Detroit — To the world, Sixto Diaz Rodriguez was an international musician, with a footprint that stretched from Detroit to Australia, to New Zealand, South Africa and beyond.
For two people at a memorial service in honor of Rodriguez on Saturday at the Majestic Theatre in Detroit, he was a humble, loving dad.
Sandra Rodriguez-Kennedy, 58, of Detroit, and her younger sister Regan Rodriguez-Barachkov, 44, of Oxford, said their father “stayed true to the arts, to the humanities and to the plight of people in poverty,” and was one who “spoke up” as an activist for issues of police brutality, civil rights and social oppression.
“He was almost generous to a fault,” said Rodriguez-Kennedy, Rodriguez’s middle daughter of three. “As his daughters, we’d be like ‘are you sure?’ But we’d always do what he wanted. … For people to remember that and want to give him a final ‘thank you’ means so much.”
On Saturday, hundreds gathered at the theater, 3711 Woodward Ave., to share stories, enjoy music and honor the memory of the celebrated Motor City singer, who rose to fame after being featured in an Academy Award-winning documentary.
“Today’s been a really great outpouring of support, and to hear all the stories of folks that met and experienced him … is amazing,” said Rodriguez-Barachkov, the musician’s youngest daughter.
Rodriguez, the subject of the documentary “Searching for Sugar Man,” died Tuesday night at his longtime home in Detroit’s Woodbridge neighborhood. He was 81.
The documentary traced the singer-songwriter’s remarkable journey from obscurity to international success that he achieved decades after he recorded two albums in Detroit in the early 1970s.
“Sugar Man” is the title of one of Rodriguez’s songs, which describes the perils of addiction. It is one of the songs that helped him gain a huge following in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand — a popularity he learned about years afterward.
“Rodriguez’s music was known all over the world. That restores my faith in the idea of ‘what you seek is also seeking you,’ and he sought it will all his heart and it just came together in the right time,” Rodriguez-Kennedy said.
Although he was recognized later on in his career, Rodriguez-Barachkov said it was a “sweet victory” for her father “because, you know, in the beginning (of his career), we judge people here in America by if they make any money or not,” she noted. “He went from walking to the bus to ending up on someone’s private jet. It was nice to see the transformation for someone who really earned it,” she added.
“Everything happens in its proper time; what is meant for you won’t miss you,” Rodriguez-Kennedy said. “(Rodriguez) never wasted any time on who owed him, who cheated him or who never paid him — he’d say ‘lets make new money’ because he only seen possibilities.”
Dan Toms, 78, of St. Clair Shores, said nearly 20 years ago, his brother and Rodriguez would often hang out, which provided opportunities for him to become acquainted with Rodriguez.
Following a tour in Europe Toms’ brother Mike experienced an incident that paralyzed him from the chest down. He said Rodriguez signed and delivered a poster featuring Rodriguez shortly after “Searching for Sugar Man” was released, filling his brother with joy and and support.
“First time I met him, he was congenial; he was a very good conversationalist,” Toms said. “He was friends with anybody. Because of the bond he had with my brother, I personally was drawn in, and I’ll remember him as one of the greatest musicians and writers, especially one that could relate to the average-working human being.”
Other attendees said Rodriguez’s music was transgenerational, reaching listeners from various age groups.
Zach Toms, 35, of Washington Township, the elder Toms’ son, said while at work he turned on Rodriguez’s music, not knowing a colleague from South Africa would recognize him.
“He just made good music, and that’s something he’ll be remembered for.”
Rodriguez, a philosophy graduate of Wayne State University, was politically active despite his unsuccessful run for mayor, City Council and state Senate, his daughters said.
Still, “He wanted to enact change in Detroit,” Rodriguez-Kennedy said of her father, adding that his music was influenced by the city he loved and called home. “That’s what he was speaking to; he was writing about what he saw around him, and making beautiful music out of it,” Rodriguez-Barachkov said.
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