David Roland Rodriguez (January 1, 1952 – October 26, 2015) was an American

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

singer-songwriter, performer and poet.

Life and music

David Roland Rodriguez was born and raised in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, Texas. His paternal roots lay in Mexico, and his mother's older sister,

Eva Garza Eva Garza (May 11, 1917 – November 1, 1966) was a Mexican-American singer and film actress who acquired international recognition in the 1940s and 1950s during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. She collaborated on live radio shows and films wit ...

, recorded for Decca Records during the 1950s. At the age of two he contracted polio and as a result Rodriguez wore a leg brace and walked with a cane for the rest of his life. Because his mobility was restricted his parents bought him a guitar. By the age of fourteen David was playing in a rock band, a year later in a folk group, and by the close of his teens was the pianist in an avant-garde ensemble. His early musical influences included

Lightnin' Hopkins Samuel John "Lightnin'" Hopkins (March 15, 1912 – January 30, 1982) was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional pianist from Centerville, Texas. In 2010, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked him No. 71 on its li ...

Townes Van Zandt John Townes Van Zandt (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997) was an American singer-songwriter.

Lydia Mendoza Lydia Mendoza (May 31, 1916December 20, 2007) was a Mexican-American guitarist and singer of Tejano and traditional Mexican-American music. Historian Michael Joseph Corcoran has stated that she was "The Mother of Tejano Music", an art form that ...

, and

Jerry Jeff Walker Jerry Jeff Walker (born Ronald Clyde Crosby; March 16, 1942 – October 23, 2020) was an American country and folk singer-songwriter. He was a leading figure in the progressive country and outlaw country music movement. He also wrote t ...

. By his early twenties, David was a law and economics graduate, based in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

, where he spent well over the next decade playing music in Texas listening rooms, practicing law and, in 1990, running for elected public office. In 1992, 1993 and 1994, Rodriguez was voted the best

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

songwriter in an

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

poll by the music magazine, ''Third Coast Music''. His song "The Ballad Of The Snow Leopard And The Tanqueray Cowboy" was recorded by country singer-songwriter

Lyle Lovett Lyle Pearce Lovett (born November 1, 1957) Lyle Lovett Pageat Allmusic – Lovett's Genre and Styles. Retrieved February 2, 2007 is an American country singer and actor. Active since 1980, he has recorded 14 albums and released 25 singles to dat ...

for his 1998 album ''Step Inside This House'', and by folk artist Melissa Greener for her 2010 album, ''Dwelling''. In 1994, Rodriguez decided to settle in The Netherlands where he remained until his death in 2015. On some concerts, he has been accompanied by his daughter

Carrie Rodriguez Carrie Luz Rodriguez (born July 31, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter and the daughter of Texan singer-songwriter David Rodriguez and Texas painter Katy Nail, and is the granddaughter of prolific Texas essayist Frances Nail. She sings and ...

on fiddle.

Political career

Rodriguez's musical aspirations underwent an eight-year hiatus that began in 1979 when he moved to Austin to pursue a profession in the legal field. In 1981, David graduated from law school at The University of Texas, Austin. As a law student he excelled academically, and his hard work earned him a coveted spot on the Texas Law Review. After graduation David was hired by McGinnis, Lochridge, and Kilgore, one of Austin's largest and most influential law firms at that time. For the next few years he worked as a criminal lawyer in Austin, while never abandoning his activist roots or his musical community. Whenever he could, David continued to do legal work for both street-poor Mexican immigrants as well as his fellow artists and musicians. In 1990, David became chairman of the City of Austin Arts Commission. In 1990, Rodriguez ran for District 51 state representative on a platform of crime reform, environmental preservation, insurance reform, and increased opportunities for equality in education. The Democratic party did not expect Rodriguez to perform exceptionally well at the polls due to the generally liberal nature of his politics. But he already had name recognition through his work in the arts, and this gave him an edge over his opponent,

Glen Maxey Glen Maxey (born February 23, 1952) is an American politician from Austin, Texas, who was the first openly gay member of the Texas Legislature. Active in the fight for gay rights, Maxey was a central figure in the establishment of facilities for ...

. During the tail end of the campaign there was a small controversy over whether or not Rodriguez was a legal resident of the district. After a close race, Rodriguez lost in a run-off. After this defeat, David decided to sever ties with his legal practice for good and dedicate the rest of his life to music.

Discography

References

External links

His daughter Carrie Rodriguez siteDavid Rodriguez exhibit in Houston Folk Music Archive
(Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA)
Guide to the David Rodriguez Collection
(Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA) {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, David 1952 births 2015 deaths American folk singers American country singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Texas Country musicians from Texas Singers from Houston American musicians of Mexican descent

Life and music

Political career

Discography

References

Further reading

External links