The Faculty Lounge: Before the Next Teardrop Falls

June 08, 2024

Before the Next Teardrop Falls

"Before the Next Teardrop Falls" was written by Vivian Keith and Ben Peters in 1967 and was recorded a couple of dozen times by various artists over the next six or seven years. It charted briefly twice, without much notice. Then along came Baldemar Garza Huerta, better known as Freddy Fender, in 1975. Fender had been performing under various names and nicknames -- including El Bebop Kid and Eddie con los Shades -- since the late '50s, with some success, including a hit with "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights," but he'd spent three years in a Louisiana prison on drug charges, leaving his career in doubt. (He was pardoned by Gov. Jimmie Davis, who was also a musician most famous for the first recording of "You Are My Sunshine" in 1940.)

It proved to be one of the great intersections of artist, song, and timing. Fender's release reached number one on the country chart, and then number one on Billboard's Hot 100. His recording included a verse in Spanish, and he later recorded an entire cut in Spanish.

This is obviously lip synced. I can't find a live solo performance from the 1970s, only lip-syncs, but there are some later career clips at the bottom of the post.