| 1 | 1 | | H.R. No. 188 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 5 | | WHEREAS, Today the Texas House of Representatives honors the |
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| 6 | 6 | | many accomplishments and generous contributions of a great Texan |
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| 7 | 7 | | and a legendary musician and composer, Joe Sample; and |
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| 8 | 8 | | WHEREAS, Born in Houston on February 1, 1939, Joseph Leslie |
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| 9 | 9 | | Sample was playing the piano at the age of five; he was already |
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| 10 | 10 | | soaking in all the various musical influences of Houston's Fifth |
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| 11 | 11 | | Ward, from gospel to rock and roll, from Latin to soul to zydeco, |
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| 12 | 12 | | and from jazz and blues to classical music; and |
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| 13 | 13 | | WHEREAS, With his boyhood friends Wayne Henderson, Wilton |
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| 14 | 14 | | Felder, and Stix Hooper, Joe Sample formed a group in high school |
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| 15 | 15 | | called the Swingsters; they continued to play together while |
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| 16 | 16 | | attending Texas Southern University, then moved to Los Angeles in |
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| 17 | 17 | | 1960; renaming the group the Jazz Crusaders, they gained a national |
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| 18 | 18 | | reputation playing jazz inflected by what they had heard growing up |
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| 19 | 19 | | on the streets of Houston; and |
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| 20 | 20 | | WHEREAS, Changing their name again in 1971, the musicians |
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| 21 | 21 | | became simply the Crusaders, and their fusion of jazz, soul, and |
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| 22 | 22 | | rhythm and blues became one of the signature sounds of American |
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| 23 | 23 | | popular music; working with such performers as Marvin Gaye, Joni |
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| 24 | 24 | | Mitchell, and Steely Dan, they recorded a series of iconic albums, |
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| 25 | 25 | | including The Second Crusade, Unsung Heroes, Southern Comfort, |
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| 26 | 26 | | Chain Reaction, and Those Southern Knights, culminating in 1979 |
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| 27 | 27 | | with their international hit "Street Life"; and |
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| 28 | 28 | | WHEREAS, Joe Sample's first solo album, Rainbow Seeker, |
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| 29 | 29 | | released in 1978, was a masterpiece of lyricism and introspection; |
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| 30 | 30 | | his catalog of songs from "Street Life" to "When Your Life Was Low" |
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| 31 | 31 | | to "Dear Mama" has been covered by a multitude of artists; Nicole |
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| 32 | 32 | | Kidman sang his hit "Someday I'll Fly Away" in the film Moulin |
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| 33 | 33 | | Rouge, and his recordings have been sampled by contemporary artists |
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| 34 | 34 | | including Tupac, Queen Latifah, Ice Cube, Destiny's Child, and Lil' |
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| 35 | 35 | | Bow Wow; a sought-after keyboardist, he has performed throughout |
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| 36 | 36 | | the years with such artists as Eric Clapton, B. B. King, Tina |
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| 37 | 37 | | Turner, Joan Baez, the Beach Boys, George Benson, and Gladys |
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| 38 | 38 | | Knight; and |
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| 39 | 39 | | WHEREAS, He continues to write and perform to great acclaim; |
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| 40 | 40 | | his recent recordings include the Crusaders reunion Rural Renewal; |
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| 41 | 41 | | his collaboration with vocalist Randy Crawford, entitled Feeling |
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| 42 | 42 | | Good; and his 2002 release, The Pecan Tree, which highlights the |
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| 43 | 43 | | music and culture of southeast Texas; and |
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| 44 | 44 | | WHEREAS, In 2005, he returned to his hometown of Houston and |
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| 45 | 45 | | established the Joe Sample Youth Organization, through which he |
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| 46 | 46 | | raises money for inner-city schools, including his old elementary |
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| 47 | 47 | | school, Our Mother of Mercy Catholic School, the oldest |
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| 48 | 48 | | historically African American elementary school in Houston; |
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| 49 | 49 | | through a series of concerts, Mr. Sample has raised over $100,000 |
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| 50 | 50 | | for the schools; his third annual fund-raising concert is scheduled |
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| 51 | 51 | | for September of this year; and |
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| 52 | 52 | | WHEREAS, Joe Sample's contributions to the musical heritage |
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| 53 | 53 | | of the Lone Star State are immeasurable, and he remains one of |
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| 54 | 54 | | America's most influential performers and composers; the joy and |
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| 55 | 55 | | excitement he has brought generations of fans are matched only by |
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| 56 | 56 | | his selfless and committed service to his community, and his |
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| 57 | 57 | | enormous talent is matched only by his generous heart; now, |
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| 58 | 58 | | therefore, be it |
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| 59 | 59 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
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| 60 | 60 | | Legislature hereby honor Joe Sample for the gift of his music and |
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| 61 | 61 | | for his devotion to his community and extend to him very best wishes |
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| 62 | 62 | | for the future; and, be it further |
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| 63 | 63 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 64 | 64 | | prepared for Mr. Sample as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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| 65 | 65 | | House of Representatives. |
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| 66 | 66 | | Dutton |
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| 67 | 67 | | ______________________________ |
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| 68 | 68 | | Speaker of the House |
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| 69 | 69 | | I certify that H.R. No. 188 was adopted by the House on |
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| 70 | 70 | | January 27, 2009, by a non-record vote. |
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| 71 | 71 | | ______________________________ |
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| 72 | 72 | | Chief Clerk of the House |
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