Rodrigo González (Mexican musician)

Rodrigo González
Cover of the album Hurbanistorias
Background information
Birth name	Rodrigo Eduardo González Guzmán
Also known as	Rockdrigo, El Profeta del Nopal
Born	(1950-12-25)December 25, 1950 Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Died	September 19, 1985(1985-09-19) (aged 34) Mexico City, Mexico
Genres	Folk, rock, blues.
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, author.
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, harmonica.
Years active	1979–1985
Labels	Ediciones Pentagrama
Associated acts	Movimiento Rupestre, Javier Bátiz
Website	Official site

Rodrigo González, (December 25, 1950 – September 19, 1985), better known as Rockdrigo or El profeta del nopal ("The Nopal Prophet"), was a Mexican musician and singer-songwriter. He founded the Movimiento Rupestre ("Cave Movement"), a voice-and-guitar folk music scene that strongly influenced Mexican rock. The early death of this tamaulipeco 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. A music video was filmed inside Metro Balderas in early 1984, at the time, it received poorly rotation. Actually, a Bronze sculpture in the same subway station was dedicated to the musician. In 1985 Rockdrigo began to become well known in the capital. Writers such as José Agustín commented on his songs.