Cold Fact  by Rodríguez

The history and journey of Sixto Diaz Rodríguez, or Rodríguez, from Detroit is probably unique in the magical world of pop & rock music. Between August and September 1969, Rodríguez recorded his first album titled Cold Fact, which was released in March 1970 by Sussex Records. It is an album that follows the then-dominant musical trend of folk rock with many elements of psychedelic rock.

Cold Fact went completely unnoticed in the U.S. At some point in 1976, thousands of copies of the album, left abandoned in a warehouse in New York, were sold in Australia, where the album achieved unexpected success to the point that in 1978 it reached No. 23 in Australia and spent fifty-five weeks on the country's music chart.

Rodríguez recorded a second album in 1971, which did not achieve success. Consequently, Sussex Records terminated the contract with him. However, his career began to take off in South Africa with both of his albums without him having the slightest idea, as he, disappointed, withdrew from the world of the music industry. His success in South Africa skyrocketed as rumors spread that he had died in the U.S. and was considered more significant than Elvis Presley. The financial benefits from the thousands of copies being sold in the African country were collected by a group of exploiters, while he continued to live in poverty and hardship in Detroit (!) After 1990, the fraud came to light, and Rodríguez gave a series of concerts in South Africa, where he was welcomed as a superstar (!)