[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 46 (Thursday, March 14, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E311-E312]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING JOHN KILZER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. STEVE COHEN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 14, 2019

  Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to remember my friend John 
Kilzer, a man who embodied the very essence of Memphis as a Memphis 
State basketball player, talented musician and songwriter and Methodist 
minister specializing in recovery from addiction. John died Tuesday 
night at 62. Born in Jackson, Tennessee, he spent most of his life in 
Memphis. An All-American high school basketball player, he came to the 
then-Memphis State Tigers roster as a good outside shooter and a 
scrapper. A chance encounter with legendary Stax guitar player Mabon 
``Teenie'' Hodges in a Memphis State dorm room led to his serious study 
of guitar playing and a songwriting career. He went on to become an 
English Literature professor at his alma mater and also received a 
master's degree in divinity from the Memphis Theological Seminary in 
2006 and a Ph.D. from Middlesex University in Britain in 2010. John's 
evident lyrical skill with poetic storytelling resulted in two early 
albums produced by David Geffen--the roots-rock 1988 ``Memory in the 
Making'' and the 1991 ``Busman's Holiday''--and appearances on MTV. His 
``Seven'' was produced by Grammy Award winner Matt Ross-Spang. More 
recently, his 2014 ``Hide Away'' marked the return of an artist at the 
height of his powers, an album graced with such all-star talent as Kirk 
Whalum on saxophone; Hold Steady's Sid Selvidge, Alvin Youngblood Hart 
and Stax's Bobby Manuel on guitar; North Mississippi All Stars Luther 
Dickinson on mandolin, Rick Steff on keyboards and Greg Murrow on 
drums. When I learned of his death this morning, I played John's 
``Until We're All Free,'' which Whalum co-wrote and plays on, and I 
want to hear ``Sleeping in the Rain'' again tonight. Some of John's 
songs were recorded by such artists as Roseanne Cash (``Green, Yellow 
and Red''), Maria Muldaur, Dobie Gray and Trace Atkins. His most recent 
album, ``Scars,'' came out in January, and he was scheduled to play the 
Beale Street Music Festival in May. John will be remembered in Memphis 
for his weekly Friday night recovery ministry at St. John's United 
Methodist Church that he called ``The Way,'' begun in 2010. John was 
beset by the demon of alcohol and knew the inside of jails but did a 
lot of good for a lot of people with his exceptional talents. As one 
admirer

[[Page E312]]

said today, his recovery is now complete. He will be missed.

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