House Concurrent Resolution 23

(As Adopted by House and Senate)

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING COUNTRY MUSIC ARTIST EXTRAORDINAIRE JEFFERY WAYNE "JEFF" BATES OF BUNKER HILL, MISSISSIPPI, UPON HIS ACHIEVEMENTS AND SUCCESS IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY.

WHEREAS, country singer/songwriter Jeffery Wayne "Jeff" Bates, raised in Bunker Hill, Mississippi, a community of Marion County, has made quite a name for himself in the country music arena after being signed to RCA Records in 2003 and releasing his debut album "Rainbow Man" as a solo act that same year; and

WHEREAS, a man with a life's story that seemingly chronicles a classic country song, Bates who was given up for adoption as a baby was raised by his sharecropper parents, Ed and Barbara Bates, the latter of whom first introduced music into Jeff's life through the playing of gospel songs inspired from her Pentecostal background; and

WHEREAS, the eldest of nine children, Jeff demonstrated the promise of forthcoming success as a child early on as a straight-A student coupled with remarkable musical ability, having sung his first song, "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" and captivating his very first audience besides his parents by age two, before going on to channel his inner Elvis during his adolescent and early teen years; and

WHEREAS, having lived a very solitary life, Jeff would be 17 years old before ever trekking outside of his native Marion County when he joined the National Guard, and subsequently taking a job on an oil rig, which allowed him to meet the friend who urged him to take the stage at a Columbia, Mississippi, steak house that would become his means of income as a six-day act after quitting the oil rig the very next day; and

WHEREAS, wanting to pursue his music more seriously, he moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, where, in 1993, he formed his own band, Southern Storm, which played at least 30 of the 50 states and Canada, and recorded his first album of ten songs entitled "Country is My Middle Name" by Jeff Bates & Southern Storm in 1995, and as the cliche goes, the rest is history; and

WHEREAS, before signing with RCA, Bates co-wrote Tracy Lawrence's 2002 single, "What a Memory," and upon releasing his own debut single, "The Love Song," in 2003, which peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard country music charts, he was well on his way to musical stardom and acclaim, additionally releasing two more singles, "I Wanna Make You Cry" and "Rainbow Man," from his debut project, then releasing two more albums in the country and Christian music genres, culminating in seven top 40 singles and a No. 1 Christian country single; and

WHEREAS, Bates is particularly known for his ability to return the genuine authentic sounds and emotions to country music genre, which were lost in the genre's climb from a regional art form to a multi-million dollar entertainment business, through his skillful presentation of instrumentality, lyrics and emotion as an unvarnished truth; and

WHEREAS, having confronted and overcome his fair share of adversities, some of which were the result of poor judgment and personal turmoil, Jeff rebounded with an undeniable affirmation of self and a renewed awareness of purpose to once again seize the reins of destiny which were innately embedded in the core of his musicality; and

WHEREAS, a Music City icon par excellence, Jeff took Nashville by storm, releasing his second album, "Leave the Light On," and fourth single, "Long, Slow Kisses," that reached No. 17 on the charts in 2006 before leaving RCA later that year and subsequently signing with Black River Entertainment in 2008, which produced two additional albums, the self-titled, "Jeff Bates," in 2008 and "One Day Closer," in 2011; and

WHEREAS, with several projects currently in the works, Bates, a huge Conway Twitty fan, is putting the finishing touches on a new record simply titled, "Me and Conway," scheduled for release at some point during 2014, as well as "The Songwriter Series," also scheduled for a 2014 release; and

WHEREAS, active in his works of compassion and philanthropy, Bates has devoted time to collecting for such organizations as Toys for Tots, Christmas for Kids, the Children's Miracle Network, St. Jude and Blair E. Batson Hospitals, Compassion International and sponsored a concert in support of Hurricane Katrina relief in 2005 to aid those in need of assistance; and

WHEREAS, while continuing to work on his own musical projects, his book, working with other artists and being a full-time father, Bates maintains a busy touring schedule each year, as well as motivational speaking engagements to share his story, as he takes pride in being an inspiration to others and is honored to give back in any way he can, especially through music; and

WHEREAS, of all his successes, Bates' greatest accomplishment through it all is not associated with his musical ingenuity, but rather, its being a loving father to his beautiful daughter, Brianna, which provides him utmost satisfaction as he and his wife, the former Kelly Vaughn, take great stewardship and responsibility of raising the life entrusted to them by God; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to pay tribute to the state's native sons and daughters of Mr. Bates stature and incredible success, whose talent, life's story and benevolence have bestowed great pride and integrity upon the great State of Mississippi.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend and congratulate country music artist extraordinaire Jeffery Wayne "Jeff" Bates upon his achievements and success in the music industry, and extend to him our most sincere wishes for continued success in all of his future endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Jeff Bates and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.