Rodriguez career initially proved short-lived with two albums in the early 1970s and some brief touring in Australia. Unknown to him however, his work proved extremely successful and influential in South Africa, although he was mistakenly rumored in that country to be dead by suicide. In the 1990s, determined South African fans managed to seek out and contact him, leading to an unexpected revival of his musical career. Their story is told in the 2012 documentary, Searching for Sugar Man, which has helped give Rodriguez a measure of fame in his native country.
Vooral voor Bob Dylan fans