SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 1178
In Memory
of
Cornell Dupree, Jr.
WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas joins the
citizens of Fort Worth in mourning the loss of Cornell Dupree,
Jr., who died May 8, 2011, at the age of 68; and
WHEREAS, Cornell Dupree was born in Fort Worth on December
19, 1942; he graduated from I. M. Terrell High School, and soon
thereafter, he began what would become an internationally
recognized career in music; and
WHEREAS, Cornell first expressed his talent for music by
playing the saxophone; at the age of 13, however, he traded it in
for a guitar after watching a show by bluesman Johnny "Guitar"
Watson; he was barely out of high school when fellow Fort Worth
native and legendary tenor saxophonist King Curtis Ousley
invited him to join his band in 1959; his family moved to New
York, and on his first night there, he played at Small's
Paradise, one of the most famous clubs in Harlem; and
WHEREAS, Cornell soon was playing on some of the biggest
rhythm and blues and jazz hits of the century and earning a
reputation as one of the most accomplished guitarists in American
music; he played with King Curtis for eight years and later
toured for some years with Aretha Franklin; modest and extremely
versatile, he recorded with such other great artists as Otis
Redding, Miles Davis, Barbra Streisand, and Stevie Ray Vaughan;
and
WHEREAS, An exemplary musical performer and a sought-after
studio musician, he also had three critically acclaimed bands
over the years, Stuff, the Gadd Gang, and Who It Is, and his
albums were immensely popular in Europe and Japan; and
WHEREAS, He was a masterful guitarist and an inspirational
figure in the music world; toward the end of his life, even when
weakened by his illness, he continued to compose melodies and
songs on his custom-made Yamaha guitars; and
WHEREAS, Cornell Dupree was beloved by his family and
friends, and he will long be remembered with affection and
appreciation by all who were privileged to share in his life;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 82nd
Legislature, hereby extend sincere condolences to the bereaved
family of Cornell Dupree, Jr.: his wife of 52 years, Erma; his
children, James Cornell Dupree, Cornell Dupree III, and
Celestine Dupree; and his nine grandchildren; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
his family as an expression of deepest sympathy from the Texas Senate,
and that when the Senate adjourns this day, it do so in memory of
Cornell Dupree, Jr.
Davis
________________________________
President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on May 25, 2011, by a
rising vote.
________________________________
Secretary of the Senate
________________________________
Member, Texas Senate