BEHIND THE MUSIC

Rodrick has been singing since the early days of Pre-K. From the time there were Church Easter Programs, Nativity Plays, or Family Reunions, Rodrick was in the mix with family and peers emulating sounds that felt…good. The first time he remembered someone highlighting his voice was after leaving Ms. Gaines’ Roark Elementary choir rehearsal in third grade. “Ah, you sing that song just like him,” says Stanely Franklin. “You think so?” said Rodrick. From that moment on, he knew it wasn’t just him thinking he could sing but someone other than himself heard the efforts of him attuning to “Heal The World” by yours truly, Michael Jackson. Music was a feeling…a moment of transcendence. It was the few things in an eight year olds world that made sense….First, dinosaurs. Next, drawing dinosaurs and all sorts of animals. Then, music. The fact his mother played the divine voices of Luther Vandross and Baby Face every single night of his childhood meant something, right? Furthermore, it was the sounds of hip hop, rock, pop, and so on his father, the DJ, BOOMED across the streets of Midland, TX that only strengthened Rod’s ear. After his mother married his step father, the bandwidth of sounds only increased as his range of ‘ingredients’ diversified, truly, unconsciously. Emerging from a family of music lovers, vocalists, and musicians, music was bound to ‘unearth’ a treasure in the spirit of Rodrick. From the early days of singing around his grandmother’s organ to K-12 school and church choirs, Rod moved on to complete an Associates in Music at Eastern New Mexico University. The older Rodrick gets the more he understands his gift and call is to use his voice as a singer to provoke healthy and sustainable change. Stay tuned as there will be more to hear from our Artist, Rodrick Chambers-Sims!