RECOGNIZE-CHICAGO BLUES

Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HR0847

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Full Text of HR0847

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HR0847 - 104th General Assembly

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HR0847
LRB104 21557 ECR 36965 r
1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

2

WHEREAS, The City of Chicago is globally revered as the
3
"Blues Capital of the World", a title earned through a century
4
of cultural innovation, resilience, and the electrification of
5
the human spirit; and

6

WHEREAS, The roots of this legacy lie in the Great
7
Migration, during which approximately six million African
8
Americans moved from the rural South to the North between 1916
9
and 1970, bringing the Delta blues to the Near West and South
10
Sides of Chicago; and

11

WHEREAS, The Chicago blues sound, heard over the
12
industrial din of a bustling metropolis, began to emerge from
13
the historic Maxwell Street Market and local rent parties,
14
characterized by the electric guitar and amplified harmonica,
15
which eventually gave birth to rock and roll, soul, and R&B
16
music; and

17

WHEREAS, This musical revolution was anchored by legendary
18
figures, such as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon,
19
Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Memphis Minnie, and
20
it was facilitated by pioneering labels, including Chess
21
Records at 2120 South Michigan Avenue; and

HR0847
- 2 -
LRB104 21557 ECR 36965 r
1

WHEREAS, Eight-time Grammy Award winner and living legend
2
Buddy Guy recently testified before the Chicago City Council,
3
noting that while cities such as Nashville, Memphis, and New
4
Orleans have erected monuments to their musical icons, Chicago
5
has yet to build a statue or monument worthy of the artists who
6
made the City a global cultural destination; and

7

WHEREAS, Many blues advocates, including Executive
8
Director Diamond M. Dixon of Chicago Blues Revival, have been
9
emphasizing that statues will not matter without a serious
10
investment in the infrastructure and communities that birthed
11
the blues genre, calling for a blending of culture and
12
commerce that allows local neighborhoods to buy in to the
13
legacy of blues in Chicago; and

14

WHEREAS, The blues remains a living, breathing art form in
15
venues such as Rosa's Lounge, Kingston Mines, and Buddy Guy's
16
Legends, where veteran performers, including Bob Stroger and
17
Willie Buck, share the stage with a new generation of
18
self-starters and innovators, such as Joey J. Saye and Melody
19
Angel; and

20

WHEREAS, Programs such as Blues in the Schools, led by
21
Blues Hall of Fame member Billy Branch, and Fernando Jones'
22
Blues Camps at Columbia College are essential in teaching the
23
basics of the blues genre to over 100 children annually,

HR0847
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LRB104 21557 ECR 36965 r
1
ensuring that music remains a tool for positive expression and
2
social solidarity; therefore, be it

3

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
4
HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
5
we recognize Chicago's unparalleled history as the "Blues
6
Capital of the World", and we celebrate the artists, past and
7
present, who have shaped the soundtrack of our State; and be it
8
further

9

RESOLVED, That we support the calls for the City of
10
Chicago to develop permanent, physical monuments and public
11
art installations beyond existing murals to provide the
12
reverence and international visibility that Chicago Blues
13
pioneers deserve; and be it further

14

RESOLVED, That we urge for greater community advocacy and
15
a revival of investment in blues culture and for the State and
16
local governments to provide substantial support for the
17
infrastructure that solidifies the legacy of the legendary
18
blues artists, including the preservation of historic sites
19
such as Muddy Waters' Kenwood home and support for local Blues
20
education non-profits; and be it further

21

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
22
presented to Buddy Guy, the Chicago Blues Revival, and the

HR0847
- 4 -
LRB104 21557 ECR 36965 r
1
family of the late Willie Dixon as a symbol of our esteem and
2
respect.

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