[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 27 (Wednesday, March 5, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H741-H742]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN HONOR OF THREE TEXAS LEGENDS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas [Ms. Granger] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure and even greater 
pride that I rise today to honor three Texas legends who are well on 
their way to becoming American legends.
  Last week millions of Americans turned out in Madison Square Garden 
to witness the 1997 Grammy Awards. Those awards are given annually to 
those in the music industry who set the pace. The artists who win these 
awards are the very best. So as a lifelong resident, a former mayor and 
now a Congresswoman from Fort Worth, I am enormously proud to honor 3 
hometown heroes who stole the show last week in New York.
  By now, most of America has fallen in love with 14-year-old singing 
sensation LeAnn Rimes. Born on August 28, 1982, LeAnn Rimes began 
singing before she was 2 years old. At age 5, she won her first singing 
competition. At age 6, her family moved to Texas, where country music 
is an obsession. Needless to say, LeAnn fit right in.
  Before long, she was making herself very well-known in the country 
music capital of Texas, Fort Worth. By the time she was 8, she was a 
regular on Fort Worth's favorite show, ``Johnnie High's Country Music 
Review.'' This is a wonderful country music extravaganza which my good 
friend Johnnie High has run for years. Suffice it to say, the folks 
over at Johnnie High's were very impressed with the young singer, so 
impressed that word spread throughout the Fort Worth community and 
beyond.
  Pretty soon LeAnn was a regular at the Dallas Cowboy football games, 
where she sang the Star Spangled Banner in front of Troy, Emmitt and 
60,000 fans. When LeAnn turned 11, she recorded her first album 
entitled ``All

[[Page H742]]

That.'' The album included a song called ``Blue,'' which was written by 
another long time Fort Worth great, discjockey Bill Mack.
  Bill had originally intended the song for Patsy Cline, but she died 
tragically before she could record it some 30 years ago. How proud 
Patsy Cline would be today to know that young LeAnn Rimes sang this 
special song for her.
  So, Mr. Speaker, it was altogether fitting and appropriate that Mack 
was honored for Best Song for ``Blue'' and LeAnn was honored as Best 
Female Country Artist, as well as best new artist in any category.

  Shortly after the awards program ended, LeAnn was asked at a press 
conference how she planned to celebrate her awards. ``I guess I will go 
out to dinner,'' she said. ``I am too young to do anything else.'' 
Well, LeAnn, you are certainly not too young to be on a one-way ticket 
to success. Congratulations to you, LeAnn, and to Bill. We are very 
proud of you.
  But Fort Worth's country stars were not the only ones to shine last 
week. Fort Worth is also the home of some of the most inspirational 
gospel music in the world. It was in the pews of these churches that 
Kirk Franklin honed his talents for singing gospel music.
  Kirk was born and raised in Fort Worth. Abandoned by his teenage 
mother and father at the age of 3, the orphaned Franklin was adopted by 
an aunt. At age 4, Kirk began to play the piano, and by the time he was 
in kindergarten, he was a regular on the local gospel music circuit. At 
age 19, he was recording in the studio.
  In the early 1990's, gospel fans all over America got the chance to 
hear what those of us in Fort Worth had been enjoying for years, the 
amazing, soulful voice of Kirk Franklin. A month after the release of 
his 1993 album, ``Kirk Franklin and the Family,'' the album was No. 1. 
In fact, Kirk's initial album marked the first time in the history of 
gospel music that a debut album sold over 1 million copies. In just 4 
short years, Kirk Franklin has become a musical superstar carrying his 
message of grace, hope, and love to the whole world.
  Last fall, a tragic accident on stage almost ended Kirk's career. 
After falling off the stage and into the orchestra pit, Kirk was 
unconscious for several hours. Doctors feared he might be paralyzed or 
even die. Instead, less than 2 months after the accident, Kirk was back 
on the road again. For his incredible moral courage as well as his 
indispensable music contributions, Kirk Franklin last week was awarded 
with a Grammy for Best Contemporary Soul-Gospel Album for 1997.
  So on behalf of music lovers everywhere, but particularly on behalf 
of a proud hometown, I want to say congratulations to LeAnn Rimes, Bill 
Mack and Kirk Franklin. You have made your friends, your family and 
your Nation very proud.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend to the American people the examples of Bill, 
LeAnn, and Kirk. While all three of these talents come from different 
backgrounds and different environments, they are uniquely American. 
They have showed us all that achievement is based more on desire and 
determination than on situation and circumstance. They have taught us 
all that hard work is still the surest road to success.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from West Virginia [Mr. Wise] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  [Mr. WISE addressed the House. His remarks will appear in the 
Extensions of Remarks.]

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