[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 108 (Wednesday, July 18, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1278-E1279]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING THE LIFE AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF JAZZ GREAT BEN KYNARD

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 18, 2012

  Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I proudly rise today to pay tribute to Ben 
Kynard, the great jazz saxophonist, whose musical performances, jazz 
compositions, and great legacy continues to enrich the lives of so many 
jazz enthusiasts.
  Kansas City jazz has become a worldwide staple. It was born in a town 
where, as the great Monarch manager, Buck O'Neal, said, ``Everything 
was wide open.'' No one knows how many nightclubs and cabarets were in 
operation during the 1930s. The clubs were packed and the great 
musicians were working--and playing. In those ``hot'' clubs, Mary Lou 
Williams, the jazz pianist, said that Kansas City was, ``A heavenly 
city . . . musicians everywhere.'' Indeed, they were. Among them was 
the soft spoken saxophonist Ben Kynard, who as a teenager, migrated to 
Kansas City from Arkansas.
  Ben Douglas Kynard was born in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, on February 
28, 1920, to Bennett and Amelia Kynard. When he was just seven years 
old, his mother passed away. Three years later, his father remarried, 
moving the family to Kansas City. He learned first to play the horn, 
and later the saxophone, from his older brother B.C. Kynard began to 
play professionally in 1938 at the age of eighteen, performing in night 
clubs in Kansas and in country clubs with his companion, Celester White 
and later Oliver Todd's band, known as the Hottentots.
  Kynard later joined the U.S. Army, where he played in a military 
band, one that frequently played at officers' clubs and funerals. After 
returning to Kansas City, he joined Lionel Hampton's band and traveled 
the country with the group from 1946 until 1953. He wrote ``Red Top,'' 
which is still a jazz favorite, while on tour in Newark, New Jersey. He 
named it after his wife Joyce, whom he married in 1953 and had red hair 
at the time. After seven years with the band, Kynard left and returned 
to Kansas City, where he worked for the United States Postal Service 
for thirty-two years, still playing jazz in the evenings. He also 
maintained his career as a jazz composer, writing music for himself and 
other local musicians.
  One of the highlights of my life was the evening my father-in-law, 
who lived directly across the street from Mr. Kynard, introduced

[[Page E1279]]

me to the jazz great himself. Later, he played in my in-laws' living 
room the song that gave him fame, ``Red Top.'' Sadly, on July 5, 2012, 
Mr. Kynard passed away at the age of 92. He was survived by his wife 
Joyce, of fifty-nine years, their two children, Brett and Carmen, and 
their two grandchildren. I am proud to have known Mr. Kynard and have 
heard him--on a number of occasions--blow that sax.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in commending Mr. Kynard for his 
contribution to the world of jazz and honoring his musical 
accomplishments as a jazz great. Mr. Kynard was an accomplished 
musician who left behind a rich legacy that will continue to inspire 
generations to come. His loss will be felt by many, not just in the 
Kansas City community, but also by those throughout the jazz world who 
miss this exceptional jazz talent. We wish his family the very best 
during this time of bereavement. We would also remind them that no one 
is dead who is remembered. To be sure, Mr. Kynard will, indeed, be 
remembered.

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