POP/ROCK - May 9, 1989

Country music singer Freddy Fender says there will be no more wasted days or nights now that he has kicked drugs and alcohol and started work on reviving his career. “For the last 3 1/2 years, I’ve been hellbent . . . trying to catch up after 10 years of drugs and alcohol,” Fender said in an interview with The Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader. “We’re working very hard on getting there.” Fender said he was driven to drugs and alcohol at the height of his success in the 1970s and didn’t start to recuperate until his wife obtained a court order four years ago to commit him to a treatment center. His first recording in eight years, “Spanish Harlem,” is due out soon, and he also has a part in “Desperado,” an upcoming NBC miniseries.