By any standards, Sixto Rodriguez's rise to fame has been a long one.

In 1970 the Detroit-based singer-songwriter recorded his debut LP Cold Fact - an album of slow burn, catchy songs that gave shape to the characters, stories and faces of the crumbling Motor City.

His talents drew comparisons to the great Bob Dylan.

But despite such praise, the album was an abject flop. As was his follow up, Coming From Reality.

Defeated, Rodriguez returned to his day job as a labourer on construction sites.

What Rodriguez did not know though was that a few, rare copies of the debut LP had made their way overseas.

By the mid-1970s, due to exposure by DJ Holger Brockman, Rodriguez had gained a strong foothold in Australia - a phenomenon that was mirrored in South Africa's apartheid at just the same time.

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In 1979 his hidden fame was finally revealed to him.

He was invited to tour Australia and, to his great surprise, he played to packed houses.

As he told 702 Breakfast this week: "Australia was the first one to pick me up ... I came and I did fifteen shows."

"Australia was the highpoint in my career," he said.

"We did the Regency, a 2,000-seater.

"We sold out four nights and it was half full for the fifth ... and that was my first time in Sydney."

The story of his surprise fame in South Africa would also bring him a new audience.

It formed the basis of the 2012 Academy Award-winning documentary Searching For Sugarman, a release that would bring the now 72-year-old a worldwide audience.

Next week Rodriguez returns to Sydney to play three sold-out shows at the Sydney Opera House.

This time, thankfully, it will not be a surprise.