H. Res. 476 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

July 16, 2009. 

Whereas in 1979, the month of June was proclaimed ‘‘Black 

Music Month’’ and all people in the United States were 

encouraged to learn more about the important role that 

African-American artists have played in shaping history 

and culture; 

Whereas America’s rich heritage is influenced by the diversity 

of its people and the important contributions of Black 

culture; 

Whereas America’s cultural story is heavily influenced by the 

celebration and struggle of Black people through their 

musical expression; 

Whereas many genres of music, such as gospel, jazz, blues, 

rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and soul that were an 

integral part of American culture, trace their roots back 

to the banks of the Mississippi River in cities like Memphis, St. Louis, New Orleans, and other cities like Kansas City and Chicago; 

Whereas the amount of musical talent and skill that came 

from the Mississippi Delta and the myriad of towns in 

this region is undeniable; 

Whereas these genres of music illustrate the complexities of 

the African-American experience and they give a voice to 
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many social movements and inspiration to countless generations of people in the United States; 

Whereas as early as the 1860s, the ragtime artist Scott Joplin broadened the operatic and classical worlds and Black 

traveling brass bands trekked to Beale Street in Memphis, ‘‘Home of the Blues and Birthplace of Rock and 

Roll’’, to perform; 

Whereas gospel music and its artists like Thomas Dorsey, 

Lucy Campbell, Dr. Herbert Brewster, Mahalia Jackson, 

Aretha Franklin, Shirley Caesar, and Kirk Franklin are 

a special part of the American tradition that spawned future musical genres; 

Whereas the mid-20th Century saw the emergence of 

groundbreaking jazz and blues artists such as W.C. 

Handy, Bessie Smith, Lena Horne, Charlie Parker, Lionel Hampton, Max Roach, Billie Holiday, Count Basie, 

Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Miles Davis, Etta James, 

John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, 

Wynton Marsalis, Louis Armstrong, Professor Longhair, 

James Booker, the Neville Brothers, Muddy Waters, Albert King and B.B. King; 

Whereas conductor and producer Quincy Jones was heavily 

influenced by the improvisational nature of jazz performed in Harlem by Sarah Vaughn, Duke Ellington, 

and Dizzy Gillespie; 

Whereas multifaceted Harry Belafonte expanded the African 

Diaspora’s music by introducing calypso to America; 

Odetta, known as the voice of the Civil Rights Movement, 

had a powerful musical repertoire; Sammy Davis, Jr. impressed the world as crooner and a renowned entertainer; 

and Ray Charles, ‘‘The Genius’’, consolidated gospel, 
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country, and blues music to influence rock and roll music 

and help to create soul music; 

Whereas legends like James Brown, Bo Diddley, and Little 

Richard helped the transition from blues to rock & roll 

music with ease, Tina Turner riveted sold out audiences 

domestically and abroad, and Jimi Hendrix created a new 

musical form; 

Whereas Jackie Brentson, Howlin’ Wolf, The Staple Singers, 

Otis Redding, Rufus and Carla Thomas, Al Green, Willie 

Mitchell, Johnny Taylor, Isaac Hayes, and songwriter 

David Porter combined to place more than 167 hit songs 

in the Billboard Top 10 Pop charts and a staggering 243 

hits in the Top 100 R&B charts at Sun Studios, Hi 

Records, and Stax Records in Memphis; 

Whereas Stax, dubbed ‘‘Soulsville USA’’, had a revolutionary 

sound that earned eight Grammys and an Oscar; 

Whereas the Motown empire attracted creative individuals 

such as Smokey Robinson, The Four Tops, Holland 

Dozier Holland, Martha Reeves, The Temptations, The 

Supremes, Marvin Gaye, The Jacksons, and Stevie Wonder to Detroit; 

Whereas Hitsville USA produced an astonishing amount of 

Top 100 hits that spanned over three decades and by the 

1970s was the largest independent record company in the 

world; 

Whereas by the 1970s and 80s, new genres of music emerged 

in the form of funk, rhythm and blues, hip hop, and rap 

in cities across the country including Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New York City, and Atlanta; 

Whereas African-American music illustrates exceptional musicianship; 
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Whereas African-American composers, writers, singers, instrumentalists, and producers are at the top of many 

charts and in the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the Blues 

Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; 

Whereas African-American music embodies an original expression of the human experience by entertaining, inspiring, and stirring countless people in the United States 

and around the world; and 

Whereas June 2009 marks the 30th anniversary of ‘‘Black 

Music Month’’: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives celebrates 

the goals and ideals of ‘‘Black Music Month’’. 

Attest: 

Clerk.