HR0397 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0397 LRB097 11526 KXB 54370 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Willie Nelson is considered a music legend and an American icon whose music and advocacy has entertained and inspired Illinoisans for five decades; and

WHEREAS, Willie Nelson started his musical education at age six by studying mail-order music guides given to him by his grandparents; he wrote his first song at seven and played in a local Texas band two years later; Willie later joined his brother-in-law's band as its frontman; and

WHEREAS, Willie Nelson moved to Vancouver, Washington where he recorded Leon Payne's "Lumberjack"; the song was plugged on the air, resulting in sales of 3,000; after the sale of "Family Bible," which became a hit for Claude Gray in 1960, Nelson moved to Nashville to try his luck in the country music industry; and

WHEREAS, Willie Nelson's music demos were initially met with rejection by recording companies, but he tirelessly persevered; during this time, he wrote songs performed by other musicians, including "Crazy," which became a Top Ten pop crossover smash, and "Funny How Time Slips Away," which became a Top 40 country hit; and

WHEREAS, Willie Nelson grew frustrated with the Nashville music industry and retired to Austin, Texas; there, Nelson realized that country music was popular with young rock fans as well as the traditional country audience; he began performing again, shedding the Nashville sound for a rock-and-roll influenced outlaw country style; 1973's Shotgun Willie evidenced Nelson's new musical style that defied the forms of the Nashville music industry; and

WHEREAS, Willie Nelson gained complete creative control over his music when he signed with Columbia Records in 1975; "The Red Headed Stranger," his first album for Columbia, became a huge hit; for the next five years, Nelson consistently appeared on both the country and pop charts; and

WHEREAS, Willie Nelson's most successful year was 1978, when he charted his first duet album with Waylon Jennings; this collaboration spawned the popular song "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys"; that same year, Nelson also released "Stardust," an album spanning jazz, pop, country, and folk styles and which spent almost ten years in the country charts; and

WHEREAS, Willie Nelson continued to produce hits, including a cover of Elvis Presley's "Always on My Mind," which was a cross-over smash; "Always on My Mind," the album, achieved quadruple-platinum status; and

WHEREAS, Willie Nelson goes beyond traditional country to blend together a diversity of styles, including pop, swing, jazz, honky tonk, rock & roll, folk, and the blues, into a distinctive musical hybrid; most recently, Nelson joined with jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and singer-songwriter Norah Jones to pay musical tribute to the legendary Ray Charles with the album "Here We Go Again"; and

WHEREAS, Willie Nelson has won major recognition for his music, including 10 Grammys, 7 American Music Awards, and 9 Country Music Awards; he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993 and, on June 23, 2010, the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry; and

WHEREAS, Willie Nelson branched out into film with appearances in such movies as "The Electric Horseman" and "Honeysuckle Rose"; for the latter movie's soundtrack, Nelson wrote and performed what would become one of his signature songs, "On the Road Again"; and

WHEREAS, Willie Nelson has been involved in countless humanitarian causes, including raising funds for the victims of natural disasters and disease and working towards peace among all peoples and nations; and

WHEREAS, Willie Nelson worked with the State of Illinois and performers John Mellencamp and Neil Young to organize the first Farm Aid concert to increase awareness about the loss of family farms and raise funds to keep farm families on their land; the first Farm Aid concert was held on September 22, 1985 at Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign; during its existence, Farm Aid has raised more than $37 million to promote a strong and resilient family farm system of agriculture; and

WHEREAS, Willie Nelson was a regular performer at the Illinois State Fair, most recently in 2001; fairgoers would famously enjoy "Chili with Willie" as stipulated by Nelson in his State fair contract; and

WHEREAS, On June 11, 2011, Willie Nelson is once again on the minds of Illinoisans as he performs at the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta as part of his Country Throwdown tour; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we designate June 11, 2011 as "Willie Nelson Day" in the State of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to Willie Nelson as a symbol of our respect and esteem.