The Freddy Fender Museum—San Benito, TX
People from San Benito already know who the late great Freddy Fender is, a three-time Grammy-award winning singer that hailed from the Resaca City. But it's Baldemar Huerta (a.k.a. Freddy Fender), the charming barrio kid who grew up in El Jardin that will be introduced to visitors of the San Benito Museums.
And what better way to tell his story than through the Bebop Kid's own words. Freddy Fender Museum Board President Ron Rogers said the exhibit dedicated to the famed rock and roll and country music star includes Fender's quotes serving as a sort of narration that guides visitors through a display showcasing the significant events that occurred in Fender's life.
"Many of the quotes are Freddy's own words, and how appropriate," Rogers said. "We can certainly document his life through photos and stories, but a lot of the quotes that you see in the museum are something special. So people have come away pleased with what we've done. They're impressed." All items on display are in chronological order, Rogers said, allowing Fender's life to be told spanning his birth to his highly-publicized death in 2006.
"I think that people get a glimpse of who Freddy was as a person, and certainly as an entertainer," Rogers said. "Many people even locally don't even realize that this man was known worldwide. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and has sold out venues worldwide, but he never forgot who he was or where he came from." In a career that spanned 50 years, Rogers said he hopes those who are unfamiliar with Fender's accomplishments will come away with a renewed respect for the San Benito native. More importantly, however, Rogers said he hopes that Fender's love and admiration for his hometown will come across in the exhibit.
"Here was a man who came from very humble beginnings in El Jardin and ended up playing for presidents," Rogers said. "Freddy was something else. He was an international star that still called San Benito home. He was a very humble person."
Hesitant to reveal too much, Rogers instead shared one very unique item that is on display: Freddy's 1954 vintage Harley Davidson.
"He was a Harley fan and rider, and when he went into towns that he had never been to before, he always looked for a Harley shop," Rogers recalled with a laugh. "Other than that, I think just the whole exhibit showcases the magnitude of someone who had a career for over 50 years that started when he sang rock and roll in Spanish in the 1950's, which was groundbreaking at that time."
Though exciting for Rogers and Freddy Fender Museum officials and volunteers, the process of setting up Fender's exhibit was somewhat cathartic for most. "The whole process of getting things together was like that (cathartic)," Rogers said. "But the Freddy Fender exhibit is really turning some people's heads. It's got some attention, and people are saying `wow,'" he added.
Fender's widow, Vangie Huerta, was on hand at the museums' opening in November of 2007.
For more information on the San Benito Museums, call Martha McClain, City of San Benito Director of Community Affairs, at (956) 361-3800.