Carmen Espinoza-Rodriquez (born July 16, 1970 in

Muleshoe, Texas Muleshoe is a city in Bailey County, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1913, when the Pecos and Northern Texas Railway built an line from Farwell, Texas, to Lubbock through northern Bailey County. In 1926, Muleshoe was incorporated. Its p ...

) is an American singer-songwriter. She was lead vocalist for twelve years for the musical group Algo Simple before going solo. She is best known for her video ''America'' which has been used in PBS documentaries. As an actress, she played the lead role in ''Texas Legacies'' for the 2003 season.

Early life

She is one of ten children of Camilo Espinoza, Jr., and Maria Guadalupe Orozco Espinoza. Her first performance was at the age of six with her father, who performed with

Bob Wills James Robert Wills (March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975) was an American Western swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader. Considered by music authorities as the founder of Western swing, he was known widely as the King of Western Swing (although S ...

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...

, and

The Lennon Sisters The Lennon Sisters are an American vocal group made up of four sisters. The quartet originally consisted of Dianne (aka DeeDee; born Dianne Barbara, December 1, 1939), Peggy (born Margaret Anne, April 8, 1941), Kathy (born Kathleen Mary, Augu ...

. Her love for music and stage grew. In high school, she received the

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

Jazz Award for vocals. Carmen attended

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

Lubbock Lubbock ( ) is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the northwe ...

and

West Texas A&M University West Texas A&M University (WTAMU or WT) is a public university in Canyon, Texas. It is the northernmost campus of the Texas A&M University System and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). It was established on Se ...

Canyon A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...

and received her degree in the study of

Montessori The Montessori method of education involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. It emphasizes indepen ...

Education in 1997.

Career

Espinoza-Rodriquez was asked to be the lead vocalist for Hacienda Records artist, Algo Simple. After a twelve-year span with Algo Simple, she decided to go solo. It was at this turning point when she was recommended by CMA Award-winning singer-songwriter Susan Gibson (writer " Wide Open Spaces") to appear on a

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

video documentary. Inspired, she recorded an original composition and shot a video entitled ''America'' that has since been featured in two

documentaries; ''Celebrate America!'' and ''Southwest Expressions''. Past members of her band include Robin Brannon from the Christian vocal group

Acappella (group) Acappella is an all-male contemporary Christian vocal group founded in 1982 by Keith Lancaster, who has been the singer, songwriter, and producer throughout the group's history. The group only consists of vocalists who sing in a cappella sty ...

. Espinoza-Rodriquez was invited to record and perform as a special guest with the WTAMU

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

Ensemble. During this time, she was approached to go on tour with Texas X-press, an outreach touring troupe for the outdoor musical drama Texas Legacies. It was during the tour that she was asked by the executive producer of ''Texas Legacies'' to take on the lead role (and was the first minority to be offered a lead role) as Maria Hinojosa' in ''Texas Legacies''. Carmen accepted the role for the 2003 season. Since then, she has shared the stage with country artists including Lee Roy Van Dyke,

Steve Wariner Steven Noel Wariner (born December 25, 1954) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Initially a backing musician for Dottie West, he also worked with Bob Luman and Chet Atkins before beginning a solo career in the late 1 ...

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, and

Michael Martin Murphey Michael Martin Murphey (born March 14, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter best known for writing and performing Western music, country music and popular music. A multiple Grammy nominee, Murphey has six gold albums, including ''Cowboy Songs' ...

Honors and awards

* The ''Amarillo Globe News'' Golden Nail Award 2003 – Nominee * Texas Commission of the Arts Texas State Musician Award 2008 – Nominee

Discography

Albums

* ''Algo Simple'' – Algo Simple – 1997 * ''Cumbia Del Sol'' – Algo Simple – Hacienda Records 2001

Single releases

* "America" – PBS 2002

Compilations

* ''Gather Around'' – Algo Simple for The Evelyn Rivers Project 2002

Special guest appearance

* ''WTAMU Jazz'' – WTAMU Jazz Band I – WTAMU Records * ''Destiny'' – Gregg Diamond – Papalote Records 2005

Television appearances / video documentaries

* ''Celebrate America!''

2002 * ''Southwest Expressions''

2007

References

External links

/ Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Espinoza-Rodriquez, Carmen 1970 births Living people American country singer-songwriters People from Muleshoe, Texas Country musicians from Texas Singer-songwriters from Texas 21st-century American singers