[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1242 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1242

Honoring the life, musical accomplishments, and contributions of Louis 
             Jordan on the 100th anniversary of his birth.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 5, 2008

Mr. Snyder (for himself, Mr. Holt, Mr. Israel, Mr. Cohen, Ms. DeLauro, 
Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Emanuel, 
 Mr. Butterfield, Mr. Kildee, Mr. McDermott, Mr. Hastings of Florida, 
Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Mr. Levin, Mr. Inslee, Mr. Hill, Mr. Ross, Mr. 
 Mitchell, Mr. Welch of Vermont, Mr. Braley of Iowa, Mr. Pomeroy, Mr. 
Larsen of Washington, Mr. Hodes, Mr. Gonzalez, Mr. Lampson, Mr. Payne, 
Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Michaud, Mrs. Tauscher, Mrs. McCarthy of New York, 
 Mr. Kind, Mr. Berry, Mr. Miller of North Carolina, Mr. Price of North 
 Carolina, Mr. Foster, Mr. Boswell, Mr. Akin, Mr. DeFazio, Mr. Rahall, 
 Mr. Meek of Florida, Mr. Allen, Mr. Pastor, Mr. Doggett, Ms. Baldwin, 
Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Ms. Sutton, Mr. 
 Hare, Mr. Scott of Georgia, Mrs. Jones of Ohio, Mrs. Christensen, Mr. 
English of Pennsylvania, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Moran of Virginia, Mr. Moore 
 of Kansas, Mrs. Capps, Mrs. Davis of California, and Mrs. Bono Mack) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                         on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Honoring the life, musical accomplishments, and contributions of Louis 
             Jordan on the 100th anniversary of his birth.

Whereas Louis Thomas Jordan was born July 8, 1908, in Brinkley, Arkansas;
Whereas he studied music as a young child under his father James Aaron Jordan, 
        who was the bandleader of the Brinkley Brass Band;
Whereas in the late 1920s he attended Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock, 
        Arkansas, and majored in music;
Whereas he joined Chick Webb's Savoy Ballroom band in 1936 in New York where he 
        played saxophone and performed occasionally as a singer;
Whereas in 1938 he started his own band, the Elks Rendez-Vous Band, and in 1939 
        he changed the name of the group to the Tympany Five;
Whereas his prolific musical career consists of 54 hit singles including, ``Five 
        Guys Named Moe'', ``Let the Good Times Roll'', ``Don't Let the Sun Catch 
        You Cryin''', and ``Barnyard Boogie'', and 18 number 1 hits on 
        Billboard's R&B chart including ``Beans and Cornbread'', ``Run Joe'', 
        ``Ain't That Just Like A Woman'', ``Blue Light Boogie'', and the 1946 
        hit ``Choo Choo Ch'Boogie'', which topped the Billboard's R&B chart for 
        18 weeks;
Whereas 15 of his hits made it onto the Pop charts, including ``Baby It's Cold 
        Outside'', ``Caldonia'', ``Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby'', ``Ain't 
        Nobody Here But Us Chickens'', ``Buzz Me'', and ``Beware'';
Whereas he actively recorded for the Armed Forces Radio Service and the V-Disc 
        program during World War II, and one of the his songs recorded during 
        this period, ``G.I. Jive'', was number 1 on the Pop chart for 2 weeks;
Whereas he was featured in a variety of short musical films in the 1940s, such 
        as the 1945 short film ``Caldonia'', and played cameo roles in movies 
        like ``Follow the Boys'' and ``Swing Parade of 1946'';
Whereas his 1949 recording of ``Saturday Night Fish Fry'' was one of the 
        earliest musical examples of what would later become known as ``Rock and 
        Roll'';
Whereas he died on February 4, 1975, in Los Angeles, California;
Whereas a host of prominent musicians including Chuck Berry, Bo Didley, B.B. 
        King, Ray Charles, James Brown, and Sonny Rollins have counted him as an 
        influence;
Whereas he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, 
        in 1987;
Whereas in 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine named him one of the 100 Greatest 
        Artists of All Time; and
Whereas Louis Jordan will be highlighted on a United States Postal Service 
        stamp, as part of the 2008 commemorative stamp program: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved, That the United States House of Representatives--
            (1) honors the life of Louis Jordan, on the 100th 
        anniversary of his birth; and
            (2) recognizes his important contributions to American 
        music as a musician, composer, and entertainer.
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