; and, "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights". Freddy Fender is transitional from one generation to the next, and that's a fact. Back in the 1950's he was known as the Mexican Elvis, and he's come a long way through the years to etch out a place for himself in the tradition and heritage of his own choosing.
In addition to Freddy's solo performance, he allowed Augie Myers to take the stage to sing some good old Tex-Mex. I'll tell you, if you've got the dinero, Augie's got the Camero! And, there's also an 88 year old lady named Thelma in Selma (TX), who's got a mighty fine song written about her. Augie has a way with lyrics and music that's undeniably his own. The band had them dancing in the isles to all these tunes and the roof nearly blew off at the utterance of "Hey Baby Que Paso?"
Opening the show were The Flatlanders and Soul Inc., both amazing bands in their own right. The Coach House booking agent really matched this lineup superbly. It's not often I can go to a three band show and say that I ultimately enjoyed every single one of them!
The Flatlanders based out of Texas have a definitive country sound and it's no wonder they've landed on the Americana Charts several times around. They've traveled throughout Europe, and you can find more on the band at by visiting their website at: theflatlanders.com. If you have the chance to see them, you'll know what I mean.
Soul Inc. have been a band since the 1970's - a soul funk band that revisits songs from the 70's with a mix of some polka and Tex-Mex as well. Now, that's variety! They closed their set with one of my favorite songs, Archie Bell and the Drells "Tighten Up". Soul Inc., comes complete with bongos, sax, horn, and musicians who know how to move in sync.
After the show, a gracious Freddy Fender took time to sign CD's and pictures. He also posed for pictures with fans, and I think for the night I became the official Coach House photographer. Good deed for the day: I wanted to get a few pictures of Freddy to "blog" a story on Barflies.net, and a saddened man next to me couldn't get his camera to work in order to take a picture of Freddy with his wife. I told him I would take a digital and e-mail it to them, and that comment received wide notoriety!
Yes, it was quite a nite folks, and I don't think anyone there would have missed it. Here's to Freddy Fender and music to dance the night away.
For more info on Freddy Fender, check out his official website at freddyfender.com
