Searching for Sugarman

Myths and legends are almost as important to the history of rock ’n’ roll as the music itself: tragic deaths, mysterious disappearances, and true stories that are so unlikely you couldn't make them up if you tried. But the amazing tale of working class Detroit singer-songwriter Rodriguez exists entirely in a category by itself. “Searching for Sugarman” is an award winning documentary by Swedish director Malik Bendjelloul that tells the incredible story of the gifted and often times mysterious singer-songwriter who at the time,  was a musician who burned bright and hopeful before disappearing.

Sixto Rodriguez as he is called; was signed to a two album record deal with Sussex and A&R records. His first album “Cold Fact” received good reviews, but when neither it nor the second album “Coming from Reality” sold well; he was subsequently dropped from the labels. Little was known of him after that and his story seemed to end there. Until several years later, when his albums travelled half way around the world to Cape Town, South Africa, there, bootlegged copy of his albums were passed from hand to hand and it became the anthem for the anti-apartheid movement.

The people in South Africa considered him one of the greats, with almost every household owning at least one of his albums. Naturally they thought he was famous all around the world, like how Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, or The Beatles were. They had no idea who the man behind the incredible music was, only the music that was the driving force and not the artificial image that so often overshadows the music today.

 In the absence of information, the mystery around him grew and many myths and rumours about him circulated. The documentary enlists the audience in the search for Rodriguez, and it moves back and forth between Detroit and Cape Town, interviewing important figures in South African music and the people that knew him. It is an inspiring and engaging film that showcases the impact music can have in people’s lives and two diehard fans Steve Segerman and Malik Bendjelloul in their search for the man behind the music.

By Daniel