[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: GEORGE W. BUSH (2001, Book I)]
[June 29, 2001]
[Pages 748-749]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a Black Music Month Celebration
June 29, 2001

    Please be seated. Well, thank you all very much, and welcome to the 
White House, the people's house. It is my honor today to sign a 
proclamation celebrating Black Music Month and also to welcome some of 
the finest entertainers in America to the people's room, people who 
brought a lot of joy and heart and energy to the American scene, folks 
who have enriched our country's culture. And so, Laura and I welcome you 
here and thank you for coming.
    I also want to thank Debbie Allen, our 
emcee, who will be making sure that--[applause]--and the Members of 
Congress who are here. I want to thank our entertainers who are going to 
entertain today who are here. I want to thank some of the entertainers 
who entertained me who are here, James Brown, 
the Four Tops. We're honoring all-stars today. I want to welcome the 
student honorees, Danielle Weatherford, 
Regina De Ocampo, and Lauren Dawson, who are here on the stage with me. I want to 
thank you all for being here. I want to thank Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff. I want to 
welcome representatives of the industry, producers and directors who are 
here, as well. Thank you all for coming.
    This is an appropriate place to host an event, right here in the 
East Room, because so many of the world's great artists have preceded 
us. And we're also welcoming the talent of a new generation, who I just 
introduced.
    Let me talk about some of the music legends who are here on the 
stage. First, I'm so thankful that Shirley Caesar and Bobby Jones are here. 
Their voices are a part of a ministry that has had a profound effect on 
people's lives. It is fitting we honor gospel music in the White House 
and in our country.
    Lena Horne and Nancy Wilson are honorees, and they are unable to join us today. But 
they sang some sweet music for the American people.
    And finally, Lionel Hampton is here, and 
it's such an honor. Laura and I are honored to welcome him to 
Washington, just like

[[Page 749]]

Harry and Bess Truman did when he played at their inaugural ball in 
1949. The Johnsons, the Nixons, and the Reagans all invited Lionel here, 
as well. Presidents come and go, but there's only one ``Vibes 
President'' of the United States. [Laughter]
    Lionel Hampton is an old friend of our 
family's, going all the way back to my dad's boyhood. On a couple of 
occasions, he and my grandfather did a few numbers together. My 
grandfather was quite a singer, as Lionel would tell you. And as 
Laura would tell you, the gene pool didn't spread 
this far. [Laughter]
    A lot of other greats have passed through the White House, including 
America's Ambassador of Good Will, Louis Armstrong. In this room, Pearl 
Bailey was introduced to Mikhail Gorbachev by Ronald Reagan, who said 
simply, ``This is our Pearl.'' [Laughter] Eubie Blake played ragtime 
piano on the South Lawn. And these chandeliers, I can assure you, 
trembled when Ella Fitzgerald sang here. It was here that Duke Ellington 
received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which was a fitting tribute 
to the son of a White House butler.
    Today we pay homage to an American tradition, a tradition that only 
America could have produced. Spirituals, jazz, R&B, hip-hop are 
performed, heard, and loved in every part of the world--every part of 
the world. But they belong to our country in a unique way. And as the 
President of this country, I'm proud to herald that uniqueness today.
    If you trace the roots of Black American music, you arrive at the 
same place--with a people held in bondage, denied schooling, and kept 
away from opportunity. Yet, out of all that suffering came the early 
spirituals, some of the sweetest praise ever lifted up to heaven. In 
those songs, humanity will always hear the voice of hope in the face of 
injustice.
    Since those early days, the music of Black Americans has told many 
other stories, in many other styles: Scott Joplin to Jelly Roll Morton, 
from Marian Anderson to Aretha Franklin, from Nat King Cole to the 
Neville Brothers, from Dizzy Gillespie to Sam Cooke, Kathleen Battle to 
Gladys Knight, from James Brown to the Four Tops. It is music that is 
always easy to enjoy, yet impossible to imitate.
    A story is told about Louis Armstrong--someone came up to the 
legendary giant one day and asked him to define jazz. They wanted to 
understand it, so they came to the master himself, and he replied, 
``Man, if you've got to ask, you'll never know.'' [Laughter]
    Well, there's some things I know today. I know America is a richer 
place for the musicians and the music that we honor today. Again, I 
welcome you to the White House. And it's now my honor to sign the 
Executive proclamation.

Note: The President spoke at 3:20 p.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, 
founders, Philadelphia International Records. The proclamation of June 
29 is listed in Appendix D at the end of this volume.