Bill Text: TX HR148 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Honoring Willie Nelson for his career in music and his contributions to the Lone Star State.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2011-01-20 - Reported enrolled [HR148 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-HR148-Enrolled.html
H.R. No. 148 |
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WHEREAS, An American icon and renowned Texas troubadour, | ||
Willie Nelson has brought joy to people around the world for half a | ||
century and more; and | ||
WHEREAS, The son of Myrle and Ira Nelson, Willie Hugh Nelson | ||
was born in Abbott on April 30, 1933; he and his older sister, | ||
Bobbie, were raised by their paternal grandparents, who encouraged | ||
their musical talents; while still just a child, he began playing | ||
guitar in a polka band, and he and his sister later played on the | ||
local club circuit with Bud Fletcher and the Texans; and | ||
WHEREAS, Mr. Nelson found work in the 1950s as a DJ in Fort | ||
Worth and performed in local honky-tonks; he wrote his famous | ||
gospel song "Family Bible," and his songs soon became smash hits for | ||
Ray Price, Patsy Cline, Roy Orbison, and many other stars; today, | ||
such early compositions as "Night Life," "Crazy," "Hello Walls," | ||
and "Funny How Time Slips Away" remain treasured classics; and | ||
WHEREAS, After living in Nashville, he came to Austin in 1970 | ||
and found his own audience as a leading proponent of "outlaw | ||
country," incorporating rock 'n' roll, folk, and other influences; | ||
he started a new Texas tradition with his freewheeling Fourth of | ||
July picnics, and in 1975 he made a commercial breakthrough with Red | ||
Headed Stranger; duets with Waylon Jennings on "Good Hearted Woman" | ||
and "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" brought even | ||
greater success, and his album of standards, Stardust, spent nearly | ||
a decade on the country charts and sold more than four million | ||
copies; and | ||
WHEREAS, His film career took off with roles in The Electric | ||
Horseman and Honeysuckle Rose, and the latter yielded a signature | ||
song, "On the Road Again"; Mr. Nelson and Julio Iglesias ruled the | ||
airwaves with their crossover duet "To All the Girls I've Loved | ||
Before," and Mr. Nelson united with Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, | ||
and Kris Kristofferson in the supergroup the Highwaymen for a host | ||
of hits; and | ||
WHEREAS, In the 1990s, Mr. Nelson continued his streak on the | ||
country charts with such albums as Across the Borderline, and the | ||
present decade has found the prolific Texan mining a variety of | ||
musical veins, even topping the jazz charts with Two Men with the | ||
Blues, his collaboration with Wynton Marsalis; Mr. Nelson joined | ||
with Asleep at the Wheel to celebrate western swing on the 2009 | ||
release Willie and the Wheel, and he received three Grammy | ||
nominations that year; his latest album, Country Music, is up for a | ||
Grammy in the Americana category, and "On the Road Again" is being | ||
inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame; and | ||
WHEREAS, While maintaining a heavy touring and recording | ||
schedule through the years, Mr. Nelson has made time for numerous | ||
charitable endeavors; he helped launch Farm Aid in 1985 and serves | ||
as president of the organization, which has raised more than $30 | ||
million to support family farms; when his hometown struggled, Mr. | ||
Nelson came to the rescue, and he continues to support its church | ||
and grocery store; his concern for the environment has led him to | ||
not only promote the use of alternative fuels but also invest in | ||
biodiesel, marketing his own BioWillie brand; moreover, he has | ||
established the Willie Nelson Peace Research Institute, advocated | ||
for the humane treatment of horses, and headlined countless | ||
benefits for those in need; and | ||
WHEREAS, The myriad professional accolades bestowed on Mr. | ||
Nelson include seven Grammys, nine Country Music Association | ||
Awards, and Kennedy Center honors, and he was inducted into the | ||
Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993; widely applauded for his good | ||
works as well, he is an honorary trustee of the Dayton Peace Museum | ||
and has received the B. B. King Blues Hero Award for community | ||
service and the Bridging Divides Award from The University of Texas | ||
Project on Conflict Resolution and Humanitarians Engaged in | ||
Respectful Dialogue; and | ||
WHEREAS, Through his incomparable music and his tireless | ||
philanthropy, Willie Nelson has made an enormous positive | ||
difference in the world around him, and it is indeed a pleasure to | ||
recognize him for his accomplishments; now, therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas | ||
Legislature hereby honor Willie Nelson for his outstanding music | ||
career and for his myriad contributions to the Lone Star State and | ||
extend to him sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it | ||
further | ||
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
prepared for Mr. Nelson as an expression of high regard by the Texas | ||
House of Representatives. | ||
Davis of Dallas | ||
______________________________ | ||
Speaker of the House | ||
I certify that H.R. No. 148 was adopted by the House on | ||
January 20, 2011, by a non-record vote. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||