[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 30 (Monday, August 2, 1999)]
[Pages 1515-1516]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at ``In Performance at the White House''

July 28, 1999

    The President. Thank you. The first thing I want you to do is relax, 
because I'm not going to play, and you'll have to--[laughter]--but I'll 
be wishing.
    At the millennium event on jazz we had here last year, the great 
Wynton Marsalis said that just as we wouldn't have democracy without the 
foundation of our Constitution, so we wouldn't have jazz without the 
foundation of the blues. Like our Constitution, the blues is a great 
American tradition, whose power to move never seems to diminish and 
whose influence never seems to stop growing.
    This compelling and wonderful music, once heard only on rural 
Southern porches and in South Side Chicago bars, now enjoys an audience 
as broad as America itself. In fact, now the whole world knows about the 
blues, and there are fans from Berlin to Bangkok who can tell you the 
life stories of blues icons like Bessie Smith and Robert Johnson. Today, 
there are more blues artists, more blues listeners, more blues clubs, 
and more blues recordings than ever before. Even TV commercials now 
feature the blues, which dramatically reduces the number of people who 
hit the mute button. [Laughter]
    Tonight we celebrate the music that has given birth to or influenced 
the whole large landscape of American music, from ``Rhapsody in Blue'' 
to rap. So it's fitting that our host is a master of the great range of 
American music and entertainment, Miss Della Reese. If talent and 
personality are truly gifts from above, then Della Reese really has been 
``Touched by an Angel.'' [Laughter] Please join me in welcoming Della 
Reese. [Applause]

[At this point, the program proceeded. Following the performances, the 
President made brief remarks, which are joined in progress.]

    The President. ----whether I want to be young like Jonny, or like 
B.B. when I'm a little older. [Laughter] They were all magnificent.
    You know, we saw tonight in all these wonderful performers why blues 
is truly one of America's great gifts to the world. Its appeal, we saw, 
literally spans the generations. Tonight we've been privileged to hear 
blues greats from every era.
    I want to thank each and every one of them. Thank you, B.B. King. 
Thank you, John Cephas and Phil Wiggans. Thank you, Marcia Ball. Thank 
you, Jonny Lang. Thank you, bands. And thank you, Della Reese.
    Thank you, and good night. Thank you.

[At this point, B.B. King presented the President with a guitar pick.]

    The President. Now before you go, I've been saving my B.B. King 
picks for almost 20 years now. I've got another one tonight. [Laughter]
    There is one more person that all of us have to thank this evening, 
Dick Notebaert with Ameritech. Let me tell you--Dick, I want you and 
Peggy to come up here, come on. He is about to leave his present 
position to start on a new adventure in life, and Hillary and I want to 
thank him for his long-standing support for these wonderful WETA's ``In 
Performance at the White House.'' We have had so many incredible, 
incredible concerts here, thanks to the generosity of this gentleman and 
his fine company. And Dick and Peggy have accompanied us on so many 
nights, along with Sharon and Jay Rockefeller and many of you who've 
been here.
    I want to thank all of you for coming tonight, especially the very 
large number of people from my native State and others who

[[Page 1516]]

occupy that portion of the Mississippi Delta between Memphis and New 
Orleans, where all of this really got started. We are very glad to be 
here, but we offer a special thank you to you, my friend, and to you, 
Peggy. We've got a little expression of our thanks here. Bless you. 
Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 9:10 p.m. on the South Lawn at the White 
House. In his remarks he referred to musician Wynton Marsalis; Richard 
C. Notebaert, chairman and chief executive officer, Ameritech Corp., and 
his wife, Peggy; and Senator John D. Rockefeller IV and his wife, 
Sharon. A portion of these remarks could not be verified because the 
tape was incomplete.