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H. C. R. No. 9 *HR43/R874* ~ OFFICIAL ~ N1/2
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To: Rules
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Representative Creekmore IV
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 9
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION MOURNING THE LOSS AND COMMEMORATING 1
THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF MR. JOSEPH "JOE" DERA AND EXPRESSING 2
DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS UPON HIS PASSING. 3
WHEREAS, on October 10, 2025, the State of Mississippi and 4
particularly, the City of Bentonia lost a renowned music 5
publicist, innovative businessman, brilliant thinker and great 6
mentor with the passing of Joseph "Joe" Dera, and there is now a 7
hush in our hearts as we come together to pay our respects to the 8
memory of a man whose prolific impact on the music industry 9
throughout his five-decade career will not be forgotten; and 10
WHEREAS, Joe, who was born on January 23, 1951, moved with 11
his family from the Netherlands to New Jersey in 1956, and during 12
his time in elementary school, he balanced academics with his busy 13
social life, managing to learn a new language while making many 14
lifelong friends; and 15
WHEREAS, after graduating high school in Clifton, New Jersey, 16
Joe attended Morris County Community College, where he began 17
writing a column for the Aquarian Weekly; and 18
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WHEREAS, Joe made his first foray into the music industry 19
when he interviewed Robert Palmer for the paper, and as fate would 20
have it, Joe later became Robert Palmer's press agent; and 21
WHEREAS, finding his niche and building on his momentum, Joe 22
got a job at Wartoke Concern, a talent agency, which landed him a 23
summer job at Track Records, the label for The Who, where he 24
learned first-hand about record promotion by delivering singles 25
like "Baba O'Reilly" to radio stations in the Midwest; and 26
WHEREAS, Joe then joined Rogers and Cowan, the world's 27
largest entertainment firm, as a press agent, and he soon signed 28
and represented music legends such as David Bowie, Paul McCartney, 29
Les Paul, the Bee Gees and George Benson; and 30
WHEREAS, among Joe's most notable accomplishments at Rogers 31
and Cowan were overseeing Bowie's Serious Moonlight Tour in 1983 32
and representing the historic charity concert Live Aid in 1985; 33
and 34
WHEREAS, when he was ready to branch out and establish his 35
own business, Joe received help from his former interview subject 36
and long-time client Robert Palmer, who gave Joe the seed money to 37
start his own agency, Dera and Associates, and the new agency 38
became a raging success, representing stars such as Billy Joel, 39
Queen, Clint Black, Duran Duran, Foreigner, Ray Davis, Pink Floyd, 40
The Band and Rick Springfield; and 41
WHEREAS, Joe managed publicity for three former members of 42
the Beatles - Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band, George Harrison 43
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and Paul McCartney - ultimately serving as Paul's spokesman for 44
over 20 years and eventually representing his wife, Linda 45
McCartney, in her many endeavors; and 46
WHEREAS, as the former publicist for Mississippi blues legend 47
B.B. King and the husband of Madison native Suzanne Case, Joe held 48
strong ties to the great Magnolia State even before he became a 49
resident, and after he retired in 2016, Joe's love of the blues 50
and historic homes compelled him to move with his wife to the 51
Mississippi Delta, where he lived the remainder of his life; and 52
WHEREAS, Joe and his wife lived in the historic Bradshaw 53
House in Yazoo County, lining the walls with photographs and 54
memorabilia from his long career in the music business, and they 55
were active in rescuing and caring for stray and abandoned dogs 56
they found along the Mississippi Delta, with Joe often remarking, 57
"I have more dogs than I need and less than I want"; and 58
WHEREAS, Joe easily assimilated into life as a Mississippian, 59
placing a bottletree in his yard, driving a white pickup truck, 60
using his business acumen to provide free public relations counsel 61
to local businesses like The Flora Butcher, visiting friends like 62
Jimmy "Duck" Holmes at the Blue Front Café in Bentonia, and making 63
the pilgrimage to the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive 64
Center in Indianola to pay his respects to his friend and former 65
client; and 66
WHEREAS, though he spent years traveling the world and living 67
under the bright lights of New York City, Joe found joy in the 68
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ST: Joseph "Joe" Dera; commend life and legacy
upon his passing.
simple pleasures Mississippi is known to offer, stating, "I don't 69
miss the snow. It's all summer weather here"; and 70
WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to recognize 71
and honor the lives of Mississippi's iconic residents, especially 72
those such as Joe Dera, a key player in some of the most iconic 73
moments in popular music and culture and a true American success 74
story: 75
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF 76
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING 77
THEREIN, That we do hereby mourn the loss and commemorate the life 78
and legacy of Joseph "Joe" Dera, and express deepest sympathy to 79
his family and friends upon his passing. 80
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be 81
furnished to the family of Joseph "Joe" Dera and to the members of 82
the Capitol Press Corps. 83