Hello my name is Anthony "Tony R." Rodriguez and here's my story:

 

 

I was born in Watsonville, Calif. A small migrant town located in the Central Valley. As a child growing up we listened to a lot of music in the household. I remember listening to a lot of Motown, blues, country, and classic rock so I got a wide range of genres of different types of music to listen to. As I got older I gravitated towards R&B, Motown, and Oldies but Goodies. I remember singing with my mother, sister, and grandmother. As I hit my adolescent years, music really hit home for me. We didn't have very much but we did have music so it was a big escape for me to get lost in song. Although I sang at church and in choir I really didn't have a public outlet to turn to and sing at, and most of my friends didn't sing so it wasn't till I became a young man when I decided to pursue music.

 

I moved to Sacramento, Ca. in 1992 and started to go to the local karaoke bars to get my feet wet in music. I began to look for other singers to work with but put it all on hold when I had my daughter. I didn't want to let music take me away from her, although I loved my music with all my heart, I loved her so much more. I promised myself that I wouldn't do any serious music until she became an adult, so once again I put my music on hold until much later. 

 

In 2005 I started working for a karaoke company to make money and get some practice time in. I networked and made connections with various singers and musicians and started performing at local open mic shows. Through all those different shows I eventually made contact with people in the Bay Area. People like: Ronald Matthews, T.J. Windham, and Luella Hill-Dudley. They have all played an important role in my music career. Through them I've had the pleasure of performing at the Richmond Memorial Auditorium, the Lesher Theater of the Performing Arts, Images Gallery and various other locations. I re-recorded my first single, "The Way," written by myself and "Spend the Night."  I aspire to be as great as God will allow me to be, I love music and couldn't imagine my life without it.