[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 16]
[EXT]
[Pages 21712-21713]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               A TRIBUTE TO THE JAZZ POWERHOUSE FOURPLAY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 28, 2006

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the jazz 
supergroup, Fourplay, distinguished artists of the music industry. It 
behooves us to pay tribute to these outstanding artists and I hope my 
colleagues will join me in recognizing the group's impressive 
accomplishments.
  Fourplay debuted with a splash in 1991. Their self-titled debut album 
sold more than one million copies and lodged for 33 weeks at the top of 
the Billboard Contemporary Jazz charts. The follow-up album, Between 
the Sheets, reached number one, earned gold status, and was nominated 
for a Grammy in 1993. The band went three-for-three in 1995 with its 
third release, Elixir, which also hit number one and stayed on the 
charts for more

[[Page 21713]]

than a year and a half. And, as if to save time, its fourth album, 4, 
entered the charts at number one.
  The magic of Fourplay is based on the interactions between 
keyboardist Bob James, bassist Nathan East, guitarist Larry Carlton, 
and drummer Harvey Mason, each a pop music icon in his own right.
  Now in heavy rotation at radio throughout the country, Fourplay X, 
the supergroup's landmark tenth album, entered the Billboard Jazz 
Charts at the number one position and has remained No.1 for five weeks.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe that it is incumbent on this body to recognize 
the accomplishments of Fourplay. The group's phenomenal success makes 
them most worthy of our recognition today.

                          ____________________