This soundtrack reveals lyrics that are timeless and whose message of hope confirms the resonating power of music. 1970, singer-songwriter Rodriguez released his debut album to little fanfare in the U.S., and the story could have ended there. But the LP found its way to South Africa’s underground, where its anti-establishment punch sparked rebellious young Afrikaners at the dawn of the anti-Apartheid movement. Widely bootlegged and traded, the prophetic music fueled the conscience of a disenfranchised youth.
The producers had found a musical folk hero in the purest sense – an artist who reminded them of a Chicano Bob Dylan. They had worked with the likes of Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, but they believed the album they produced with Rodriguez – Cold Fact – was the masterpiece of their producing careers.