Bill Text: TX HCR159 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Designating Marshall as the official Birthplace of Boogie Woogie.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-05-23 - Received from the House [HCR159 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-HCR159-Introduced.html
| 82R27829 JH-D | ||
| By: Hughes | H.C.R. No. 159 | |
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| WHEREAS, The driving, danceable sound of boogie woogie music | ||
| is a distinctive American art form, and its energetic style is all | ||
| the more notable for having been born in the Lone Star State; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Music historians have traced boogie woogie to | ||
| northeastern Texas in the 1870s, when large numbers of African | ||
| Americans were working in railroad construction and in logging and | ||
| turpentine camps in the Piney Woods region; a common feature of the | ||
| work camps was a barrelhouse, which often contained a piano to | ||
| provide entertainment for the workers during off hours; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In those makeshift gathering spots, a new, | ||
| percussive style of piano developed, marked by a repeated "walking" | ||
| bass line, a fast tempo, and a 12-bar blues arrangement; this | ||
| spirited music quickly grew in popularity and became known by a | ||
| number of names, including "barrelhouse," "fast western," "fast | ||
| Texas," and--as it became best known--boogie woogie; and | ||
| WHEREAS, As the hub of the Piney Woods and the headquarters of | ||
| the Texas and Pacific Railway, the city of Marshall played an | ||
| especially important role in these events; this crossroads town was | ||
| a frequent meeting place for the piano players that traveled from | ||
| camp to camp, and it figured prominently in the early development of | ||
| boogie woogie; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The city's status as a rail center made it a fitting | ||
| home for the music because boogie woogie was heavily influenced by | ||
| the locomotive; with their pounding piano, musicians imitated the | ||
| huff and clatter of the trains and drew their rhythmic inspiration | ||
| from the propulsive rotation of the steam engine driver wheel; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Ultimately, the railroad helped to transport boogie | ||
| woogie far beyond its birthplace; as wandering musicians took the | ||
| style to cities throughout the country, its rollicking sound rolled | ||
| across the South and Midwest and on to big cities such as Chicago | ||
| and New York; through the decades, its elements would be melded into | ||
| other genres, including the uniquely American sounds of jazz, | ||
| rhythm and blues, and rock and roll; and | ||
| WHEREAS, This interesting chapter in Texas history further | ||
| underscores the Lone Star State's reputation as a center for | ||
| musical creativity, and by hosting concerts and festivals and | ||
| establishing a boogie woogie artist-in-residence, Marshall is | ||
| embracing its part in creating this important musical innovation; | ||
| now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
| hereby designate Marshall as the official Birthplace of Boogie | ||
| Woogie. | ||
