Danny Fernandez
1966 · Liberty 55891 · Hollywood, California
- Artist
- Eddy Harrison
- Title
- Danny Fernandez
- Release
- Danny Fernandez / One Common Heart
- Year
- 1966
- Label
- Liberty # 55891
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- Hollywood, California, USA
- Genre
- Rock · Pop Rock
- Primary theme
- US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs
Annotation
The song "Danny Fernandez" (Liberty Records # 55891) by Eddy Harrison, from New Mexico, was a tribute song based on an actual soldier, Danny Fernandez - the first Mexican American soldier awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for service in Vietnam. Billboard reported on 2 July 1966: "Liberty has released the ballad of 'Danny Fernandez', a tribute to the 21-year old army specialist who fell on a grenade and saved the lives of 19 buddies. The story of the Los Lunas, N.M. soldier is told by Eddy Harrison, an unknown writer from Mesilla Park, N.M. Harrison came to California to audition the tune for Liberty's A&R man Dallas Smith who dug the idea". (1) The official Medal of Honor citation read: "Fernández demonstrated indomitable courage when the patrol was ambushed by a Viet Cong rifle company...an enemy grenade landed in the midst of the group...Fernández vaulted over the wounded sergeant and threw himself on the grenade as it exploded, saving the lives of his 4 comrades at the sacrifice of his life". (2) (3) (4) (5) The song looked at the soldier's perspective, started with Fernandez answering when his "country called" and he "went away to war" at the age of 21: "just in the…
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
About the artist
Mesilla Park, New Mexico, USA
Themes
In collections
Mexican-American / Hispanic Songs · US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs