Sunday, April 6, 2025

Listen to a Freddy Fender (aka Baldemar Huerta) acetate from the mid 50s

In the mid 50s, Freddy Fender – then Baldemar Huerta – cut a 4-song demo in hopes of getting a recording contract. Check it out.


Here's the scoop...

This is an astonishing artifact that was at The Arhoolie Foundation for an unknown amount of time before a needle was ever dropped on it.  One day, (Arhoolie Records owner) Chris Strachwitz and I were in the vault going through the shelves of 45’s that still needed digitizing while casually talking about small regional Texas labels that he liked. Throughout the vault were scattered stacks and boxes of 78’s and 45’s that were being spot-checked for their condition and cross-referenced in the database for missing catalog numbers. I, like many music lovers, have a habit of seeing a stack of records and immediately thumbing through them, while the weight of the records carefully rests on my belly. This particular acetate that I picked up was on top of a stack that had caught my eye and asked Chris about it. He looked over and stated he didn’t remember where he got it but confirmed that it was Freddy Fender. I ran upstairs and digitized it right away and was blown away by what I heard! Being a huge fan of Baldemar Huerta’s early rock and roll recordings with Falcon Records and Discos Ideal, I was left speechless. I continued to scan the label and digitize it and ran back to the vault to share the sound files with Chris. What this unique artifact ended up showcasing, was a 4 song acoustic demo that I suspect was cut to submit to either Falcon or Ideal Records around the mid-1950’s, however, I would love to know if anyone has further insight on this treasure! 

Songs:

‘A Man Could Cry’

‘It’s Too Late To Remedy’

‘Louisiana Blues’

‘Pink Cadillac’


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