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79S30764 JH-D

By:  Hilderbran                                                 H.C.R. No. 25 



CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
	WHEREAS, Fans of country-western and popular music 
experienced a profound loss with the passing of songwriting legend 
Cindy Walker on March 23, 2006, at the age of 87; and
	WHEREAS, A native Texan, Ms. Walker was born on July 20, 1918, 
near the Central Texas town of Mart; she once proclaimed that 
"songwriting is all I ever did love," and she began that love affair 
when she was just 12 years old, following the example of two other 
musicians in her family: her mother, Oree, a pianist who assisted 
Cindy in shaping her songs, and her grandfather, F. L. Eiland, a 
noted writer of religious hymns; and
	WHEREAS, Ms. Walker's immense talent was matched by her 
determined spirit and engaging personality; in 1940, while still an 
unknown and unpublished songwriter, she strode confidently into the 
Los Angeles office of Bing Crosby and convinced him to record her 
song "Lone Star Trail"; this marked the beginning of a career that 
would extend for more than a half-century and see more than 500 of 
her compositions turned into recordings--many of them becoming 
chart-topping hits; and
	WHEREAS, To name but a few of Ms. Walker's songs and the 
artists who popularized them is to sound a roll call of legendary 
music and legendary musicians: "Bubbles in My Beer" and "Cherokee 
Maiden" by Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, "Dream Baby" by Roy 
Orbison, "In the Misty Moonlight" by Dean Martin, "Two Glasses, 
Joe" by Ernest Tubb, "Silver Spurs" by Gene Autry, "I Don't Care," a 
hit for both Webb Pierce and Ricky Skaggs, and her best-known song, 
"You Don't Know Me," which was recorded by Eddy Arnold (the tune's 
coauthor), Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, and more than 70 other 
artists, becoming a true American standard; and
	WHEREAS, This incomparable songsmith also enjoyed success as 
a recording artist and film actress during her tenure in Los Angeles 
in the 1940s and 1950s but elected to return to Texas in 1954, 
settling into the comfortable house in Mexia that would serve as her 
home for the rest of her life; and
	WHEREAS, Cindy Walker continued to produce top-quality 
songs, and even in her final years she relished her ritual of 
awaking before dawn, pouring a cup of coffee, and beginning another 
day of crafting words and music; her enduring legacy as one of 
America's great songwriters was made clear by her induction into 
the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of 
Fame, and the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, as well as in the 
many tributes paid by colleagues such as Willie Nelson, who this 
very year released a collection of Ms. Walker's musical 
compositions; and
	WHEREAS, The State of Texas is known around the world for its 
legendary music, and Cindy Walker's songs stand as an essential 
part of that tradition; in penning an outstanding body of work that 
evokes the western heritage of her home state and the sad and joyous 
affairs of the heart, this extraordinary writer created enjoyment 
for millions and brought further artistic acclaim to the Lone Star 
State; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the 79th Legislature of the State of Texas, 
3rd Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life and achievements 
of Cindy Walker and extend sincere condolences to her loved ones and 
to her countless admirers across Texas and beyond; and, be it 
further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of 
Representatives and Senate adjourn this day, they do so in memory of 
Cindy Walker.