When Freddy Fender was released from prison in 1963, he had to start his once-promising recording career from ground zero again. He took menial jobs by day and played clubs in New Orleans by night. In the meantime, he went back to high school to get his diploma (he had dropped out in the eighth grade).
At the time that “Before The Next Teardrop Falls” took off, Freddy was earning $1.85 an hour at a car wash back in Texas. Suddenly, his career exploded and in November of 1975, Newsweek Magazine hailed him as “The Tex-Mex Troubadour.”
