By: Barrientos S.R. No. 16 1-1 By: Barrientos S.R. No. 16 1-2 SENATE RESOLUTION 1-3 WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas takes pleasure in 1-4 recognizing the Bells of Joy, an Austin-based gospel quartet, for 1-5 its outstanding accomplishments; and 1-6 WHEREAS, A group of Christian men who have been singing God's 1-7 praises in churches and communities for the last 48 years, they 1-8 have brought great joy and happiness to their attentive audiences; 1-9 and 1-10 WHEREAS, This distinguished group has delighted audiences with 1-11 performances since the 1940s; known first as the Starlight Singers, 1-12 they became the Bells of Joy in 1951; and 1-13 WHEREAS, In 1951, the group recorded "Let's Talk About Jesus" 1-14 for Peacock Records, and the record reached the rhythm and blues 1-15 top 10 in Billboard magazine, selling more than a million 1-16 copies; and 1-17 WHEREAS, Among the first to introduce guitar and drum 1-18 accompaniment to the local scene, the Bells of Joy featured the 1-19 local talents of its lead singers and utilized the background 1-20 harmonies in a rhythmical call and response counterpoint; and 1-21 WHEREAS, Part of an ongoing tradition of active local gospel 1-22 music, the original group decided to continue in Austin, confining 1-23 performances to weekends and vacations; and 2-1 WHEREAS, Honored by its invitation to participate in the 2-2 Texas Festival at the Kennedy Center on June 11-22, 1991, the 2-3 Bells of Joy continues to perform on special occasions although 2-4 several of the original members have left; today, its members 2-5 are A. C. Littlefield, Ester Littlefield, Willis Littlefield, 2-6 A. D. Watson, Alton Cyphers, J. T. Stewart, Edward Demond, and 2-7 Al Brown; and 2-8 WHEREAS, The success of this notable gospel group is due 2-9 to the friendly association of the singers, their sincerity, and 2-10 their love of singing; now, therefore, be it 2-11 RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 2-12 75th Legislature, hereby commend and applaud the Bells of Joy 2-13 for its superb service to the Austin community and to the 2-14 State of Texas; and, be it further 2-15 RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for the 2-16 Bells of Joy as an expression of the high regard and esteem of the 2-17 Texas Senate. 2-18 ______________________________________ 2-19 President of the Senate 2-20 I hereby certify that the above 2-21 Resolution was adopted by the Senate 2-22 on January 21, 1997. 2-23 ______________________________________ 2-24 Secretary of the Senate 2-25 ______________________________________ 2-26 Member, Texas Senate