[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 48 (Wednesday, April 20, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H2157-H2158]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    RAY CHARLES POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. MARCHANT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 504) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 4960 West Washington Boulevard in Los Angeles, 
California, as the ``Ray Charles Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                H.R. 504

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. RAY CHARLES POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 4960 West Washington Boulevard in Los 
     Angeles, California, shall be known and designated as the 
     ``Ray Charles Post Office Building''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the ``Ray Charles Post Office Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Marchant) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Marchant).


                             General Leave

  Mr. MARCHANT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on the bill, H.R. 504.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. MARCHANT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Committee on Government Reform, I 
rise in support of H.R. 504. This legislation designates this post 
office in Los Angeles as the Ray Charles Post Office Building to 
celebrate the life of the great American entertainer.
  All 53 members of the California congressional delegation have 
cosponsored this legislation to comply with the committee policy on 
post office-naming bills.
  Mr. Speaker, Ray Charles Robinson was born in Albany, Georgia, in 
1930. He was raised in Florida, and completely lost his sight by age 7. 
Amazingly, he overcame his lack of sight and began to study piano, 
saxophone, and clarinet at a school for the blind and deaf.
  He ultimately became a traveling musician and shortened his name to 
Ray Charles to differentiate himself from the famous boxer of that 
time, Ray Robinson. During his career that spanned more than 5 decades, 
Ray Charles won an outstanding 12 Grammy Awards, including the best R&B 
recording three consecutive years from 1961 through 1963: ``Hit the 
Road Jack,'' ``I Can't Stop Loving You,'' and ``Busted.'' He was 
unquestionably one of the world's most successful musicians of the 20th 
century.
  Mr. Speaker, it is important for all of us to understand how 
groundbreaking his music fusion of gospel, blues, pop, country, and 
jazz really was.
  His ingenuity paved the way for other giants in music history, 
including Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley. Ray Charles passed away in 
Beverly Hills, California, on June 10, 2004. This post office will 
serve as an important memorial to Ray Charles's legacy and influence on 
American popular music.
  I want to thank the distinguished gentlewoman from California (Ms. 
Watson), my colleague on the committee, for her work on H.R. 504.
  Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such 
time as she might consume to the gentlewoman from California, (Ms. 
Watson) who is the author of this legislation.
  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 504, a bill to rename a post office 
located in Los Angeles, California, the Ray Charles Post Office, is a 
small act to commemorate one of the true giants of the 20th century in 
popular music.
  Ray Charles is both a national treasure and a international 
phenomenon. He was also a long-time resident of Los Angeles and the 
33rd Congressional District, living right around the corner from me.
  The story of Ray Charles's life is full of paradoxes. It is about 
rags to riches, the sacred and the profane, and triumph overcoming 
tragedy. It is the material of Horatio Alger and Mark Twain. It is a 
uniquely American story; and his music, a melting pot blend of pop, 
country, gospel, blues and jazz, brilliantly reflects the rich American 
cultural and musical tapestry in its various shades, shapes, and 
premonitions.
  Much has been written about Ray Charles's life, and his rise from 
poverty and obscurity in St. Augustine, Florida, to his decision to 
migrate to Seattle, a decision he made by asking a friend to find him 
the farthest point from Florida on a map of the Continental United 
States.
  Many of you have probably seen the movie ``Ray,'' and the Oscar-
winning performance of Jamie Foxx. What we learned from the life of Ray 
Charles is that he constantly persevered in the face of adversity and 
often overwhelming odds. He learned very early that the two constants 
of life are change and adaptation. Those qualities are reflected in 
spades in his music.
  He secularized gospel music, wed it to jazz rhythms and 
sensibilities, and popularized, almost singlehandedly, music known as 
rhythm and blues.
  But the music of Ray Charles, as true to his legacy, cannot be 
confined to one

[[Page H2158]]

