1-1     By:  Maxey (Senate Sponsor - Barrientos)              H.C.R. No. 23

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House May 8, 1997;

 1-3     May 9, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on

 1-4     Administration; May 18, 1997, reported favorably by the following

 1-5     vote:  Yeas 6, Nays 0; May 18, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                         HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 1-7           WHEREAS, Of the many contributions that Texas has made to the

 1-8     world at large, music is one of the most notable and appreciated,

 1-9     for the Lone Star State is internationally recognized as the

1-10     birthplace of an unusually wide variety of influential and

1-11     well-loved music; and

1-12           WHEREAS, The State of Texas has traditionally recognized a

1-13     number of official symbols as tangible representations of the proud

1-14     spirit and heritage of our state, and the adoption of a  symbol

1-15     touting the Lone Star State's contributions to the world of music

1-16     will fittingly commemorate this vital aspect of the state's

1-17     culture; and

1-18           WHEREAS, Texan preeminence in pop, blues, country and

1-19     western, jazz, rock, and tejano music is an apt expression of the

1-20     state's rich diversity, and these musical styles all make extensive

1-21     use of the guitar; appropriately, many of the undisputed masters of

1-22     this versatile instrument, including Buddy Holly, Stevie Ray

1-23     Vaughan, and Willie Nelson, have hailed from Texas, and the

1-24     guitar's  place in the state's musical history is beyond question;

1-25     and

1-26           WHEREAS, Originally from Spain, the guitar has through the

1-27     years transcended its national origin and is now forever entwined

1-28     in popular culture with the songs of the cowboys, sharecroppers,

1-29     railroad workers, and migrant laborers who built Texas and opened

1-30     the American West; since the popularization of the electric guitar

1-31     in the 1940s and 1950s, the instrument has also become a mainstay

1-32     of jazz performance and a crucial element in the development of

1-33     rock and roll, and the state's vital contributions to these two

1-34     uniquely American art forms have been well documented; and

1-35           WHEREAS, The guitar's pivotal role in the musical history of

1-36     the Lone Star State, combined with its continuing popularity among

1-37     music fans of all tastes, identify it as an ideal symbol of the

1-38     depth and breadth of Texas music, and it is appropriate that it be

1-39     recognized as such at this time; now, therefore, be it

1-40           RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas

1-41     hereby designate the guitar as the official State Musical

1-42     Instrument of Texas.

1-43                                  * * * * *