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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Tejano legend Little Joe Hernández, the leader of |
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| 6 | 7 | | the enduringly popular Little Joe y La Familia, has been named the |
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| 7 | 8 | | 2019 Texas State Musician in recognition of his outstanding |
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| 8 | 9 | | achievements; and |
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| 9 | 10 | | WHEREAS, Born in Temple in 1940, José María de León Hernández |
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| 10 | 11 | | was a teenager when he started singing and playing guitar in his |
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| 11 | 12 | | cousin's band, David Coronado and the Latinaires; Little Joe took |
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| 12 | 13 | | on leadership of the group in about 1959, and the band recorded |
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| 13 | 14 | | songs for several Tejano labels as well as for Buena Suerte, Good |
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| 14 | 15 | | Luck, and Leona Records, each launched by Mr. Hernández; in the |
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| 15 | 16 | | mid-1960s, they released their first albums, Por un Amor and Amor |
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| 16 | 17 | | Bonito, and the group evolved into one of the top Tejano orquestas; |
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| 17 | 18 | | and |
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| 18 | 19 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Hernández was inspired by César Chávez and the |
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| 19 | 20 | | Chicano movement while performing in California, and he changed the |
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| 20 | 21 | | band's name to Little Joe y La Familia to reflect his growing |
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| 21 | 22 | | dedication to the cultural and political advancement of his |
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| 22 | 23 | | community; the group became the leading band of Tejano's Onda |
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| 23 | 24 | | Chicana, or Chicano Wave, with a lineup that included some of the |
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| 24 | 25 | | top musicians in the genre; in 1972, Para La Gente showcased its |
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| 25 | 26 | | lush arrangements and organic synthesis of ranchero and jaitón, and |
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| 26 | 27 | | the album yielded many hit songs, among them "Qué Culpa Tengo," "La |
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| 27 | 28 | | Traicionera," and especially "Las Nubes," a prime example of Onda |
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| 28 | 29 | | Chicana code-switching between Spanish and English; and |
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| 29 | 30 | | WHEREAS, Through the years, both the Smithsonian Institute |
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| 30 | 31 | | and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts have |
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| 31 | 32 | | featured Little Joe y La Familia during National Hispanic Heritage |
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| 32 | 33 | | Week; the band has won many significant honors, including Grammy |
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| 33 | 34 | | Awards for the Best Mexican-American Album in 1991 and Tejano Album |
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| 34 | 35 | | of the Year in 2008 and 2011; in 1997, the Texas branch of the |
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| 35 | 36 | | National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences presented |
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| 36 | 37 | | Mr. Hernández with its Governors Award for his contributions to |
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| 37 | 38 | | Texas music, and he later received the Smithsonian's Lifetime |
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| 38 | 39 | | Legend Award; the City of Temple celebrated Little Joe Day in 2018 |
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| 39 | 40 | | and renamed part of Sixth Avenue in his honor; and |
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| 40 | 41 | | WHEREAS, Little Joe Hernández has left a lasting imprint on |
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| 41 | 42 | | Texas music over the course of a remarkable career spanning over a |
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| 42 | 43 | | half century, and he continues to enrich the cultural scene and |
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| 43 | 44 | | delight the myriad fans of La Familia; now, therefore, be it |
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| 44 | 45 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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| 45 | 46 | | Legislature hereby congratulate Little Joe Hernández on his |
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| 46 | 47 | | selection as the 2019 Texas State Musician and extend to him sincere |
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| 47 | 48 | | best wishes for an enjoyable tenure and continued success; and, be |
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| 48 | 49 | | it further |
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| 49 | 50 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 50 | 51 | | prepared for Mr. Hernández as an expression of high regard by the |
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| 51 | 52 | | Texas House of Representatives. |
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