[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 129 (Wednesday, July 26, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3610-S3611]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        RECOGNIZING CHEAP TRICK

 Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, for most Americans, April 1 is 
April Fools' Day, a day of pranks, misleading headlines, deception, and 
trickery. While that also is true for Illinoisans, in 2007, the 
Illinois General Assembly gave Illinoisans something else to celebrate: 
Cheap Trick Day, in honor of the rock and roll band.
  For nearly 50 years, Cheap Trick has been part of the American 
soundtrack, lighting up car radios on cross-country drives, blasting 
through speakers at weddings, and now playing in the next generation's 
wireless headphones. Through it all, Cheap Trick has kept their 
listeners humming along to popular tunes like ``Surrender'' and ``The 
Flame.''
  But before they were rock and roll legends, they were just a band 
from Rockford, IL. In 1973, guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom 
Petersson, original vocalist Randy Hogan, and drummer Bun E. Carlos 
came together to form Cheap Trick. The band came up with their name 
after attending a Slade concert. Following the English rock band's 
show, Tom remarked that Slade used ``every cheap trick in the book'' 
during their set. The name stuck, and the group would go on to become a 
regular on the Billboard charts.
  In 1974, Robin Zander joined the band, replacing Hogan as lead 
vocalist. While they started out playing shows across the Midwest--
Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Iowa--they would go on to tour the 
world, opening for the likes of Kiss, Kansas, and Queen. But it was a 
six-date tour of Japan in the spring of 1978 that changed everything.
  Cheap Trick put on the performance of a lifetime before raucous 
crowds at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan. They released the 
performances as a live album, ``Cheap Trick at Budokan,'' which went 
triple-platinum, selling more than 3 million certified units. The album 
included the smash hit ``I Want You to Want Me,'' which decades later 
remains a mainstay on classic rock radio stations across the country. 
In 2020, the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress 
selected ``Cheap Trick at Budokan'' as one of just 25 recordings to 
join the National Archives for that year.
  And in 2016, Cheap Trick was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of 
Fame, receiving rock and roll's highest honor and taking their place 
next to their own musical idols, The Beatles. In addition to leaving 
behind an impressive discography, the band also has helped shape the 
sound of the next generation of great bands. Groups like

[[Page S3611]]

Pearl Jam, Guns N' Roses, Nirvana, and Green Day, all have credited 
Cheap Trick as an influence.
  Cheap Trick has since become a true family business with Daxx, Rick's 
son, on the drums and Robin Taylor, Robin's son, floating from guitar, 
bass, and background vocals. The band is still on the road, playing for 
crowds from all generations looking to enjoy the nostalgic rock sounds 
of the 80s. As of this year, Cheap Trick has performed more than 5,000 
concerts and sold more than 20 million albums.
  Aside from April 1, soon, the band will have another date to 
celebrate. August 15 will mark 50 years of Cheap Trick. No matter how 
many sold out shows, world tours, or records sold, Cheap Trick will 
always be a band that got its start in Rockford, IL. I congratulate 
Cheap Trick on a half century of hits.

                          ____________________