H.R. No. 63

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, The birthday of Rod Kennedy provides a welcome

opportunity to sing the praises of this extraordinary man; and

WHEREAS, While still a teenager, Mr. Kennedy entered the

entertainment industry as a vocalist with the Bill Creighton

Orchestra in Buffalo, New York; a live radio variety show in Albany

soon hired him as a singer and cohost, and he gained further

experience as the host of a jazz program in Boston before joining

the U.S. Marines and deploying to Korea; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Kennedy later enrolled at The University of

Texas at Austin and assisted in establishing its radio station,

KUT; he served as the original manager of KAZZ-FM and became the

owner of Austin station KHFI-FM, which helped numerous Austin folk

artists reach a wider audience over the airwaves and at its summer

concerts in Zilker Park; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Kennedy demonstrated a deep commitment to his

community and to the arts, serving as a director of the Austin

Symphony Orchestra, the Austin Ballet Society, the Austin Civic

Theater, and the Austin Aqua Festival; moreover, he coproduced the

Longhorn Jazz Festival, which brought such giants as Miles Davis,

Thelonious Monk, and Dizzy Gillespie to the Lone Star State;

playing an increasingly important role in developing the Austin

singer-songwriter scene, he opened the Chequered Flag nightclub, a

notable showcase for emerging artists, among them future icons

Townes Van Zandt and Jerry Jeff Walker; and

WHEREAS, In 1972, Mr. Kennedy founded the Kerrville Folk

Festival; it grew to become one of the nation's most popular live

music events and helped launch the careers of Lyle Lovett, Robert

Earl Keen, the Dixie Chicks, Lucinda Williams, and a host of other

singer-songwriters; Mr. Kennedy also created the Kerrville Music

Foundation to support educational services and sponsor a

competition for beginning songwriters; while guiding the festival

for some three decades, he produced more than 30 albums documenting

performances there, as well as the Kerrville Wine & Music Festival

and a variety of concerts across the United States and in Mexico;

and

WHEREAS, Mr. Kennedy retired from the folk festival in 2002

but continued to serve as a consultant to its organizers and to

promoters around the country; in addition, he produced the "Music

from Kerrville" concert in The Woodlands in 2007 along with 24 major

events for his nonprofit organization, the Kerrville Special Events

Association; Mr. Kennedy's production credits over the past six

decades number more than 1,500, and the list of artists he has

worked with reads like an encyclopedia of contemporary American

music; the many honors accorded this industry luminary through the

years include the Armstrong Foundation Award for FM Broadcasting

Excellence from Columbia University and a Lifetime Achievement

Award from the World Folk Music Association; and

WHEREAS, Although it is impossible to gauge the full effect

Rod Kennedy has had on Texas music, it is clear that the best way to

celebrate his still-evolving legacy is to continue to enjoy and

support the rich creativity he has nurtured; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas

Legislature hereby commend Rod Kennedy for his enormous

contributions to music in the Lone Star State and beyond and extend

to him sincere best wishes for a very happy birthday; and, be it

further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be

prepared for Mr. Kennedy as an expression of high regard by the

Texas House of Representatives.

Hilderbran

______________________________ Speaker of the House

I certify that H.R. No. 63 was adopted by the House on April 7, 2011, by a non-record vote.

______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House