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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Friends and fans of Tejano legend Laura Canales were |
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deeply saddened by her untimely passing on April 16, 2005, at the |
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age of 50; and |
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WHEREAS, Born on August 19, 1954, in Kingsville, Ms. Canales |
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was inspired to pursue a career in music by her choral director at |
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H. M. King High School; although few women performed in the Tejano |
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arena at the time, she made her recording debut with Los Unicos in |
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1973, the same year of her high school graduation; she later |
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performed with El Conjunto Bernal, Snowball & Company, and Encanto, |
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and among her many hits were Eternamente, O Gran Dios, Cinco Canas |
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Mas, and Si Vivi Contigo; an album released in 1977 ranked 10th on |
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Billboard's "Hot Latin" chart, and her 1990 record, No Regrets, |
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remained on the charts for 13 weeks; and |
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WHEREAS, Much of this talented Texan's popularity derived |
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from her rich and supple singing voice; known for delivering a |
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soulful punch to her polkas, rancheras, and ballads, she won |
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numerous Tejano Music Awards for Best Female Vocalist and Best |
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Female Entertainer in the 1980s, and in 1983 Governor Mark White |
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presented her with a "Yellow Rose of Texas" award; recognized for |
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her loyalty to her roots while many other Tejano artists crossed |
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over to English-language pop, she was included in the first class of |
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inductees in the Tejano Roots Hall of Fame in 2000; and |
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WHEREAS, Fun-loving and easygoing, Ms. Canales nevertheless |
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was determined to continue her education and some 20 years after her |
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high school graduation, she enrolled in courses at Texas A&M |
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University--Kingsville; after earning her undergraduate degree in |
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clinical psychology, she had begun working on her master's degree |
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when she became ill; and |
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WHEREAS, Known as "La Reina de la Onda Tejana," or "the Queen |
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of the Tejano Wave," Laura Canales is credited with breaking gender |
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barriers and opening doors for such artists as Selena, Jennifer |
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Pena, and Shelly Lares; this gifted and beloved daughter of South |
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Texas is truly missed, and the achievements of the First Lady of |
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Tejano ensure that she will never be forgotten; now, therefore, be |
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it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Laura Canales on April |
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16, 2011, the sixth anniversary of her death. |