San Benito, Texas – ‘Wasted Days and Wasted Nights: A Meteoric Rise to Stardom‘
written by Tammy Lorraine Huerta Fender tells the true-life story of
her famous father, the late Baldemar Huerta aka Freddy Fender – The King
of Tex-Mex. As only seen through the eyes of Freddy’s daughter, her
book expresses in intimate detail his rise to success, heartbreaking
fall and final redemption bringing to life the heartfelt memories of a
man and family caught in the whirlwind of great fame, and conveys in a
compassionate yet forthright manner the shattering addictions that
accompanied this fame.
‘Wasted Days and Wasted Nights’ takes the reader on a journey which
covers Freddy’s early life of brutal poverty as a child migrant worker,
his years as a U.S. Marine, the shocking arrest and imprisonment of his
early 20s, his barrier-breaking singing career as he exploded into and
crossed over different music genres, and the alcohol and drug addiction
from which he suffered.
During his last 21 years of sobriety, Freddy sought spiritual
redemption, practiced forgiveness and made amends in his daily life; he
came to lead by example with the aid of his higher power Jesus Christ.
Freddy Fender was known to millions of people across the world as “an
ordinary man who had extraordinary God-given talents.”
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
About Freddy Fender:
Freddy was a Mexican-American singer who rose from the depths of
poverty, breaking free from a life spent picking cotton and rising to a
life spent picking guitar. In his youth, in 1956, he was the first to
record and sing Spanish rock and roll; he was known as the “Mexican
Elvis” and called “El Bebop Kid.” In the mid-1970s, Fender would become
famous literally overnight as a rock ‘n’ country megastar with his first
two monster hits “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” and “Wasted Days and
Wasted Nights.”
Instantaneously, his records crossed over the Billboard country charts
into the rock and pop charts, each rising to No. 1. He was given a
Country Music Association award for “Single of the Year” and an Academy
of Country Music award as “Most Promising Male Artist” in 1975. His
voice and charismatic personality also made him a nationwide television
celebrity in the ‘70s and ‘80s.
About the Tammy Lorraine Huerta Fender:
Tammy Lorraine Huerta Fender has divided her father’s autobiography into
two books. The first book explores Freddy’s struggles as he achieves
the great American dream. The sequel delves into the darkness of the
addictions that ravaged his and his family’s lives, forcing Freddy to
the realization that he needed a divine intervention. The story of
Freddy’s ultimate healing and hard-won sobriety is a searing story of
faith and redemption. Tammy states that in writing a frank, realistic
book that tells the true story of her father’s life, she is honoring her
father’s last wish; Freddy wanted an authentic, uncompromising book to
be written about his life. And readers will see that his daughter Tammy
has done just that, conveying in honest prose the tale of a child
migrant worker with a passion for music who picked cotton, a
three-string guitar and achieved the great American Dream.