David Roland Rodriguez was born and raised in
Houston, Texas. His paternal roots lay in Mexico, and his mother's older sister,
Eva Garza, 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,
Townes Van Zandt,
Lydia Mendoza, and
Jerry Jeff Walker. By his early twenties, David was a law and economics graduate, based in
Austin, Texas, 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 songwriter in an
Austin 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 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 on fiddle. ==Political career==