Rodriguez, finally gaining recognition at home through the recent re-release of his two '70s albums, heads back to the country where he's been famous for close on 40 years.

The folk singer from Detroit, best known for the hits 'I Wonder' and 'Sugarman', returns for another tour of South Africa this September.

While his music career faded to little more than a memory in his life, the man born Sixto Rodriguez lived an unobtrusive existence, unaware that his legend continued to grow in the Southern Hemisphere.

His 1970 debut 'Cold Fact' became a word of mouth success especially amongst the youth in the South African armed forces that identified with his counter-cultural bent.

Many thought Rodriguez was dead and his album went platinum in South Africa without the singer-songwriter ever earning one cent.

Since 1997, when he was "rediscovered" on a building site by a South African journalist, Rodriguez has returned to SA and Namibia four times.

During a 2004 visit, he surprised the unknown local band Acoustica by appearing unexpectedly at their 'Tribute To Rodriguez' show in Sedgefield and subsequently invited them to perform with him in four sold-out concerts in the Garden Route.

At the time, the gentle soft-spoken musician said: "I'm supporting the musicians who support me but they're doing it better than me."

On his forthcoming return to the country Rodriguez will be performing with one of the musicians, Graham Sindall-Gillot, from the original Rodriguez Tribute band. Graham is now the leader of the support band and opening act Acoustica.