She's got a gold record, but Valley musician isn't stopping there

Gold records may be commonplace on the walls of many a Hollywood Hills mansion. Needless to say, they're a rare commodity in the South Texas. But the Valley houses many hidden treasures, including Mission born-and-bred Leticia Rodriguez, one of the handful of locals who has laid claim to a little golden slice of fame.

Rodriguez was presented with a gold record, an award bestowed by the Recording Industry Association of America marking 500,000 copies of an album sold, in the early millennium after a tour with Christian artist Jaci Velasquez. In 2000, Rodriguez played keyboards on Velasquez's "Crystal Clear Tour" and helped promote the album of the same name. The tour pushed the album past the threshold and earned Velasquez and everyone in her touring band a gold record.

Rodriguez's parents have claimed for years that their little girl began playing the piano when she was just 3 years old. What Rodriguez didn't pick up as a toddler she perfected in school - she has played piano for 21 consecutive years. And those lessons paid off.

When Rodriguez discovered her love of poetry in her teens, her father, a writer himself, encouraged her to write her own songs. Her passion for music only grew after that.

Just before her tour with Jaci Velasquez began, Rodriguez's father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Rodriguez wanted to put together a collection of her original songs for her father, but she wasn't able to finish it before he passed away. It wasn't until 2004 that Rodriguez finally released her debut album, Reflections of My Heart.

While she has had a varied career as a pianist, songwriter and educator (she spent 10 years as a choir director in the Mission school district and five years at South Texas College teaching medical transcription), the single mother continues to pursue her own career in Christian music. She has recently spent time in Austin recording a few tracks for her second album.

"At this stage in my life, I am so passionate about what I do," said Rodriguez.

Rodriguez will be joining Andrew Painter and other Christian artists from the Valley as the opening acts for Jeremy Camp on June 28 at the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Showgrounds in Mercedes.

Amy Nichol Smith covers local music for Festiva and The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4420.