When my parents emigrated from South Africa, they left their family, their friends, their homes, and their country. What they brought was a little bit of money, education, culture, and of course, music. Their journey ended in Haverford, Pennsylvania, with their education, culture, and music – not to mention three pretty swell kids. My parents assimilated into the American lifestyle while maintaining their sense of cultural identity. My father especially could flashback his earlier life by listening to Rodriguez, a mysterious singer whose music was the anthem of South African youth.

It started in the 70s, when a record called Cold Fact by the artist Rodriguez was brought to South Africa. Though no one knows who brought it, the album spread like wildfire, reaching every end of the country during Apartheid, the political oppression of the South African government against nonwhite citizens. Rodriguez’s music was a psalm of rebellion, with hits such as “This Is Not a Song, It’s an Outburst: Or, the Establishment Blues” or “Rich Folks Hoax.” After Cold Fact came Coming from Reality, and Rodriguez became as much as an icon to South Africans as Bob Dylan was to Americans. Rodriguez’ lyrical content and music became as critically acclaimed as the American artist, and South Africans thought he was just as famous! No one ever knew that Rodriguez was not very well known internationally and was a non-existent presence on American radio. Because South Africans were cut off from the world during Apartheid, their lives were made up of guesses and rumors. They also had no idea who the singer actually was; reports spread that he had died, most of them being suicide conspiracy theories. South Africans could only connect to Rodriguez through his music.

A couple of South African fans of Rodriguez wanted to discover the truth. They searched far and wide, country to country, city to city, until they found the man himself: Sixto Rodriguez, a Mexican American living in Detroit, Michigan.  All along he had been alive.  He had no idea that, even though in America he was invisible to the musical world, he was the most famous man in South Africa.

Rodriguez decided to see if his reported popularity was fact or fiction. He went to South Africa to play a couple of concerts, expecting 10 or 20 people to show up. When he got to the stadium, it was full packed with thousands of loyal fans that worshipped him, and were so happy that he was alive. These concerts took place in the 90s, when oppression was beginning to end in South Africa, and my parents were already long gone. Rodriguez toured to sold-out stadiums every night, in venues as big as Fenway Park. When he returned to America, however, Rodriguez went back to being a contractor, working dirty jobs for little pay. Yet he still had devotees of his music in another nation in another hemisphere.

Rodriguez’ musical career and fame seemed at the end of the line, until Malik Bendjelloul, a Swedish filmmaker, created a documentary about his fame abroad. When the movie came out in 2012, it was praised as a beautiful film; indeed, it almost brought my whole family to tears. The film went to receive the Oscar for best documentary. The most amazing thing about the movie, however, was that once it was released, Rodriguez became widely known in America, and is now performing at sold-out spaces across the country, letting old fans, like my parents, see him live. In fact, he has a massive new fan base because of that incredible movie and his incredible music. If you get the chance, you should see the film, entitled Searching for Sugarman; it is a cinematic experience that will bring your emotions to a standstill.

Rodriguez’ songs, as well as a compilation album of his greatest hits, are available on iTunes. My favorites songs have to be “I Wonder,” “Sugarman,” and (in my opinion) his most magnificent song, “Sandrevan Lullaby-Lifestyles.” Rodriguez’ gorgeous symphony of guitar strums and a little bit of violin make it a near-perfect song.

Rodriguez’s life is truly remarkable, and, if you’re intrigued my his story and want to enjoy more, watch his documentary and listen to his singular music that transformed a generation of South Africans.