Johnny Rodriguez was a driving force in country music for much of the 70s. From 1972 – 79, he accumulated 18 top-10 singles and four gold albums. However, like most other singers of his era, his music has been shelved in lieu of today’s “hot country music.”

Johnny Rodriguez was born on December 10, 1952 in Sabinal, Texas. He acquired an interest in country music at an early age. At age 16, Johnny formed his first band and worked local events. In 1969, he was introduced to Happy Shanhan, who hired Johnny to sing at Shanhan’s Alamo Village. Two years later, Shanhan became Johnny’s manager. He hooked Johnny up with Tom. T. Hall, who hired Rodriguez as a guitarist for his band. Hall took Johnny on the road and later, he began fronting the band. Tom T. helped Johnny get a recording contract with Mercury Records. Soon thereafter, Johnny rocketed to stardom in an incredibly short and effortless time.

Rodriguez’s initial Mercury single, Pass Me By charted in 1972 and quickly rose to the top-10. Johnny proved that his success was no fluke, when subsequent songs solidified his position as an aspiring country singer. From March, 1973 to October, 1975, Johnny racked up five No. 1 Hits. You Always Come Back was his first No. 1 single, followed by Ridin’ My Thumb to Mexico (his biggest) and Just Get Up and Close the Door.

In 1979, Johnny left Mercury and signed with Epic Records. Johnny wrote his first Epic single, Down On the Rio Grande. After a flurry of singles and a half dozen albums released on Epic, Johnny’s popularity began to wane. Later he admitted that a long connection with drugs had lead to a careless attitude, resulting in his poor performance and a sharp decline in record sales. At an all-time low in 1983, he fired his band. Sometime later, Johnny convinced producer Richie Albright to form a new band and work with him. Albright agreed, but with the stipulation that Johnny quit drugs and become totally professional and take a serious responsibility toward his work. Johnny agreed and his record sales immediately picked up. However, he failed to have a substantial impact on the charts. By 1987, after a four-year hiatus, he had switched to Capitol Records and returned to the charts. Once again though, his chart activity was minimal. His final chart, Back to Stay failed to break the top-40.

Johnny Rodriguez had a considerable impact on the direction of traditional country music. He helped steer country music from its pop/rock course that it was being diverted to by such pop artists as Oliva Newton John and Maria Osmond.

His music that resulted from a 10-year chart run, has been released on compact disc (CD). There are a number of CD units available, but most are an assortment and duplication of his biggest hits. My recommendation is the above-pictured CD entitled Johnny Rodriguez - Greatest Hits. Originally released by Mercury in 1976, it includes such big hits as Pass Me By, You Always Come Back, Ridin’ My Thumb to Mexico and Just Get Up and Close the Door.

Johnny Rodriguez - Greatest Hits is currently available at

Career Highlights

Birth Place - Sabinal, Texas

Career record label - Mercury

First Top 10 - Pass Me By (1972)

Biggest Hit - Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico (1973)

Chart Run -1972 - 1989

Johnny Rodriguez Home Page

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Revised: 11/8/1999 | Thanks for visiting!