He is a best-selling musician few people in the northern hemisphere had ever heard of until his story was told in 2012’s Oscar-winning documentary Searching for Sugar Man.
Even Sixto Rodriguez himself didn’t know how famous he was in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand... because the money wasn’t exactly rolling in. Now the mystery of his missing royalties has been solved at last, and the 70s folk rocker – likened to Bob Dylan – has finally been paid his dues.
The American singer spent decades working as a builder and had no idea he was famous until he was tracked down by a couple of obsessed fans from South Africa. His records bombed in the States and his record label failed to alert him to the fact that he had developed a cult following overseas.
