The last teardrop falls

Anyone who was at the Texas Tornados gig at what used to be known as the Town and Country Club back in 1991 will remember it as being one of the gigs of the decade. Each of the four members of the band - Doug Sahm, Augie Meyers, Flaco Jimenez and Freddy Fender - brought something very special to the band and Tex Mex music never sounded quite as sweet as it did in their hands. The death of Freddy Fender at the weekend brought back memories of that fantastic evening just as the death of Doug Sahm did a few years back.
Freddy's career has been well documented in the rash of obituaries that have appeared in the press today. He was a one off, with a foot in various musical camps ranging from country through Tex Mex to rock and roll. Some of his body of work was maudlin, to say the least, but his superb voice shone through the most maukish material and his two most famous recordings Wasted Days and Wasted Nights and Before the Next Teardrop Falls are undoubted classics.
Talking of the Texas Tornados, I saw them once at Tipitina's in New Orleans, but without Freddy, who was ill I believe. Guesting with them was Roy Head, who had come out of retirement at the time for that one off show. Another great evening.