UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 2151
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A JOINT RESOLUTION directing the Transportation Cabinet to include Richie 1
Weems and the Continental Five on the Country Music Highway in Pike County. 2
WHEREAS, Thomas Richard "Richie" Weems Sr. was born February 1, 1941, in 3
Weeksbury, Kentucky, to the late Louise Bailey and Thomas R. Weems; and 4
WHEREAS, in 1962, Richie Weems, along with band members Skip Franklin, 5
Richard Goff, Mike Johnson, James Osborne, and Dennis Walters created Richie Weems 6
and the Continental Five, becoming Pikeville's first rock and roll band. and 7
WHEREAS, Richie Weems and the Continental Five began playing live on the 8
WPKE radio station. The listener response was so positive that the band soon became a 9
part of the station's regular programming; and 10
WHEREAS, Richie Weems and the Continental Five became an incredibly popular 11
band locally in Pikeville, and even gained recognition outside the Commonwealth with 12
national airplay of two of their songs; and 13
WHEREAS, Richie Weems and the Continental Five released a cover of Kitty 14
Wells' song "Making Believe" which was played on radios nationally; and 15
WHEREAS, Richie Weems and the Continental Five released their original song 16
"Natural Born Man" in the fall of 1963, and it reached No. 52 on the Billboard's Top 100 17
chart; and 18
WHEREAS, following the success of their single "Natural Born Man," Richie 19
Weems and the Continental Five appeared on television to perform on Let's Dance, Club 20
13, and the Dick Clark Caravan of Stars Tour; and 21
WHEREAS, Richie Weems and the Continental Five spent five wonderful years 22
together as a band and have participated in many reunion shows through the years, 23
including the Pikeville High School reunion on July 28, 2000; and 24
WHEREAS, Richie Weems traversed these earthly bounds on July 6, 2022, and is 25
fondly remembered by his family, friends, and the surviving members of the Continental 26
Five; and 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 2151
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WHEREAS, it is appropriate the Richie Weems and the Continental Five's 1
accomplishments in the country music industry be tangibly recognized; 2
NOW, THEREFORE, 3
Be it resolved by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 4
ď˘Section 1. The Transportation Cabinet shall honor the accomplishments of 5
Richie Weems and the Continental Five by including him on the Country Music Highway 6
on United States Highway 23 in Pike County, and shall within 30 days of the effective 7
date of this Resolution, erect appropriate signs denoting this designation. 8