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This 1975 Hit Single Was Recorded by Two Country Icons Before Becoming a No. 1 Track for Someone Else in 1974
Freddy Fender made “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” a major hit in 1975, helping launch his solo career after he was asked to record a demo. His bilingual version reached No. 1 and remains among his best-known songs.
Charley Pride had recorded the song in 1967 and Jerry Lee Lewis in 1970, but neither released a hit version. Fender’s recording topped both the country chart and the Billboard Hot 100, earned him a Grammy nomination and won the CMA Single of the Year award. His success led many other artists to cover it, and he scored two more two-week No. 1 hits in 1975.
In short
- Fender’s bilingual recording became a 1975 No. 1 hit.
- Charley Pride and Jerry Lee Lewis recorded it earlier.
- The song won Fender the CMA Single of the Year award.
Explained simply
“Before the Next Teardrop Falls” is a country song written by Ben Peters. Before Freddy Fender recorded it, country singers Charley Pride and Jerry Lee Lewis had made recordings that did not become hit releases.
Fender was a Mexican-American singer who performed in English and Spanish. His version became a major success in 1975 and helped establish his solo career, while later covers carried the song to new audiences.