[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 137 (Tuesday, October 25, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2167-E2168]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       TRIBUTE TO THE RECIPIENTS OF THE RECORDING ACADEMY HONORS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. HAROLD E. FORD, JR.

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 25, 2005

  Mr. FORD. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Craig Brewer, Isaac 
Hayes, David Porter, Justin Timberlake and WDIA. On Saturday, October 
22, 2005, they were honored by the Memphis Chapter of the Recording 
Academy for their contribution to our city and the greater creative 
community.
  From W.C. Handy, the father of the blues, B.B. King, Otis Redding, 
Jerry Lee Lewis, Wilson Pickett, and Al Green to Sam and Dave, Carl 
Perkins, Rufus Thomas, Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley, Memphis has long 
been known for fostering creativity and musical talent. W.C. Handy 
first made traditional blues music popular, and in the 1950s, Memphis 
based artists synthesized blues and country into ``rock-a-billy,'' the 
precursor to rock and roll. At Sun Studios, Sam Phillips helped 
discover the legends--Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and others--that 
made Memphis the birthplace of rock and roll. In the 1960s, as the 
Almanac of American Politics said, ``Memphis once again became the 
crucible of a new sound, soul music, which emerged as a counterpoint to 
rock,'' with the Stax sound and artists such as Isaac Hayes, Booker T. 
and the MG's and Rufus Thomas.
  Mr. Speaker, that creative tradition is alive and well in Memphis as 
demonstrated by the success of the Recording Academy's honorees.
  So much of our city's creative success would not have been possible 
without the existence of WDIA. It has given a venue to local artists 
who have gone on to national and international fame. At a time of 
public and private segregation, WDIA broke down racial barriers. It is 
still an instrumental part of making our community a better place to 
live and work.
  As one of the most popular music artists performing today, Justin 
Timberlake is the latest superstar to carry on the Memphis music 
legacy. Drawing from our rich and diverse music traditions to create 
multi-platinum records, Justin has earned a rightful place in the 
pantheon of stars our city has produced over the years.
  At Stax Records, Isaac Hayes and David Porter were a dynamic and 
creative duo that churned out a unique musical sound that became 
popular throughout the world. We are fortunate that both are still 
active artists and that Stax has undergone a reincarnation as the Stax 
Museum of American Soul Music and the Stax Music Academy where young 
people are receiving music education and academic skills.
  Long part of the Memphis film scene, Craig Brewer was recently 
catapulted onto the national stage with his critically acclaimed film 
Hustle & Flow. Our special brand of hip-hop music and film making is 
getting national exposure as the result of his work. We look forward to 
his next endeavor about the blues entitled Black Snake Moan.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that the following description of the honorees 
provided by the Recording Academy be included in the Record and ask my 
colleagues to join me in recognizing their accomplishments.
  Craig Brewer: True to the spirit of this city's indomitable, 
independent tradition, Memphis film maker Craig Brewer is a self-made 
man. Like Clarence Saunders, Sam Phillips, Elvis Presley, Fred Smith, 
and dozens more entrepreneurs and free thinkers who have helped put 
Memphis on the map, Brewer has succeeded where others might fear to 
even try. In 2000, this unknown screenwriter/director walked away with 
the Hollywood Film Festival's Best Digital Feature Award on the basis 
of his self-financed project The Poor And Hungry. Four years later, 
Brewer struck gold with his hometown rap epic Hustle & Flow, which won 
the Audience Award at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and was 
subsequently purchased by MTV Films. Now Brewer is applying his midas 
touch to the fictional story of a rural bluesman, played by actor 
Samuel L. Jackson. The Paramount Classics film, Black Snake Moan, is 
currently in production in Memphis with Christina Ricci, Justin 
Timberlake, and David Banner.

  Isaac Hayes & David Porter: They started out as just a couple of 
talented Memphis kids trying to make it in the local music scene. Fate 
brought them to Stax Records. David Porter got there first and became 
Stax's first staff songwriter. But it was when Grammy-winner Isaac 
Hayes joined the Stax family that the equation was complete: Hayes + 
Porter = Southern Soul's premier songwriting duo. They fueled the 
success of Stax and Atlantic Records with such classics as ``Soul 
Man,'' ``Hold On, I'm Coming,'' and ``When Something is Wrong With My 
Baby.'' They also were producers and artists, turning out hit records 
under their own names. Hayes went on to become the first Amcan-American 
composer to win the Oscar (for the timeless classic ``Theme from 
Shaft'' from Shaft), while Porter became one of Memphis most prominent 
Amcan-American entrepreneurs. Together they bear the distinction of 
having had national chart hits in five consecutive decades--a testimony 
to the enduring quality of their teamwork. Their recent induction into 
the International Songwriters Hall of Fame cements what their hometown 
has long known. As Rodgers & Hammerstein were to Broadway, the 
Gershwins to classic pop and Leiber & Stoller to early rock and roll, 
Hayes & Porter are to Memphis soul- simply the best there ever was.
  Justin Timberlake: Grammy-winning artist Justin Timberlake is simply 
the hottest pop music artist to come from the Mid-South since Elvis 
Presley. Born and raised in the Shelby Forest area north of Memphis, 
the platinum-selling artist, all of 24, has gone from one mega-success 
to another. At 14, Justin joined *NSYNC a five-member band based in 
Orlando, Fla. That group would go on to become one of the biggest acts 
of the past decade, inciting a Beatles-like hysteria in its legion of 
fans. In 2002, Timberlake went solo; proving that life after the group 
craze could be even better. His solo debut, Justified, racked up 
numerous awards, including two Grammys and went on to sell nearly 7 
million records worldwide. Not only is he a talented singer, dancer, 
composer, producer and actor, Timberlake is also a philanthropist who 
believes in fostering music education. In 2001, The Justin Timberlake 
Foundation began fulfilling its mission by providing grants to schools 
in need of instruments, sheet music, or staffing, as well as to non-
profit organizations, which provide much needed after-school music 
programs.
  WDIA is the first radio station in America that was programmed 
entirely by Amcan-Americans for Amcan-Americans. It empowered a huge 
segment of the population that was, until the late 1940s, largely 
unrecognized. The Goodwill Station, as it came to be known, was an 
unprecedented pioneer in community involvement, setting new standards 
of civic responsibility for the electronic media. Its annual Goodwill 
and Starlight Revues played to capacity crowds, and all the money 
raised was used for charitable activities. Drawing from talent 
throughout the Mid-South, WDIA was the opportunity unknown performers 
were praying for. Local talents such as Rufus Thomas, Dwight 
``Gatemouth'' Moore, and Maurice ``Hot Rod'' Hulbert began as disc 
jockeys. Entertainers such as B.B. King and Bobby Blue Bland began the 
road to

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fame plugging their gigs at local clubs, while their music received 
airtime on WDIA. With WDIA's emergence, the broadcasting landscape for 
Amcan-Americans changed forever.
  Established in 1957, the National Academy of Recording Arts & 
Sciences, Inc., also known as The Recording Academy, is an organization 
of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is 
dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for 
music and its makers. Internationally known for the Grammy Awards, The 
Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional 
development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human 
services programs.

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