Rodrigo González

Rodrigo González, (b. December 25, 1950–d. September 19, 1985) better known as?Rockdrigo?or?El profeta del nopal?("The?Nopal?Prophet"), was a?Mexican?musician and songwriter. He founded the?Movimiento Rupestre?("Cave Movement"), a voice-and-guitar?folk music?scene that strongly influenced?Mexican rock. The early death of thistamaulipeco?musician in the?1985 Mexico City earthquake?gave him legendary status among listeners of the Mexican rock.
Rodrigo was born in?Tampico, Tamaulipas?and studied at the?Félix de Jesús Rougier?school in?Tampico, where he was a good student. He always liked?psychology, he even studied by a brief time at the?Universidad Veracruzana?in?Xalapa?before moving to?Mexico City?in 1977 with the desire to make music.
He arrived to the capital and began playing in bars and?cafes. At first, he survived by singing covers in the streets of the city "in the English style." Then he developed an interest in "seeing what happens at an existential level, being a street musician." Over time, he began to create an oeuvre from his experiences on the streets.
The lyrics of Rockdrigo mixed the urban lifestyle with the troubles of the urban poor, and found many listeners among students. His songs could also be tender, such as "Metro Balderas," the ballad about losing a lover in?metro station, which is still being played both inside the train (mainly in the Metro line going to the university), and by other rock musicians. In 1985 Rockdrigo began to become well-known in the capital. Writers such as?José Agustín?commented on his songs.
At the time of his death he was living in an apartment in?colonia Roma, one of the areas most affected by the?September 19, 1985 earthquake. His daughter, Amanda Escalante, has recently begun her own career as the singer?Amandititita.