Daniel Rodriguez on His Gift from God

Hi, I’m New York tenor Daniel Rodriguez, also known as the Singing Policeman. And I’m here at “Guideposts,” celebrating the holidays. So one of the biggest questions people ask me is I was a New York City police officer for 10 years. So how does a police officer become a singer, or an opera singer? And what was the whole journey behind the success of Daniel Rodriguez, New York tenor, or America’s tenor? 

And the truth is that I’ve been a singer all my life. I started singing when I was a little boy. My mother says that I could sing before I could speak. 

And I made my Carnegie Hall debut when I was 17 years old. And I was in the theater in Manhattan doing black box theater. And I was an actor and following my dream. But life isn’t always a straight road. And my life is definitely a lot of twists and turns and a lot of peaks and valleys. 

And so in my course, I was a New York City postal worker. And I did six years as the Singing Mailman. And then the New York City Police Department called me. But I was never far away from my first love, from my passion, and that was music. 

And it was funny because all my life, I’ve been a man of faith. And all my life, I’ve been looking for a career in music. And the Lord showed me after 9/11 that it wasn’t a career that I was– should be attaining but a calling– a calling that would come in the form of that one day after September 11. It was Prayer for America at Yankee Stadium. And that was the day when the gift that God gave me did the most good for the most people in a time when it was needed most. 

And that was my journey. It’s been an amazing ride. I’ve been all over the world. And I’ve been on every talk show you can think of. 

But the truth is that what it all boils down to is that I am a servant of God. And I’ve been given a gift. And my calling is to share that gift. 

[MUSIC PLAYING]