Johnny Rodriguez - Decline in The 1980s & Into The 1990s

Decline in The 1980s & Into The 1990s

Despite the outlaw movement fading from view in the late 1970s, Rodriguez was determined to stay on top of his game. In 1979, he switched to Epic Records. Under Epic, he worked with the legendary producer Billy Sherrill, who produced some of the biggest names in the business at the time. His first hit from Epic came that year with the No. 6 country hit, "Down on the Rio Grande." His debut album from the record company was entitled Rodriguez. All the songs from the album were cover versions.

Although Rodriguez did not make the Top 10 continuously as in the past, he managed to stay in the Top 20, with hits like "Fools For Each Other" and "What'll I Tell Virginia." At the same time, Rodriguez continued to be a popular concert attraction wherever he went. However, Rodriguez was also having personal problems. In 1983, he went into the Top 5 with the hit song "Foolin'," followed by the Top 10 hit "How Could I Love Her So Much." However, by the mid-80s, he was becoming less successful. In 1982, he did a duet with Zella Lehr on the song "Most Beautiful Girl (La Chica Mas Linda)." The single was released by Columbia Records. In 1986, he left Epic Records.

In 1987, he signed with Capitol Records for a brief period of time. He had his last major hit in 1988 with "I Didn't (Every Chance I Had)," which reached No. 12 on the country charts. By 1989, he left Capitol Records.

Overall in the course of his career, Rodriguez released 26 albums and 45 charted singles. He has also had six No. 1 hits on the country charts. In 1993, he recorded an album for Intersound Records called Run For the Border. In the mid-1990s, the Indie label "High-Tone" released an album called You Can Say That Again. He also continued to tour around the country during this time. In 1996, he turned to another label, Paula Records, which issued a single called "One Bar At a Time", but it was unsuccessful. By this time his musical presence was fading from the public view, as more neo-traditional country singers were making hits on the country charts, like Garth Brooks, Randy Travis, and Dwight Yoakam.

In 1998, Rodriguez was arrested at his home after shooting and killing a man named Israel "Bosco" Borrego, whom he mistook for a burglar. He was charged with murder but was acquitted by a jury a year later on grounds of self-defense, under Texas law.