85R6331 JGH-D
By: Raymond H.R. No. 564
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Pianist Bobbie Nelson has been playing music for
virtually her entire life, and today, after nearly eight decades as
a performer, she is continuing to enrich the proud musical legacy of
Texas; and
WHEREAS, Bobbie Nelson was born on New Year's Day 1931 in
Abbott; her parents divorced early in her childhood, and she and her
younger brother, Willie, were raised by their grandparents, William
and Nancy Nelson, who instilled in both children a deep love of
music; at the age of five, she learned to play keyboards from her
grandmother, first on the family pump organ and later on a piano her
grandfather bought for $35; after her brother learned the guitar,
the siblings began performing gospel songs together at school
events and at the local Methodist church; and
WHEREAS, In her early teens, Ms. Nelson got her start as a
touring musician, playing piano on the revival circuit with a
traveling preacher; at 16, she married Bud Fletcher, who organized
and managed the Nelson siblings' first band, Bud Fletcher and the
Texans; she and her husband became the parents of three sons, but
after their marriage ended, she lost custody of her children for a
time because the courts disapproved of her occupation of playing
music in honky-tonks; her career was put on hold as she fought to
reunite her family, though she was able to put her talents to use
after being hired as a demonstrator for the Hammond Organ Company;
following stints in Fort Worth and Austin, she relocated to
Nashville to be near her brother, who had begun building a
reputation as one of country music's best songwriters; both Bobbie
and Willie returned to Texas in the early 1970s and have considered
themselves Austinites ever since; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Nelson started performing on her brother's
recordings, including his 1975 breakthrough album Red Headed
Stranger; through the decades, "Sister Bobbie," as Willie
affectionately calls her, has also been a key member of his touring
band, Family, delighting audiences with her skill in a variety of
musical idioms; in 2007, she released her first solo album, a
collection of pop and country standards called Audiobiography, and
in 2014, she and her brother released December Day, an album
inspired by their informal jam sessions on the tour bus; and
WHEREAS, From her early days of playing the pump organ in her
grandparents' parlor to her performances in recording studios and
on concert stages around the world, Bobbie Nelson has built a
sterling reputation as a skilled and intuitive keyboard player, and
her role as an integral member of Willie Nelson and Family has
earned her an honored place among the beloved musicians of the Lone
Star State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby commend Bobbie Nelson for her long and
illustrious career and for her contributions to Texas music; and,
be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Ms. Nelson as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.