Bill Text: MS SC530 | 2010 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Recognize Jackson Jazz Artist Cassandra Wilson upon the dedication of Mississippi's 100th Blues Trail Marker.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 11-5)
Status: (Passed) 2010-01-11 - Enrolled Bill Signed [SC530 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2010-SC530-Enrolled.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2010 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Horhn, Baria, Browning, Butler, Chassaniol, Dawkins, Fillingane, Frazier, Jackson (11th), Jackson (15th), Jackson (32nd), Jones, Kirby, Montgomery, Powell, Stone
Senate Concurrent Resolution 530
(As Adopted by Senate and House)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING AND SALUTING JACKSON JAZZ ARTIST CASSANDRA WILSON UPON THE OCCASION OF THE MISSISSIPPI BLUES TRAIL MARKER IN HER HONOR WHICH IS MISSISSIPPI'S 100TH MARKER.
WHEREAS, on January 7, 2010, the 100th Mississippi Blues Trail Marker will be dedicated to honor national jazz artist Cassandra Wilson at the Sam M. Brinkley Middle School located at Ridgeway Street and Albemarle Road in Jackson, Mississippi; and
WHEREAS, "There's no question that the 100th marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail is a fitting tribute to one of the greatest voices in American arts," Governor Haley Barbour said. "Cassandra Wilson's collection of blues, jazz standards and musical style sets her apart from other artists. She is truly one of Mississippi's musical treasures"; and
WHEREAS, Mississippi, the Birthplace of America's Music, is a destination for music lovers. The Mississippi Blues Trail program was created to recognize the talents of the state's countless musicians. When completed, the trail will include more than 100 sites that together will offer an unforgettable journey into Blues history; and
WHEREAS, the Mississippi Blues Trail markers are funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and by support from the Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Mississippi Department of Transportation, Delta State University and the Mississippi Development Authority; and
WHEREAS, although often categorized as a jazz artist, Wilson's music spans many genres, including the blues. Since the early 1990s, her seven CDs on the Blues Note label have included covers of songs by Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Son House and Mississippi Fred McDowell as well as her own blues-influenced compositions. Her CD Belly of the Sun, which was recorded largely in Mississippi, featured other Mississippi musicians, whose music straddles blues and jazz, including Jesse Robinson, Olu Dara, Abie "Boogaloo" Ames and Rhonda Richmond. She has received Grammy awards for her CDs New Moon Daughter and Loverly; and
WHEREAS, as a child in Jackson, Wilson studied both clarinet and piano and later learned to play the guitar. Her father, Herman Fowlkes, Jr., was an active jazz musician in the Jackson area, and in the 1950s he appeared on recordings by Sonny Boy Williamson II for the Trumpet label. A native of the Chicago area, Fowlkes came to Mississippi as trumpeter in an Army band. He later graduated from Jackson State University and worked as a music instructor; and
WHEREAS, during her high school years, Wilson performed in local funk, pop and R&B bands. She began performing jazz after being encouraged by drummer Alvin Fielder, a member of the local Black Arts Music Society. In 1982, Wilson moved to New York City, where she worked with the experimental jazz collective M-Base and began her recording career in the mid-80s; and
WHEREAS, the Mississippi Blues Trail program promotes tourism and helps communities improve their quality of place, all with the goal of improving the quality of life and economic well-being of Mississippians, and it is with great pride that we join the citizens of Jackson in recognizing this Mississippi jazz artist who has brought honor to her community and to the State of Mississippi:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby recognize and salute Jackson Jazz Artist Cassandra Wilson upon the occasion of the Mississippi Blues Trail Marker in her honor which is Mississippi's 100th Blues Trail Marker, and we extend our best wishes to all participants at this auspicious event.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Cassandra Wilson, forwarded to sponsors of the Mississippi Blues Trail program, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.
