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IT’S old news now that very little was known of quiet troubadour Sixto Rodriguez in the 1970s and 1980s when his music was played devotedly by a small group of mostly South African and Australian fans. Then came the documentary, made by a Swede. Now there’s a book.

So, this is a book about a little-known man about whom an Oscar-winning documentary was made in 2006. Set scepticism aside — Sugarman: The Life, Death and Resurrection of Sixto Rodriguez collates interesting facts and discusses the many stories that relate to Rodriguez’s life, and authors Craig Strydom and Stephen Segerman’s search for their musical hero.

Details

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  • TITLE: Sugar Man The Life, Death and Resurrection of Sixto Rodriguez
  • AUTHOR: Craig Bartholomew Strydom and Stephen 'Sugar' Segerman
  • PUBLISHER: Penguin

When Malik Bendjelloul’s Searching for Sugarman documentary was released in 2006 — the title refers to one of Rodriguez’ more famous songs — many believed Rodriguez to be dead.

The book is broken into three parts. It covers the hunt for information about if and how Rodriguez died, his life before he was found by Strydom and Segerman and the documentary. It also chronicles Bendjelloul’s career. He is a character in himself and the book explores this impressively.

At times the story is overwritten. Rodriguez is described as one of the greatest artists of all time, yet he released only two albums. Even if it was not all his fault that his career was so limited, this may be something of an exaggeration. The book also deals with tragedy well, the writers are honest and not afraid to throw punches.

It makes for a good companion piece to the Searching for Sugarman documentary, Rodriguez’s music and the various magazine and newspaper articles written about his life and impact on popular culture, at least in SA. Most of the reports were written after the documentary won an Oscar for Best Documentary. The bits detailing SA in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s will be enjoyable for South Africans who were young at that time, everything from apartheid to conscription and early lad magazines feature.

This is probably one of the most unusual rock ’n roll stories out there.