By Evan Goodenow
The News-Sentinel
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Before Sept. 11, 2001, he was a New York City police officer who sang in his spare time. Afterward, it was the opposite.
And besides the change in the amount of time tenor Daniel Rodriguez spent singing, there was also a change in his motivation.
Rodriguez told the approximately 1,200 people who turned out at The Chapel on Sunday that before 9/11, his primary motivation for singing was to attain fame and fortune.
“It was after 9/11 when I sang “Prayer for America” and I stood there and I realized that God had a gift that he had given me and he had a ministry for me,” Rodriguez said during a church-sponsored tribute to American emergency responders and soldiers.
“Each of us is given a gift, and it’s up to us to find out what that gift is and when we do, to nurture it, to help it to grow, to make it the best that it can be.”
Rodriguez joked that some people thought he took up singing after 9/11, but it was obvious from his performance that he had been honing his skills for years. Inspired by his parents, Rodriguez, 44, began singing at 12 and debuted at Carnegie Hall at 17.
But like a lot of struggling singers, he needed another occupation to put food on the table, and he becamea police officer in 1994.
The department realized it could benefit from his voice after Rodriguez sang at his class’s academy graduation. In addition to stints as a beat cop, member of the vice squad and hate crimes unit, Rodriguez was part of a ceremonial squad of officers who sang the national anthem at events on behalf of the department.
Before 9/11, he sang the anthem at gubernatorial, presidential and religious events. In the post-9/11 emotion, a uniformed Rodriguez was frequently seen singing the anthem and “God Bless America” at funerals as well as at Yankee Stadium and other venues. Rodriguez said it was a personal tribute to the victims of the World Trade Center attacks, civilians, firefighters and police. But in particular, it was a tribute to the emergency responders who were killed.
“My brothers and sisters who I lost in 9/11 exemplify these words: honor, valor and courage,” Rodriguez told worshippers before singing ‘Into the Fire.’
“I lived the horrors of 9/11 and made peace with God several times that day, and said goodbye to my family once or twice, and realized I was meant to stick around and do something positive with my life,” Rodriguez said after his performance.
Rodriguez was asked to appear at The Chapel – a Christian fundamentalist church that opened in 1994 – by its pastor, the Rev. Rick Hawks and his wife, Cathy Hawks. They met Rodriguez in 2003 when they participated in a Rally for America in Huntington, W.Va., in support of U.S. soldiers, Cathy Hawks said.
“When I met him in 2003, his heart was bigger than his voice, and it was evident he was the type of person that we would want to work with and put in front of the community,” said Cathy Hawks, The Chapel music director. “He’s a great role model.”
Rodriguez, who retired from the force in 2004, has made three albums and said he makes up to 160 appearances per year.
“I pretty much live a vagabond’s lifestyle, but I love it,” he said.
Copyright 2008 The News-Sentinel