[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 9, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H530]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   PAYING TRIBUTE TO PETER McCANN, COMPOSER OF ``AMONG THE MISSING''

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Lampson) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today 
to pay tribute to Mr. Peter McCann.
  It was through my involvement with the National Center For Missing 
and Exploited Children and as chairman and founder of the Congressional 
Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children that I had the privilege of 
being introduced to Mr. McCann. Missing and exploited children is an 
issue of great concern to me and one that I hold in the absolute 
highest regard. As a parent of two children, I cannot even begin to 
imagine the hurt families of missing children feel as they are left to 
wait and hope for the return of their son or daughter.
  Well, after garnering support from the Caucus and from the National 
Center to record a song inspired by the plight of these families, I was 
flattered that Peter McCann would offer his time and talent to compose 
such a song. Peter performed his duty as a songwriter in superb fashion 
by composing the heartfelt duet: Among The Missing, and because of his 
passionate commitment to this project Peter used his connections in 
Nashville to convince George Massenburg of Seventeen Grand Recording 
Studios to produce the sound track and to donate the studio time to 
make this CD. In addition, recording artists Michael McDonald and Kathy 
Mattea recorded the song to the accompaniment of an 18-piece string 
section and 35-voice chorus.
  Well, Peter is a seasoned veteran of the music industry, and this 
accomplishment represents only one of his many musical achievements. He 
originally embarked on his career at Motown Records in 1971, and after 
releasing two albums of his own he began a lengthy and productive 
relationship with CBS as a songwriter during which time Peter began 
advocating the rights of music artists with his involvement in the 
Songwriters Association. Later, Peter lobbied pro bono on behalf of his 
colleagues here on Capitol Hill using his organizational leadership 
skills as the co-chair of the legislative committee for the National 
Songwriters' Association International. His songs have been recorded by 
Julio Iglesias, Kenny Rogers, Lee Greenwood, Reba McIntyre, Crystal 
Gayle, the Oak Ridge Boys, Isaac Hayes, Karen Carpenter, Donnie Osmond, 
and that is just to list a few among the long list of musical 
entertainers.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe that this most recent recording will provide 
Peter and the others involved a true sense of pride and a memory of one 
of their most satisfying accomplishments as songwriters and as 
musicians. Peter has agreed to donate the publishing royalties and the 
right to use the song for the National Center for Missing and Exploited 
Children. Wal-Mart, a long-time partner in the Center's mission to 
locate missing children is also committed to promoting the song, Among 
The Missing, in its nearly 3,000 stores nationwide. Additionally, RCA 
Records, the recorder and distributor of the song, will dedicate a 
portion of the sales to distributing photographs of missing children 
nationwide.
  Mr. Speaker, I offer my heartfelt thanks to Peter whose efforts and 
time played a very large part in ensuring that this project come to 
fruition. If this song raises the awareness about missing children and 
reunites one child with his or her family, Peter McCann can take 
credit. He can hold his head high and feel as proud of his work on 
behalf of our nation's children as we are of him.

                              {time}  1830

  Thank you, Peter, and God bless you.

                          ____________________