Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

Tennessee House Bill HJR0024 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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2	2	<BillNo> <Sponsor>
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4	4	HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 24
5	5	By Clemmons
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7	7
8	8	HJR0024
9	9	001351
10	10	- 1 -
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12	12	A RESOLUTION to honor the memory of the legendary Kris
13	13	Kristofferson.
14	14
15	15	WHEREAS, the members of this General Assembly were greatly saddened to learn of
16	16	the passing of Kris Kristofferson, an uncompromising artist and songwriter whose lyricism
17	17	transformed country music and ushered in a new era for the art form; and
18	18	WHEREAS, he was an important part of the Outlaw movement in country music that
19	19	changed the genre forever and inspired generations of artists; and
20	20	WHEREAS, arguably the greatest songwriter of his generation, Kris Kristofferson was
21	21	also a Renaissance man; he was a poet, a troubadour, and a storyteller, but also a Rhodes
22	22	scholar, boxer, pilot, and actor; and
23	23	WHEREAS, the son of a U.S. Air Force veteran and commercial pilot, Kris Kristofferson
24	24	grew up in California and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Pomona College; and
25	25	WHEREAS, after receiving a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, he earned a master's
26	26	degree in English literature from Oxford University; and
27	27	WHEREAS, Kris Kristofferson returned to California for a short visit, but after rekindling a
28	28	romance with his former girlfriend and future wife and then starting a family with her, he decided
29	29	to forgo future studies at Oxford in favor of the U.S. Army; and
30	30	WHEREAS, he served as a helicopter pilot in the Army and eventually earned the rank
31	31	of captain; during a three-year stint in West Germany, he formed his first band; and
32	32	WHEREAS, he scuttled his plans to teach English literature at West Point after visiting
33	33	Nashville for the first time; he became enamored with the close-knit circle of songwriters in
34	34	Music City and quickly joined their ranks; and
35	35	WHEREAS, while working as a janitor at Columbia Records, Kris Kristofferson honed his
36	36	songwriting craft and hustled demos; his compositions were soon in high demand as they
37	37	placed on the charts via recordings by diverse country music artists; perhaps most notable
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42	42	among these early songs is the iconic "Me and Bobby McGee," which would later become a
43	43	posthumous hit for Janis Joplin; and
44	44	WHEREAS, his path to stardom as a performing artist included a stint at the Bitter End in
45	45	Greenwich Village and an opening set in support of Johnny Cash at the Newport Folk Festival;
46	46	and
47	47	WHEREAS, Kris Kristofferson was signed to Monument Records in 1970 and released
48	48	more than twenty albums over the course of his illustrious career; his recording of his own
49	49	"Lovin' Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again)" from his second album was a top-
50	50	five adult contemporary hit and also reached the pop top thirty; and
51	51	WHEREAS, he was nominated for several Grammys and won the award three times,
52	52	including the Grammy for 1971's Best Country Song, "Help Me Make It Through the Night"; and
53	53	WHEREAS, in 1970, Kris Kristofferson's "For the Good Times"” was named the
54	54	Academy of Country Music's Song of the Year, while Johnny Cash's version of his "Sunday
55	55	Mornin' Comin' Down" secured the Song of the Year award from the Country Music Association;
56	56	this double win for Song of the Year marked the only time a single individual has ever won the
57	57	same award from the ACM and CMA in the same year for two different songs; and
58	58	WHEREAS, at a low point in his life, Kris Kristofferson was moved by an altar call while
59	59	visiting a church, and this spiritual experience inspired him to write and record "Why Me," which
60	60	climbed the charts to become his first number-one country song and his best-selling pop single
61	61	as a solo artist; and
62	62	WHEREAS, in 1985, he joined friends Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Johnny
63	63	Cash to form the super group The Highwaymen, and their recording of Jimmy Webb's
64	64	"Highwayman" gave Kris Kristofferson his second number-one country single; and
65	65	WHEREAS, in addition to his phenomenal success as a singer-songwriter, Kris
66	66	Kristofferson frequently appeared on the big screen, acting in more than fifty films over four
67	67	decades; and
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72	72	WHEREAS, after making his film debut in 1971, Kris Kristofferson starred with Bob
73	73	Dylan in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, for which he earned a BAFTA nomination; he also played
74	74	the male lead in the Oscar-winning Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore; the drama The Sailor Who
75	75	Fell From Grace With the Sea; and a remake of A Star Is Born, for which he won a Golden
76	76	Globe in a co-starring role alongside Barbara Streisand; and
77	77	WHEREAS, among his later films, Kris Kristofferson will be best remembered for his role
78	78	in the masterful crime drama Lone Star and his appearances in the Blade trilogy; and
79	79	WHEREAS, in 2023, he gave one of his final performances, singing "Lovin' Her Was
80	80	Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)" with Roseanne Cash at Willie Nelson's ninetieth
81	81	birthday party; and
82	82	WHEREAS, it is fitting that we should remember the bountiful life of this gifted artist and
83	83	fine human being; now, therefore,
84	84	BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED
85	85	FOURTEENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE SENATE
86	86	CONCURRING, that we honor the memory of Kris Kristofferson, reflecting fondly upon his many
87	87	contributions to music as a performer and songwriter, to film as an actor, and to society as a
88	88	man of social conscience and integrity.
89	89	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we express our sympathy and offer our condolences
90	90	to Kris Kristofferson's widow, Lisa Meyers, and his children and grandchildren.
91	91	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an appropriate copy of this resolution be prepared
92	92	for presentation with this final clause omitted from such copy and upon proper request made to
93	93	the appropriate clerk, the language appearing immediately following the State seal appear
94	94	without House or Senate designation.
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