Johnny Rodriguez

ANR Records mourns the loss of iconic country music, Tenajo, and Texas singer Johnny Rodriguez, who passed May 9, 2025 after a short illness.

For the past few years ANR has been working with Johnny to film a documentary of his life, and also release an accompanying country and Mariachi album, Building Bridges. Johnny was passionate about the project and kept thinking of things to add, more people to interview, and more people to sing duets with to make it even better for his fans. ANR will complete the project over the course of 2025 as a tribute to Johnny. Current duet partners include Tanya Tucker, Dennis Quaid, his daughter, Aubrey Rodriquez; and mariachi singer Daisy Sanchez.

“Johnny’s passing is a tragic loss to the music community,” said Rick Stevens, president, ANR Records and producer of the documentary and musical project. "He crossed so many boundaries and genres with his music, and was able to stay busy and relevant as a musical artist for more than five decades. He will be missed by us and his many fans, and we will finish this project as a tribute to him.”

Tanya Tucker also sent her thoughts. "Dennis Quaid and I recently reconnected after forty years  He has always been a Johnny Rodriquez fan, so when Johnny and asked us to record tracks for an album project he was were working on we said yes. I have so many fond memories of our day in the studio with Johnny! Dennis and I both got so excited about Johnny's album and he was singing better than ever!! Losing Johnny was so painful for me. We’ve been friends since I was fourteen, when we did our first tour of Texas together. I've loved his singing from the start, so it was a blessing that our duet will be included on this album. Adios my good friend. Rest easy, and I’m so thankful you asked me to sing on this record, now the world and I have you forever in our hearts and with a song.”

And this, from Lee Roy Parnell. "Johnny and I became friends playing shows together, mostly  in dance halls of Texas the seventies and eighties. Most times, I’d open the shows with my band and then we’d  back JR up for his show. John possessed that incredible voice (I never heard it fail him) and he delivered his gift with such heart and soul. Rodriguez was the Real Deal. Through the years we’d wind up bumping into one another on the road and we’d pick up right where we left off, every time. The last time I bumped into Johnny, literally, was at the old Padre Hotel in downtown Bakersfield a couple of years back. I was backing out of my hotel room (hauling guitars, of course) when, as if on cue, Johnny backed out of his room at the exact same time, which incidentally was directly across the hall from me. We bumped, then both said, “Excuse me!” turned around, saw each other, and fell over laughing! It was like that. I will cherish that day with my friend. And so, in closing, I’ll just say that Johnny Rodriguez was my friend and I will miss him.”