Johnny Rodriguez, a Texas country singer known for songs like "That's the Way Love Goes" and "Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico," has died at 73. - Credit: Paul S. Howell/Getty Images Johnny Rodriguez ...

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Country music star Johnny Rodriguez, a popular Mexican American singer best known for chart-topping hits in the 1970s such as “I Just Can’t Get Her Out of My Mind ...

Rodriguez became known for incorporating Spanish verses into his songs, a novelty in country music at the time, and was hailed as the genre’s first Hispanic star.

Johnny Rodriguez, one of country music’s first Hispanic stars and known for 1970s hits “Ridin’ My Thumb to Mexico” and “That’s the Way Love Goes,” has died at the age of 73 ...

Rodriguez was named the most promising male vocalist at the 1972 Academy of Country Music Awards, and his debut, “Introducing Johnny Rodriguez,” was nominated for album of the year in 1973.