ENROLLED
2019 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 10
BY REPRESENTATIVE COX
A RESOLUTION
To commend Tab Benoit upon his 2019 induction into the Louisiana Folklife Center Hall
of Master Folk Artists.
WHEREAS, established in 1976, the Louisiana Folklife Center is a research facility
that serves as an archival repository of eight hundred artist and subject files, one thousand
five hundred audio recordings, one hundred videotapes, a growing print library of books and
periodicals, and five thousand photographs; these resources have been used by CBS Evening
News, Turner Broadcasting Company, and Louisiana Public Broadcasting and other
individuals, groups, and agencies; its faculty also coordinates the Natchitoches-Northwestern
State University Folklife Festival; and
WHEREAS, an agency of Northwestern State University, the Center's mission is to
identify, document, and present Louisiana's rich history of folklore and folklife; and
WHEREAS, a foundational music genre of Louisiana's folklife is the blues, and
Houma native Tab Benoit is known worldwide for his blues singing and guitar playing,
which began in his teen years; Benoit is a regular at the Blues Box in Baton Rouge, where
he learned from blues legends Tabby Thomas, Raful Neal, and Henry Gray; and
WHEREAS, Tab Benoit formed a trio in 1987 that toured across the United States;
he received a Grammy nomination in 2006 for his album, Brother to the Blues in the
category of Best Traditional Blues Album, and has been recognized as a B.B. King
Entertainer of the Year and named by the Blues Music Awards as their Contemporary Blues
Male Artist winner; and
WHEREAS, in 2010, Tab Benoit was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of
Fame; and
WHEREAS, Tab's earnest concern about the erosion of the wetlands in southern
Louisiana drove him to establish Voice of the Wetlands in 2004; the volunteer-based
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nonprofit organization, composed of local artists and business leaders, champions the
conservation of Louisiana's coastal wetlands, and for his efforts, Tab Benoit received the
governor's award for Conservationist of the Year in 2010; and
WHEREAS, Tab Benoit is counted among Louisiana's best music artists, and he has
demonstrated his love for his native state in his actions to conserve her coastal wetlands; Tab
Benoit merits a special measure of commendation upon his 2019 induction into the
Louisiana Folklife Center Hall of Master Folk Artists.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend Tab Benoit upon his 2019 induction into the
Louisiana Folklife Center Hall of Master Folk Artists; does hereby congratulate him for a
lifetime of musicianship and musical achievements; does hereby recognize and applaud his
efforts to conserve and preserve the coastal wetlands of the state; and does hereby extend to
him every good wish for continued success, prosperity, and happiness in the future.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
to Tab Benoit.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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