Searching for Sugar Man : Sixto Rodriguez' Mythical Climb to Rock N Roll Fame and Fortune

Until 2012 the name Sixto Rodriguez didn’t mean much in America. But in South Africa, Sixto Rodriguez was a rock ‘n’ roll legend. When a documentary titled “Searching for Sugar Man,” about the musician’s surprising fame in South Africa won the Academy Award in 2012, Sixto Rodriguez found himself in the spotlight that evaded him for so long.

Now in this new biography by prolific rock writer and historian Howard DeWitt, Sixto Rodriguez’s life and contributions to music receive the attention they deserve.

Despite critical acclaim, Rodriguez’s two albums, recorded in the early 1970s, never sold many copies in the United States. So Rodriguez did what he had to, turning to manual labor in Detroit to raise three daughters as a single parent. Despite small pockets of dedicated fans cropping up over the years, Rodriguez remained virtually ignored by the music industry, though music business fat cats seemed more than willing to collect royalty earnings from his songs.

Separating myth from the fascinating reality of this man’s life, Searching for Sugar Man presents Sixto Rodriguez for the brilliant contrarian he is—and celebrates his resurrection from the creative dead to find international stardom.

Howard A. DeWitt is a professor emeritus of history at Ohlone College in Fremont, California. He received his BA from Western Washington State University, his MA from the University of Oregon, and his PhD from the University of Arizona. He also studied at the University of Paris, Sorbonne, and the City University in Rome.

Professor DeWitt is the author of twenty-three books and has published over two hundred articles and reviews in twenty-one popular and scholarly magazines. He is the author of the first book on Chuck Berry, which was published by Pierian Press in 1985 under the title Chuck Berry: Rock N Roll Music. Professor DeWitt has also published ten books on the topic of rock music. Sun Elvis: Presley in the 1950s was a finalist for the Deems-Ascap award for best academic rock music book.