Subterranean Music History of Detroit: Sixto Rodriguez and The Band Called Death
- Joi :)
- Jul 6, 2017
- 3 min read
We've all heard the archetypical story of an artist who suddenly disappears from the face of the earth and whose true cause of death is never uncovered, or whose rare music tapes are lost to never be found again. Two modern documentaries expose two different hidden musical talents of Detroit, Michigan, both of whom have been paying music since the late 1960's but have only reached the surface of public recognition within this past ten to fifteen years...
"Searching For Sugar Man," is a 2012 documentary about musician and songwriter Sixto Diaz Rodriguez, whose music never made it big in the United States but somehow managed to explode into the forefront of South Africa's music mainstream. Tracks from Rodriguez's 1970 debut album Cold Fact sang openly about politics and class issues in a lyrical and sincere way, especially the songs "I Wonder," "Crucify Your Mind," "Sugar Man," "Cause," and others. His music gave a voice to the voiceless, those in poverty and those discriminated against, and this was the soundtrack for South Africans all throughout the apartheid who pushed for change and racial equality. Although his vocal tone and guitar technique bare striking similarities to the world renowned Bob Dylan, one reason why music historians suspect his music never became popular in America is due to his Hispanic ethnicity, and America during the 60's and 70's was not particularly open to or interested in the music of non-White artists.
Because I don't want to spoil too much of the documentary for you, I will simply provide a link to rent or buy the movie here:
His music can be found on youtube and by using the following links:
"Before There Was Punk, There Was A Band Called Death," a 2012 rockumentary about three brothers, Dannis, Bobby, and David Hackney, describes the life and music of their punk band Death, which they formed in the early 1970's and never received public applause for until the 2000's. Once again, a huge reason for them never receiving fame during their prime years is because of their race, and racial inequality appears to be a reoccurring theme throughout the Western music industry (as well as gender inequality, but I will save that talk for another day). The Hackney Brothers continually faced rejection from record labels due to what was viewed as a lack of marketability, not only because they were African American but also because the band name "Death" created a dark stigma around their persona which record label owners thought would turn away listeners. Although the band leader, Bobby Hackney, has passed away since, the remaining brothers have kept their recordings and managed to break through and create a few full records, their debut album titled ...For the Whole World To See. Some of my favorite songs of theirs include "Politicians In My Eyes," "Keep On Knockin'," and "We're Gonna Make It." They were heavily inspired by classic punk bands such as AC/DC, but their music was clearly in the thick of protopunk, having preceded later punk bands such as The Ramones.
To watch the full documentary, use the link here:
Their music can be found on youtube and by using one of these links:
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