Bill Text: PA HR111 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Celebrating the contributions of Michael Jackson to music, performance, culture and charity.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)

Status: (Passed) 2011-04-05 - Re-committed to RULES [HR111 Detail]

Download: Pennsylvania-2011-HR111-Introduced.html

---

PRINTER'S NO. 963
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 111 Session of2011
INTRODUCED BY BISHOP, GERBER, WATERS, PAYTON, DERMODY AND COHEN, MARCH 3, 2011
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, MARCH 3, 2011
A RESOLUTION
Celebrating the contributions of Michael Jackson to music,
performance, culture and charity.
WHEREAS, Singer, songwriter Michael Joseph Jackson was born
on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, to an African-American
working class family; and
WHEREAS, His father, Joseph Jackson, was an aspiring musician
who put aside his ambitions to provide for his family as a crane
operator, but who saw musical talent in his children; and
WHEREAS, Michael Jackson first performed at the famed Apollo
Theater with his brothers before he was ten years of age,
winning Amateur Night in August 1967; and
WHEREAS, The Jackson 5 was the opening act for such Rhythm
and Blues artists as Gladys Knight and the Pips, James Brown and
Sam and Dave, on the Motown label, and Gladys Knight brought
them to Benny Gordy's attention at Motown Records; and
WHEREAS, He was the lead singer of The Jackson 5 from the
tender age of five, recording hits for Motown Records, such as
- 1 -
"ABC" and "I Want You Back" by the time he was 11; and
WHEREAS, In 1969, the Jackson family relocated to Los
Angeles; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Jackson released his first solo album in 1972,
before his 15th birthday, titled Got To Be There, which included
the hits "Got To Be There" and "Rockin' Robin"; and
WHEREAS, In that same year, Mr. Jackson garnered his first
number one hit single as a solo artist, "Ben," which won a
Golden Globe and was nominated for an Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences Award; and
WHEREAS, In 1978, Mr. Jackson made his feature film debut,
starring as the Scarecrow in The Wiz, directed by Quincy Jones,
and many groundbreaking creative collaborations with Mr. Jones
followed; and
WHEREAS, In 1979, he released Off The Wall, his first album
with Jones, which became a multiplatinum album and produced four
Top 10 singles; and
WHEREAS, In 1982, Mr. Jackson released Thriller, the best
selling album of all time worldwide and the first album to top
four of Billboard's charts simultaneously; it contained seven
Top Ten hits, including chart topping "Billie Jean" and "Beat
It"; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Jackson redefined the music video, changing it
from a minor promotional tool to a major theatrical production,
with videos like "Billie Jean," "Beat It," "Scream," "Remember
the Time" and, perhaps most memorably, "Thriller"; and
WHEREAS, He delighted millions of people when he performed
the Moonwalk, a dance step that seemed to defy the laws of
physics, as part of his performance of "Billie Jean" during
Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, which was broadcast on May
- 2 -
16, 1983; and
WHEREAS, In 1985, to form USA for Africa, Mr. Jackson united
diverse musicians from across the United States, including
Willie Nelson, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner and Bob Dylan,
raising more than $68 million to fight famine in Africa through
sales of the single "We Are The World," which he wrote with
Lionel Richie; and
WHEREAS, Charity remained close to Mr. Jackson's heart for
the remainder of his life, as he had supported 39 charities,
donating millions of dollars to help those less fortunate; and
WHEREAS, In honor of his accomplishments and his contribution
to Rock and Roll, Mr. Jackson was inducted into the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame twice, once as a solo artist and once as a
member of The Jackson 5; and
WHEREAS, Michael Jackson passed away unexpectedly on June 25,
2009; and
WHEREAS, In the immediate aftermath of his untimely death,
Mr. Jackson's music again climbed to the top of the charts,
claiming the entire Top Ten roster of the Top Catalog Album
Chart with sales of 800,000 albums in one week; and
WHEREAS, The gifts that Michael Jackson gave to the world
through his talent and philanthropic giving will not soon be
forgotten; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives celebrate the
contributions of Michael Jackson to music, performance, culture
and charity.
- 3 -