Editing Johnny Rodriguez (section)

===Career in the 1970s===
After signing with Mercury, his first single to be released was 1972's "[[Pass Me By (If You're Only Passing Through)]]."<ref name="LarkinCountry"/> This recording was a success, going to No.&nbsp;9 on the [[Hot Country Songs]] list that year. Rodriguez became the first well-known [[Mexican Americans|American of Mexican descent]] as a country singer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.classic-country-song-lyrics.com/johnnyrodriguezlyrics.html|website=Classic-country-song-lyrics.com|title=Johnny Rodriguez lyrics|access-date=2011-07-14}}</ref>

In 1972, Rodriguez was voted the 'Most Promising Vocalist' by the [[Academy of Country Music]]. The next year, he achieved his first No. 1 hit song, "You Always Come Back to Hurting Me."<ref name="LarkinCountry"/> Another song that year, "[[Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico]]," written by Rodriguez, was also a  No. 1 hit. Both songs were listed in the [[Billboard Hot 100]].

In 1973, his debut album was released, which rose to No.&nbsp;1 on the Top Country Albums chart. He was nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year by the [[CMA Awards]]. In addition to his success in country music, he also had a role on the television show ''[[Adam-12]]'' and made a guest appearance on ''[[The Dating Game]]'' in 1974.

In 1975, all three singles he released reached to No. 1 on the country chart: "[[I Just Can't Get Her Out of My Mind]]" "[[Just Get Up and Close the Door]]," and "[[Love Put a Song in My Heart (song)|Love Put a Song in My Heart]]."<ref name="LarkinCountry"/> Rodriguez's success on the country chart continued throughout much of the 1970s. He recorded songs not only written by himself around this time, but also covers of songs such as [[George Harrison]]'s "[[Something (Beatles song)|Something]]," [[Linda Hargrove (songwriter)|Linda Hargrove]]'s "Just Get Up and Close the Door," [[Mickey Newbury]]'s "Poison Red Berries," and [[Billy Joe Shaver]]'s "Texas Up Here Tennessee." By 1975, Rodriguez was considered a member of the [[outlaw country]] market in country music, like fellow musicians [[Bobby Bare]] and [[Tom T. Hall]].