B.B. King or Elvis Presley; request the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress to approve the replacement of Jefferson Davis with either.

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To: Rules
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representatives Banks, Harness, Hines

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 37

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION FORMALLY REQUESTING THE JOINT 1
COMMITTEE ON THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS TO APPROVE THE REPLACEMENT OF 2
THE STATUE OF JEFFERSON DAVIS THAT IS DISPLAYED IN STATUARY HALL 3
IN THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL WITH A STATUE OF EITHER B.B. KING OR 4
ELVIS PRESLEY. 5
WHEREAS, the National Statuary Hall Collection in the United 6
States Capitol is comprised of 100 statues contributed by each of 7
the 50 states to honor persons notable in each state's history; 8
and 9
WHEREAS, the State of Mississippi has representational 10
statues of Jefferson Davis and James Zachariah George displayed, 11
which were crafted by Augustus Lukeman and dedicated in 1931; and 12
WHEREAS, Jefferson Davis, who authored Rise and Fall of the 13
Confederate States, served in the United States House of 14
Representatives and the United States Senate, was President of the 15
Confederate States and eventually made his home at Beauvoir, near 16
Biloxi, Mississippi; and 17
WHEREAS, Jefferson Davis is an important figure who reflects 18
times of the past, but does not necessarily reflect the unified 19
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and progressive spirit encompassing the Mississippi of today, as 20
it is Mississippi's sentimental desire to respect and celebrate 21
the past while honoring its evolution from past icons to present 22
icons; and 23
WHEREAS, Mississippi is known the world over as the 24
"Birthplace of America's Music", as it is credited for producing 25
the "King of the Blues", B.B. King, and the "King of Rock and 26
Roll", Elvis Presley, among many others, and these trailblazers 27
certainly represent the rich culture and heritage of the Magnolia 28
State, and because of this, it is most fitting for a statue of 29
either B.B. King or Elvis Presley to represent the State of 30
Mississippi in the National Statuary Hall Collection in the United 31
States Capitol; and 32
WHEREAS, the remarkable life of B.B. King began in Berclair, 33
Mississippi, where he was born Riley B. King on September 16, 34
1925, to sharecroppers, Mr. Albert and Mrs. Nora Ella King, who 35
lived in a simple home along Bear Creek, and when he was four 36
years of age, he relocated to Kilmichael, Mississippi, and then 37
Lexington, Mississippi, before moving as a teen to Indianola, 38
Mississippi; and 39
WHEREAS, "Ambassador of the Blues" and "King of the Blues" 40
are titles B.B. King earned as the result of decades of touring 41
around the world, but the life of B.B. King, who is one of the 42
most influential musicians in the history of the blues, could not 43
have begun more humbly, as his first mentor on the guitar was 44
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Reverend Archie Fair, who played while preaching at a local church 45
and he also credited his teacher at the one-room Elkhorn School, 46
Luther Henson, with instilling in him dignity, independence and 47
hope, qualities that served him well during his long career; and 48
WHEREAS, while in Indianola, B.B. King worked as a tractor 49
driver, got married, performed with a gospel quartet, and began 50
actively playing the blues, and his guitar playing has served as a 51
model for countless blues, rock, and rhythm and blues musicians; 52
and 53
WHEREAS, B.B. King's 1970 crossover hit, "The Thrill Is 54
Gone", which provided him with the first of over a dozen Grammy 55
awards, was the launching point for international stardom, and 56
among his many subsequent recordings were collaborations with 57
artists across the musical spectrum including Willie Nelson, U2, 58
Eric Clapton, Luciano Pavarotti and Heavy D; and 59
WHEREAS, throughout his life, B.B. King always remembered the 60
residents back home, and in the 1960s he began making regular 61
visits to Mississippi for various events, such as an annual 62
celebration in honor of civil rights leader, Medgar Evers, and 63
workshops with students at Mississippi Valley State University in 64
Itta Bena, Mississippi, where the B.B. King Recording Studio was 65
established in 2004, and in 2008, Mississippi honored him with the 66
opening of the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in 67
Indianola; and 68
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WHEREAS, after a long and storied career that took him around 69
the world, B.B. King passed away on May 14, 2015, and he is buried 70
on the grounds of the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive 71
Center in Indianola; and 72
WHEREAS, in addition to the illustrious B.B. King, 73
Mississippi is also home to one of the most significant cultural 74
icons of the 20th century, Elvis Presley, who was born on January 75
8, 1935, to Mr. Vernon and Mrs. Gladys Presley, in a two-room 76
house in Tupelo, Mississippi, which was built by his father, 77
grandfather and uncle; and 78
WHEREAS, Elvis' signature sound began to form on his eleventh 79
birthday in 1946, when he received his first guitar from his 80
mother, which was purchased at Tupelo Hardware, and he also loved 81
gospel music and sang in a Pentecostal church choir, where he 82
developed his singing talents, and two years later, when Elvis was 83
thirteen, the Presleys moved to Memphis, Tennessee; and 84
WHEREAS, Elvis' career began in 1953, when he wandered into a 85
popular recording studio in Memphis to record two songs for his 86
mother as a birthday present, and he returned to the studio in 87
January 1954, but the owner, Sam Phillips, still was not impressed 88
with his singing, but finally, in July 1954, Mr. Phillips 89
recognized Elvis' potential; and 90
WHEREAS, in 1956, Elvis met Colonel Tom Parker, who became 91
his manager and helped him get his first hit, "Heartbreak Hotel," 92
and following this major hit were songs like "Hound Dog," "All 93
