‘Sugar Man’s’ Rodriguez to be profiled on ’60 Minutes’

You’ve seen the documentary (“Searching For Sugar Man”). You’ve heard the music. You may even have caught last week’s concert at the El Rey.

But if you’re like most of us, you still may have trouble believing the incredible saga of Sixto Rodriguez, the Detroit-born rock troubadour who in the early 1970s made two remarkable albums that went nowhere, then dropped out of sight for nearly three decades -- until he was resurrected and hailed for his role as one of the founding fathers of apartheid-era South African progressive rock.

If you haven’t heard the tale -- or possibly if you have but are still pondering the mysterious source of Rodriguez’s Bodhisattva-like equanimity in the face of life’s ironic twists -- you can tune in this Sunday to “60 Minutes.” Correspondent Bob Simon of the CBS weekly news magazine is profiling Rodriguez, and a preview clip depicts the humble Mexican American Motown bard gingerly traversing the city’s crumbling industrial-scape while characteristically swatting away praise.

You also can think of the “60 Minutes” segment as a kind of Oscar season preview; if “Sugar Man” doesn’t get a nomination, it’ll be one of the cinematic crimes of the century.

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