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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The birthday of Rod Kennedy provides a welcome |
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opportunity to sing the praises of this extraordinary man; and |
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WHEREAS, While still a teenager, Mr. Kennedy entered the |
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entertainment industry as a vocalist with the Bill Creighton |
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Orchestra in Buffalo, New York; a live radio variety show in Albany |
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soon hired him as a singer and cohost, and he gained further |
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experience as the host of a jazz program in Boston before joining |
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the U.S. Marines and deploying to Korea; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Kennedy later enrolled at The University of |
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Texas at Austin and assisted in establishing its radio station, |
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KUT; he served as the original manager of KAZZ-FM and became the |
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owner of Austin station KHFI-FM, which helped numerous Austin folk |
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artists reach a wider audience over the airwaves and at its summer |
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concerts in Zilker Park; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Kennedy demonstrated a deep commitment to his |
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community and to the arts, serving as a director of the Austin |
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Symphony Orchestra, the Austin Ballet Society, the Austin Civic |
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Theater, and the Austin Aqua Festival; moreover, he coproduced the |
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Longhorn Jazz Festival, which brought such giants as Miles Davis, |
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Thelonious Monk, and Dizzy Gillespie to the Lone Star State; |
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playing an increasingly important role in developing the Austin |
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singer-songwriter scene, he opened the Chequered Flag nightclub, a |
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notable showcase for emerging artists, among them future icons |
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Townes Van Zandt and Jerry Jeff Walker; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1972, Mr. Kennedy founded the Kerrville Folk |
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Festival; it grew to become one of the nation's most popular live |
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music events and helped launch the careers of Lyle Lovett, Robert |
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Earl Keen, the Dixie Chicks, Lucinda Williams, and a host of other |
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singer-songwriters; Mr. Kennedy also created the Kerrville Music |
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Foundation to support educational services and sponsor a |
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competition for beginning songwriters; while guiding the festival |
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for some three decades, he produced more than 30 albums documenting |
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performances there, as well as the Kerrville Wine & Music Festival |
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and a variety of concerts across the United States and in Mexico; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Kennedy retired from the folk festival in 2002 |
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but continued to serve as a consultant to its organizers and to |
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promoters around the country; in addition, he produced the "Music |
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from Kerrville" concert in The Woodlands in 2007 along with 24 major |
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events for his nonprofit organization, the Kerrville Special Events |
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Association; Mr. Kennedy's production credits over the past six |
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decades number more than 1,500, and the list of artists he has |
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worked with reads like an encyclopedia of contemporary American |
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music; the many honors accorded this industry luminary through the |
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years include the Armstrong Foundation Award for FM Broadcasting |
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Excellence from Columbia University and a Lifetime Achievement |
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Award from the World Folk Music Association; and |
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WHEREAS, Although it is impossible to gauge the full effect |
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Rod Kennedy has had on Texas music, it is clear that the best way to |
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celebrate his still-evolving legacy is to continue to enjoy and |
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support the rich creativity he has nurtured; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
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Legislature hereby commend Rod Kennedy for his enormous |
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contributions to music in the Lone Star State and beyond and extend |
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to him sincere best wishes for a very happy birthday; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Mr. Kennedy as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |