[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 105 (Wednesday, September 8, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1543]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              AN APPRECIATION AND TRIBUTE TO NANCY WILSON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOHN LEWIS

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, September 7, 2004

  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. Speaker, I join my fellow colleagues in the 
Congressional Black Caucus to salute and pay tribute to Nancy Wilson, a 
living American legend. When one thinks of Nancy Wilson, the word that 
immediately comes to mind is sophistication. She is one of the last in 
line of elegant entertainers who performed naturally onstage exuding 
refinement, poise and grace.
  For years her style has blurred the lines between jazz, R&B and pop, 
redefining the essence of good music. With a career that has 
transformed, been translated, and ultimately survived over forty years 
in the music industry, Nancy Wilson has proven herself as more than 
merely an entertainer--she is a world-class interpreter of everything 
from blues and gospel to Broadway showtunes. She is just as at home in 
front of a full orchestra as she is in front of a jazz quartet. Her 
multifaceted stage presence has undoubtedly contributed to her staying 
power.
  Born in Chillicothe, Ohio in 1937, Nancy Wilson came of age to the 
sounds of Nat ``King'' Cole, Louis Jordan, Dinah Washington, Jimmy 
Scott, Bull Moose Jackson, Ruth Brown, Billy Eckstein, and LaVern 
Baker. At age 15 she entered a voice contest with other high school 
students and so impressed the judges that she won her own television 
show, Skyline Melodies. Later in her career, Ms. Wilson was a popular 
guest of TV variety shows from Johnny Carson and Andy Williams to Flip 
Wilson and Arsenio Hall. Her series' appearances include I Spy, Room 
222, Hawaii Five-O, The Cosby Show, New York Undercover, and the films 
The Big Score and Meteor Man. Noting Wilson's versatility as an artist, 
her acting talent should be no surprise. As she once said: ``Each song 
is a little play; a little vignette.'' Her acting simply turned an 
outstanding career to a stellar one.
  Since her beginnings, Nancy Wilson has given voice to those ineffable 
feelings of heartache, heartbreak, and those first soul-stirring 
moments when one falls in love. Songs like ``Guess Who I Saw Today,'' 
``Save Your Love For Me'' and ``Like in Love'' sung in that sultry 
signature tenor, have given the world a soundtrack for the love 
experience. Her songs have personified love; but more than that her 
songs have given us the assurance that someone else has experienced 
love deeply.
  Nancy Wilson has without question served us all well from the stage 
and on the airwaves--her voice a soothing balm to life's multiple 
wounds. But her service extends beyond the entertainment realm. Over 
the years she has contributed her time and energy to causes such as the 
Martin Luther King Center for Social Change, the Cancer Society, and 
the National Heart Association. She has been the recipient of numerous 
awards from the United Negro College Fund, CORE, and the NAACP 
including the NAACP Image Award. She is an Essence Award winner and has 
been honored with the Paul Robeson Humanitarian Award. She has received 
honorary degrees from the Berkeley School of Music and Columbus Central 
State College.

  As we honor this great entertainer, this great artist, and this great 
American, we give thanks for the inspiration future artists will find 
in her voice, her life, and in Nancy. Although we know no one will ever 
fill the shoes of Nancy Wilson, we already find traces of her--the 
voice of pure velvet, the self-assured performance, and the entrancing 
gaze--in the burgeoning songstresses of today. We only find traces--
bits and pieces of her and never the whole because there will only ever 
be one Nancy Wilson.

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