[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 677 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 677

 Honoring the life and tremendous artistic and social contributions of 
     Ray Charles, one of the world's most influential and prolific 
                               musicians.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 16, 2004

  Mr. Bishop of Georgia (for himself, Mrs. Jones of Ohio, Mr. Meek of 
 Florida, Mr. Jefferson, Mr. Wynn, Mr. Clay, Ms. Watson, Ms. Lee, Mr. 
Davis of Illinois, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Mr. Owens, Ms. Kilpatrick, 
 Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Ms. 
 Waters, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr. 
 Watt, Mr. Meeks of New York, Ms. Norton, Mr. Cummings, and Mr. Payne) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                     on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Honoring the life and tremendous artistic and social contributions of 
     Ray Charles, one of the world's most influential and prolific 
                               musicians.

Whereas Ray Charles was born Ray Charles Robinson on September 23, 1930, in 
        Albany, Georgia, to Bailey and Aretha Robinson;
Whereas Ray Charles grew up extremely poor, and saw his younger brother and 
        parents die before he reached the age of 16;
Whereas, at age 6, Ray Charles began to lose his eyesight from glaucoma;
Whereas Ray Charles attended the St. Augustine School for the Deaf and Blind 
        from 1937 to 1945, where he excelled, learning piano, clarinet, 
        saxophone, and how to read and write music in Braille;
Whereas, over the course of his 58 year career, Ray Charles expressed himself 
        through music and pioneered the genres of soul, pop, R&B, rock and roll, 
        jazz, swing, and country, but ultimately broke ground by applying gospel 
        techniques to blues music;
Whereas Ray Charles recorded dozens of hit records over the course of his 
        career, including ``Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand'', ``I'll Be Good to 
        You'', ``I've Got a Woman'', ``A Fool for You'', and ``Drown In My Own 
        Tears'', but perhaps none more definitive than his 1961 hit ``Georgia On 
        My Mind'', which became the Georgia State song in 1979;
Whereas, in 1985, Ray Charles was instrumental in the recording of the ``We Are 
        the World'' single for famine relief in Africa;
Whereas, over the course of his life, Ray Charles believed in the promise of 
        education, giving $3 million to his hometown school Albany State 
        University, as well as additional financial and other support to other 
        institutions, including Morehouse College where the Tribute to Ray 
        Charles supports student scholarships and helps build the $15 million 
        Ray Charles Performing Arts Center;
Whereas Ray Charles worked with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., advancing the cause 
        of civil rights through non-violent struggles, and, having triumphed 
        over personal and social adversity, moved the social discourse through 
        his music and his actions;
Whereas Ray Charles has been recognized for his great social and cultural 
        contributions by his peers, receiving 12 Grammy Awards, being inducted 
        into the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of 
        Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, and 
        the Florida Artists Hall of Fame;
Whereas Ray Charles also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Black 
        Achievement Awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Morehouse 
        College's Candle Award for Lifetime Achievement in Arts and 
        Entertainment, the Helen Keller Personal Achievement Award from the 
        American Foundation for the Blind, as well as honorary doctorates from 
        Albany State University, Morehouse College, and the University of South 
        Florida in Tampa;
Whereas Ray Charles also performed at the Republican National Convention and at 
        President Reagan's inaugural ball in 1985, received the Kennedy Center 
        Honors, and was the recipient of the National Medal of Arts by President 
        Clinton in 1993; and
Whereas Ray Charles died on June 10, 2004, at the age of 73: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) mourns the loss of Ray Charles and expresses its 
        deepest condolences and sympathy to his family; and
            (2) recognizes and honors the tremendous artistic and 
        social contributions of Ray Charles, who lost his eyesight as a 
        child but never lost his vision to expand hope and increase the 
        circle of human dignity through peaceful musical expression.
                                 <all>