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Shook Up," "Don't Be Cruel," and "Burning Love," which were all 94
hits in the same year, and he then starred in his first motion 95
picture, "Love Me Tender"; and 96
WHEREAS, at the height of his popularity, Elvis was drafted 97
by the United States Army and served for two years, and after he 98
was discharged, he released "Are You Lonesome Tonight," which 99
stayed at the top of the charts for four weeks; and 100
WHEREAS, Elvis was given such nicknames as "The Father of 101
Rock-n-Roll," "The King of Rock and Roll," "Elvis, the Pelvis", 102
and in rural areas he was known as the "Hillbilly Cat"; and 103
WHEREAS, in 1956, Elvis returned to Tupelo for his 104
"Homecoming" concerts, and while there, he provided the funds for 105
the city to purchase the house where he was born and fifteen acres 106
to build a park for the children of East Tupelo, and when Elvis 107
returned again in 1957, he donated approximately $14,000.00 for a 108
youth recreation center to be built in Tupelo, which had a pool, 109
playground and picnic area, and throughout his life, Elvis always 110
remembered where he was from and visited Tupelo more often than 111
local residents realized; and 112
WHEREAS, currently, the Elvis Presley Birthplace site 113
includes the birthplace home of Elvis Presley, a museum, the Elvis 114
Presley Memorial Chapel and the Assembly of God Church building 115
where the Presley family worshipped, and there is also a large 116
amount of land surrounding the complex which features the 117
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"Reflections" lake, Overlook Pavilion and several statues of 118
Elvis; and 119
WHEREAS, despite Elvis' untimely death on August 16, 1977, he 120
continues to inspire new generations of musical giants, and his 121
legacy lives on as proof that even the most humble beginnings can 122
nurture talent that transcends any social or economic limitation, 123
as he helped develop rock 'n' roll from rockabilly in the United 124
States, all while embracing elements of soul, blues, country and 125
funk, and being a symbol of progress as he began to help bridge 126
the gap between different cultures in America; and 127
WHEREAS, Mississippi's musical heritage has positioned the 128
state as a true renaissance of musical genres, scaling past, 129
present and even future trends, and it has not only transformed 130
the course of America's music, it revolutionized it, and as B.B. 131
King and Elvis Presley are extraordinary Mississippi icons, their 132
legacies of musical excellence and giving back to their 133
communities will continue to encourage Mississippians and those 134
around the nation for generations to come; and 135
WHEREAS, 2 USC Section 2132 allows a state to request the 136
Joint Committee on the Library of Congress to approve the removal 137
of a previously placed statue from the collection and the 138
replacement of it with an equally suitable and socially inclusive 139
display that is representative of the entirety of the state's 140
diverse citizenry; and 141
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WHEREAS, if the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress 142
approves a request, the architect of the Capitol shall enter into 143
an agreement with the state to carry out the replacement in 144
accordance with the request and any conditions that the Joint 145
Committee may require for its approval, and such agreement shall 146
provide that the new statue shall be subject to the same 147
conditions and restrictions as applied to any statue provided by a 148
state under 2 USC Section 2131 and the state shall pay any costs 149
related to the replacement, including costs in connection with the 150
design, construction, transportation and placement of the new 151
statue, the removal and transportation of the statue being 152
replaced and any unveiling ceremony; and 153
WHEREAS, several states have chosen to replace existing 154
statues, thereby including representations of Dwight Eisenhower, 155
Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, Thomas Edison and Helen Keller; and 156
WHEREAS, the Mississippi Legislature desires to replace the 157
statue of Jefferson Davis with a statue of either B.B. King or 158
Elvis Presley, to pay homage to such Mississippi icons, and to 159
further reflect the transformative power of Mississippi from its 160
past to its present; and 161
WHEREAS, we request the Governor of the State of Mississippi 162
to affirm the efforts of this Legislature by issuing a 163
proclamation or statement approving the request for the 164
replacement of the statue, and to create a commission of 165
Mississippi artisans and artists who are authorized to solicit and 166
H. C. R. No. 37 *HR31/R1008* ~ OFFICIAL ~
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ST: B.B. King or Elvis Presley; request the
Joint Committee on the Library of Congress to
approve the replacement of Jefferson Davis with
either.
collect private contributions for the creation and placement of 167
the statue of either B.B. King or Elvis Presley; and 168
WHEREAS, it is incumbent upon this Legislature to pursue the 169
interest of its citizens by ensuring that statues representing our 170
state wholly reflect the astounding strides made by all citizens, 171
particularly in this instance when the state itself bears the 172
moniker of being the "Birthplace of America's Music," and there 173
has been no better ambassadors of our state than the distinguished 174
and incomparable B.B. King and Elvis Presley: 175
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF 176
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING 177
THEREIN, That we do hereby submit this formal request to the Joint 178
Committee on the Library of Congress to approve the replacement of 179
the statue of Jefferson Davis with a statue of either B.B. King or 180
Elvis Presley in the Statuary Hall of the United States Capitol. 181
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be 182
furnished to the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress, to 183
the members of the Mississippi Congressional delegation and to the 184
members of the Capitol Press Corps. 185