LISTEN: David Lee Rodriquez Reflects On Musical Legacy and Deeply Peronal Journey Behind New Album ‘III”

Listen to the complete interview above.

Rodriquez can’t remember a time when Tejano music wasn’t in his world. The son of widely respected trumpet player E.P. Rodriguez recalls going to his father’s gigs as a child and falling in love with the environment.

“My Dad was a pretty known trumpet player. He played with Little Joe, Sunny Ozuna, El Charro Negro… so, we’ve always been surrounded by music. Even on weekends when he was just booked around the area, we’d all go. I remember falling asleep either under the tables or behind the bass amp…just being a kid and loving that feeling, man!”

Although the tight-knit family bonded through music, it wasn’t until tragedy struck that young David Lee found his calling. When Rodriquez was 11, his middle brother, Martin, was diagnosed with cancer. Martin was a guitarist, playing all the rock and heavy metal hits of the era for his brothers’ entertainment. As his illness progressed, Martin realized he had to pass on his love for guitar to his younger brother.

“He told me, ‘I’d love for you to continue what I can’t do anymore’… and I did. I said ‘I’ll do that for you, brother.’ And he taught me my first song, “Rock You Like a Hurricane” (by Scorpions)”

Determined to carry the flame for his brother, Rodriquez continued to learn and progress as a guitar player, jamming his favorite hits from bands like Rush, Metallica, and RATT. He began playing in a band (the first of many) with his surviving older brother, Jerry Rodriquez. One day, during a downstairs jam session, an unexpected invitation was given to the boys by their father.

“My dad comes down and says ‘We need a bass player. What do you think about switching over to bass? I said ‘Dad, no disrespect, but I’m a METAL guy! I’m not gonna play spanish (music)!’ *laughs* So, he went upstairs, then came back down and asked again. This time, he said ‘You know, son, it pays some money’…”

Exchanging looks with his older brother, the 12-year old David Lee agreed to join his father’s band. As Rodriquez began to learn the band’s repertoire, he also began to learn music theory, widening his ability and putting some musical tools in his toolbox.

Fast forward a few years and the Rodriquez family forms the band Algo Simple, featuring patriarch E.P. and his two sons. David Lee looks back fondly on the journey of Algo Simple, saying the nearly 15-year run was historical.

“Through that band, my dad already had connections to Gilbert Velasquez. We opened up for Jay Perez… the very first time he went to Lubbock, we opened up for him.”

The band decided to record with Velasquez, the famed Tejano superproducer, at his studio in San Antonio. They found success over the years, charting hits and recruiting a who’s who of Tejano musicians, such as Chris “Sox” Calderon, JR Gomez, and Steven Martinez. After over a decade of regularly touring and recording, Algo Simple decided to call it quits. The grind of the music business had burned the band out. Needing a change of scenery, Rodriquez decided to travel. He moved around for a few years, playing in a few different bands, before getting a surprising phone call from an old friend.

“Gilbert (Velasquez) called me up and said ‘One of the songs we recorded in the 90’s is hitting on the internet. We gotta follow it up!’ One thing led to another and he got me back in the studio. Jorge Marroquin was hearing our stuff and presented me a contract with VMB Music Group. And that’s where we’re at now.”

Although VMB Music Group is now called M Group, Rodriquez continues to work with them and Velasquez, including with his latest group, Cuatro11. The band has already had tremendous success, with their first album, Asi Me Enseñaron, being nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2019.Rodriquez says when he first started recording with Cuatro11, he knew he was in for a lot of hard work in the studio because Velasquez has a reputation for being a very professional, if not sometimes demanding, producer.

“The man is tough, I’m not gonna lie to you. The dude is tough. But, that’s why he has 16 Grammys! When I first went in with him, he was testing me out. Seeing if I’d make the cut, per se… After the first few weeks of recording, I thought ‘I can’t do this! This dude is tough!’ But then, he said ‘I like the product. I’m very proud of what you’ve done.’ I’m like ‘Wow! Ok, great!’ *laughs* “

Knowing the producer was happy with his work gave Rodriquez a confidence boost that he never knew he needed. During the recording process of the next album, he was able to learn and contribute more to the production. With the creation of their most recent album, III, Rodriquez says the veteran producer gave him complete freedom to create.

III, released in May 2026, is a journey through different eras and influences within the Tejano genre. For Rodriquez, it’s also a very personal journey, with many of the songs tying in directly to his family and personal history.

“This CD feels like it’s so much more a part of me, a part of my family. Even one of the tracks (Recebi Tu Carta) has my Dad’s trumpet solo on it, from a song we recorded back in 1999.”

Initially, the song was supposed to feature Rodriquez’s father, who had become too ill to take part in the recording process. Thanks to the editing skills of Velasquez, they were able to use the trumpet solo from a previous recording and include it on Cuatro11’s version. The veteran Tejano musician also appears on the intro of the song, in conversation with his son about remembering “the good ol’ times”.

“Since that was one of the songs we recorded, I told him ‘Hey Dad, let’s talk about the good ol’ times’, like when we used to record and perform and tour and all that good stuff. So, that song means so much to me, just because Dad’s on it and he’s actually playing on it.”

E.P. Rodriquez, who passed away in April of 2025, didn’t get to see the album released. However, his memory lives on in his sons, in their band, and in their music, with his presence most vibrantly felt on “Recibi Tu Carta”.

“Mi Amigo (Dos O Tres Tequilas)” is a song Rodriquez says he heard in his days living in New Mexico. Originally made famous by the Godfather of New Mexican music, Al Hurricane and his son, Al Hurricane Jr., Cuatro11’s version features the Dancing Cowboy, Eddie Gonzalez. The track features several nods to Gonzalez’s 90’s hit, “Porque”, an homage that Rodriquez says he knew he wanted from the first time he conceived the idea of covering the song.

“I thought that song would be perfect (if it were done) like “Porque”, the way Eddie did it. I got with Gilbert and told him I wanted to do it like “Porque”. He said ‘Alright, let me make some phone calls!’ He called Eddie and Eddie was like ‘Yeah, let’s do this song!’… and we did it! I was just in awe.”

Another standout track, “Quisiera Conocer Tu Mundo,” was written by the band’s accordion player, Danny Rodriquez.

”What’s so wild is that every song that we’ve recorded from Danny has, in one way or another, charted very well on the Tejano charts… He is (a hitmaker)! Everything that guy writes is gold.”

For the song “Me Haces Tan Feliz”, the frontman found divine inspiration… literally.

“That song is a special song for me. I wrote that song for the first cassette we ever recorded with Gilbert, back in ’93. We were running out of time and we needed an extra song, so I wrote some lyrics real quick. The original is real bubble-gummy. I was only 19 or 20 at the time, so it sounds like my age. My wife and I were at church not too long ago, while we were recording this new CD. I heard the worship team sing this huge chorus that kept just building and building. I looked over and told my wife ‘I’m gonna do that on the new CD’”.

The huge chorus and hard-hitting harmony stand out on the track, giving it an almost gospel-like feel that isn’t normally associated with Tejano music. Breaking away from conventional sounds while also finding a way to pay tribute to the 80’s and 90’s Tejano music that he loves has been the balancing act that Rodriquez find himself doing more and more.

Celina Martinez