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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The Barbershop Harmony Society, a national |
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organization formerly known as the Society for the Preservation and |
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Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, is |
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celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2013; and |
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WHEREAS, During the last half of the 19th century, the |
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barbershop served as a gathering place in many communities, and as |
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men waited their turn in the barber's chair, they often sang |
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together; over time, these informal performances developed into a |
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style of close, four-part, a cappella harmonizing; usually made up |
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of a bass, a lead singer, a baritone, and a tenor, the performers in |
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barbershop quartets came to be known for their matching boater |
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hats, striped vests, and colorful jackets, and many barbershop |
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songs became standards, including "Hello, My Baby," "Shine On, |
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Harvest Moon," and "Sweet Adeline"; and |
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WHEREAS, By the 1920s, the style ebbed in popularity, but in |
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1938, two men in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Owen Clifton Cash and Rupert Hall, |
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invited some other barbershop singers to join them for a singing |
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luncheon on the roof garden of the Tulsa Club on April 11, 1938; |
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although the 26 singers drew complaints from other club members for |
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their "noise," the meeting resulted in the creation of the |
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SPEBSQSA; and |
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WHEREAS, The organization has since grown to include nearly |
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25,000 members in 800 chapters in all 50 states and each of the 10 |
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provinces of Canada, as well as 4,000 affiliate members in 10 other |
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countries; the society has been largely responsible for securing |
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the place of the barbershop style of singing in our musical |
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heritage, and all across the nation, amateur and professional |
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quartets and choruses continue to perform; famous barbershop |
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quartets include the Buffalo Bills, who made a memorable appearance |
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in the film The Music Man, and the Dapper Dans, who perform |
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regularly at Disneyland and Disney World and who have appeared on an |
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episode of The Simpsons; and |
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WHEREAS, More than 1,000 Texans are members of the Barbershop |
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Harmony Society, and the Lone Star State boasts 13 International |
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Chorus champions, including the 11-time champion Vocal Majority |
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from Dallas, as well as 8 International Quartet champions, 4 |
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International presidents, 3 International Seniors Quartet |
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champions, and a Youth Chorus Festival winner; Texas has also been |
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the site of four International Conventions of the group; and |
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WHEREAS, One of the few distinctively American singing |
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styles, barbershop harmony continues to energize its practitioners |
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and delight audiences of all ages, and this special anniversary |
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represents a fitting opportunity to celebrate this unique art form; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize April 7 through 13, 2013, as |
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Barbershop Harmony Week in Texas. |