Sixto Rodriguez 1942-2023

Known as Mama Africa and the Empress of African Song

*Swedish Filmmaker* Malik Bendjelloul and Sixto Rodriguez

The world lost a beautiful soul this past week--singer songwriter Sixto Rodriguez--whose amazing life story is a true modern day fairy tale. The only saving grace is that I hope he runs into my late husband Gert Mathiesen somewhere up there--Gert thought it was the most amazing story of our generation and he couldn't stop talking about it...and after reading this article/obituary, I realize this quote by Alex H. Krinsky in Relix sums up his sentiments to a tee: “This was the greatest, the most amazing, true story I’d ever heard, an almost archetypal fairy tale… It’s a perfect story. It has the human element, the music aspect, a resurrection, and a detective story.”

Here goes:

Rodriguez, born poor in Detroit, Michigan was playing guitar and making music for much of his early years and although producers recognized his enormous talent ("the next Bob Dylan," they said), and two albums were produced, record sales never took off. In fact he hardly sold an album (he had two: Cold Fact and Coming from Reality) in the United States.

He made his living doing odd jobs, carpentry, heavy labor and demolition work while living in a modest dwelling in downtown Detroit. He raised three beautiful daughters there and although he continued to play music for himself (and even make an unsuccessful attempt to run for public office), he remained poor and unknown.

Here is the fairly tale part of the story...unbeknownst to him, all the way on the other side of the earth in South Africa, his record was a huge hit, selling more copies than any other record of the time. In fact, a whole mythology developed around the life of Sixto Rodriguez and what they thought was his untimely mysterious death, and his album became a symbol and a rallying cry of resistance to apartheid. To say he was beloved in South Africa is an understatement.

The story unfurled as record store owner, Stephen Segerman got curious one day in the late 90's and started researching what ever happened to this talented musician. I will let Rodriguez himself and Swedish film director Malik Bendjelloul tell you the rest of the story in an interview they did with the Weekly Comet.

For those who haven't heard his music, you are in for a real treat and for those who don't know his story, you may be surpised to hear how something like this could actually happen in this day and age. It is all documented in an Academy Award winning film entitled Searching for Sugarman, which I highly recommend!

John Casado, Graphic Designer, Artist, Photographer

Since I have been dabbling in portraits lately, this one above caught my eye and I decided to look into who the artist was. His name is John Casado and it turns out he is a well-know graphic designer and advertising guy, who is also an artist and photographer. Here are a few of his portraits that struck my eye.

Little did I know that he designed the original packaging for the Apple Macintosh Computer and many album covers, and also had his hand in an Academy Award winning short documentary film entitled Why Man Creates.

Quotes on Love and Friendship

If you ask me why I feel so rich in life, it is because of deep relationships that I have cultivated over the years. Growing up in a cooperative community made me realize early on the importance of connection and I try hard to make the effort to stay in touch with people I care about. Here are a few quotes that mirror my thoughts on the subject:

"The longer I live, the more deeply I learn that love — whether we call it friendship or family or romance — is the work of mirroring and magnifying each other’s light. Gentle work. Steadfast work. Life-saving work in those moments when life and shame and sorrow occlude our own light from our view, but there is still a clear-eyed loving person to beam it back. In our best moments, we are that person for another."
--James Baldwin

“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” – Marcel Proust

“Don’t let the moment pass. Don’t let the people you love walk by you without letting them know how you feel about them, because life slips by, then it’s over.” – Louis Litt

“Love grows by giving. The love we give away is the only love we keep. The only way to retain love is to give it away.” – Elbert Hubbard

Paintings of the Week

A recent sale to a home in Middlebury, Vermont. Green Garden, mixed media on canvas, 51” x 51” approx.

Charity of the Week:
Maui Food Bank

About The Author

New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow, began writing the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her and her art, visit her website and check out the essay written by the Hammond Museum's Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.