genre or type of music. In 1962, Ray Charles spit in the eye of 
conventional wisdom, as well as his producers, and recorded one of the 
great country albums, ``Modern Sounds in Country and Western.'' 
Billboard Magazine listed it as the number one-selling album for 14 
weeks in a row, a feat that has not been duplicated since then.
  Ray Charles's accomplishments were all the more profound when we 
consider that the races in America were still largely segregated, 
particularly in the South. Ray Charles's revolutionary approach to 
music was also reflected in his politics and his deep and abiding 
commitment to Martin Luther King and the plight of the African 
Americans.
  Ray Charles may not have been on the front lines, but he put his 
money where his mouth was. In his autobiography, Ray Charles wrote 
about his life-long love affair with music. ``I was born with the music 
inside me,'' he wrote. ``That is the only explanation I know of. It 
was, of course, already with me when I arrived on the scene. It was a 
necessity for me like food or like water.''
  Ray Charles has provided comfort to millions of Americans from all 
races and backgrounds and made their lives brighter with the genius of 
his music.
  In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would note that this legislation, to name 
a post office in honor of Ray Charles, is but a small tribute to a man 
who started from nowhere and ended up as a national treasure and a 
global phenomenon. God bless, Ray Charles.
  Mr. MARCHANT. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers at the moment and 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
might consume to close for our side.
  Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Government Reform Committee, I 
am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of H.R. 504, 
legislation naming a postal facility in Los Angeles, California, after 
the legendary Ray Charles.
  H.R. 504 was introduced by my good friend and colleague, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson), on February 1, 2005, and 
unanimously reported by our committee on April 13, 2005.
  The bill enjoys the support of the entire California delegation. As 
we have already heard, Ray Charles was born in Albany, Georgia, on 
September 23, 1930, and moved with his family to Greenville, Florida.
  And like later in his life, Charles's childhood was one marked by 
tragedy and hardship. At age 5, he watched helplessly as his brother 
drowned to death in the family bathtub. That same year he became 
inflicted with glaucoma and lost his sight altogether by the age of 7.
  By age 15, both of his parents had died. Displaying courage far 
beyond his years, Ray Charles persevered during this time of 
unimaginable hardship. Determined to make something of his life, Ray 
Charles turned to music. After playing in local clubs, Charles decided 
that Florida was not the place for his budding music career.
  So at age 17 he decided to move to Seattle and sing in a band playing 
Nat King Cole-style music at area nightclubs. In Seattle, Ray Charles's 
unparalleled skill drew rave reviews, and he had his first hit at age 
19 with the rhythm and blues hit, ``Confession Blues.''
  In all, Ray Charles would win an astounding 12 Grammy Awards, 
including three in 3 consecutive years for ``Hit the Road Jack,'' ``I 
Can't Stop Loving You,'' and ``Busted.''
  Once when Ray Charles was asked if he ever considered taking it easy 
following all of the success he had had, Charles quickly responded, for 
what? Music is like a part of me. It is not something I do on the side. 
It is like my blood line, like my breathing apparatus.
  Tragically, Ray Charles did not live long enough to witness the 
success of the movie hit ``Ray'' that told the story of his life. He 
died on June 10, last year, shortly before the movie's release. Jamie 
Foxx did an exemplary job portraying Ray Charles.
  The story of Mr. Charles's life is so compelling that it is hard to 
imagine the American public not becoming engrossed in the story of his 
life. Ray Charles was truly a man for all seasons, and an incredible 
gospel, jazz, blues and big band artist, all rolled in one.
  He has his own star on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame. He is the 
recipient of a bronze medallion presented by the French Republic. His 
version of Hoagy Carmichael's ``Georgia on My Mind,'' was named the 
Georgia State song, and he was one of the original inductees into the 
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. 
Watson) for introducing this legislation. Ray Charles was and will 
always be an American hero and icon. He has given the American people 
and the entire world the everlasting gift of his beautiful music.
  I commend my colleague for seeking to honor the legacy of Ray Charles 
in this manner. Mr. Speaker, I know that the gentleman from Michigan 
(Mr. Conyers), as well as the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano) who 
are both great patrons of the arts and tremendous lovers of music had 
intended to be here to make some comments.
  Unfortunately, they could not. So I would urge swift passage of this 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. MARCHANT. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage 
of H.R. 504.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of naming the 
4960 West Washington Boulevard, Los Angeles, California post office 
after one of America's greatest musical artists, Ray Charles. As an 
international icon who mastered many styles from blues and jazz to rock 
`n' roll and gospel, Ray Charles deserves this recognition
  Born Ray Charles Robinson in Albany, Georgia on September 23, 1930, 
he would later shorten his name to Ray Charles to avoid confusion with 
boxer Sugar Ray Robinson. Ray's inspirational life story is well known 
but deserves retelling.
  Blind since childhood and orphaned as a teenager, Ray Charles lived a 
life that traveled from despair to fame to redemption. He had been 
playing piano since he was three years old. In 1937, he entered the St. 
Augustine School for the Deaf and Blind as a charity student, studied 
classical piano and clarinet, and learned to read and write music in 
Braille. Both his parents died by the time Ray turned 15.
  At that age, Ray Charles left school and joined dance bands in 
Florida, then moved to Seattle, where a talent content appearance led 
to work playing at the Elks Club. He formed the McSon Trio with two 
other musicians--a group modeled on the Nat King Cole jazz group--and 
they soon moved to Los Angeles where they recorded their first single 
``Confession Blues,'' which Charles wrote.
  Throughout his life, Ray Charles overcame racial prejudice, drug 
addiction and other setbacks to forge a singular life in music and 
popular culture, and as a media celebrity. Charles' intense renditions 
of classic songs earned him the nickname ``The Genius.''
  Charles' litany of awards is numerous. He was an original inductee 
into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Blues 
Foundation Hall of Fame, the Blues Hall of Fame, the Songwriters' Hall 
of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Jazz Hall of Fame, the Florida 
Artists Hall of Fame, and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame to name some. 
His definitive version of Hoagy Carmichael's 1930 classic ``Georgia on 
My Mind'' (1960) became the official state song of Georgia.
  Ray said once, ``Music's been around a long time, and there's going 
to be music long after Ray Charles is dead. I just want to make my 
mark, leave something musically good behind. If it's a big record, 
that's the frosting on the cake, but music's the main meal.''
  Mr. Speaker, we all can dine on his wide assortment of musical 
treats. Ray Charles' American legacy is well served by the naming of a 
public building after him.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Marchant) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 504.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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