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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Tejano legend Little Joe Hernández, the leader of |
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the enduringly popular Little Joe y La Familia, has been named the |
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2019 Texas State Musician in recognition of his outstanding |
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achievements; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Temple in 1940, José María de León Hernández |
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was a teenager when he started singing and playing guitar in his |
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cousin's band, David Coronado and the Latinaires; Little Joe took |
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on leadership of the group in about 1959, and the band recorded |
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songs for several Tejano labels as well as for Buena Suerte, Good |
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Luck, and Leona Records, each launched by Mr. Hernández; in the |
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mid-1960s, they released their first albums, Por un Amor and Amor |
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Bonito, and the group evolved into one of the top Tejano orquestas; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Hernández was inspired by César Chávez and the |
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Chicano movement while performing in California, and he changed the |
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band's name to Little Joe y La Familia to reflect his growing |
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dedication to the cultural and political advancement of his |
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community; the group became the leading band of Tejano's Onda |
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Chicana, or Chicano Wave, with a lineup that included some of the |
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top musicians in the genre; in 1972, Para La Gente showcased its |
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lush arrangements and organic synthesis of ranchero and jaitón, and |
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the album yielded many hit songs, among them "Qué Culpa Tengo," "La |
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Traicionera," and especially "Las Nubes," a prime example of Onda |
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Chicana code-switching between Spanish and English; and |
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WHEREAS, Through the years, both the Smithsonian Institute |
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and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts have |
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featured Little Joe y La Familia during National Hispanic Heritage |
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Week; the band has won many significant honors, including Grammy |
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Awards for the Best Mexican-American Album in 1991 and Tejano Album |
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of the Year in 2008 and 2011; in 1997, the Texas branch of the |
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National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences presented |
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Mr. Hernández with its Governors Award for his contributions to |
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Texas music, and he later received the Smithsonian's Lifetime |
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Legend Award; the City of Temple celebrated Little Joe Day in 2018 |
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and renamed part of Sixth Avenue in his honor; and |
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WHEREAS, Little Joe Hernández has left a lasting imprint on |
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Texas music over the course of a remarkable career spanning over a |
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half century, and he continues to enrich the cultural scene and |
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delight the myriad fans of La Familia; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate Little Joe Hernández on his |
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selection as the 2019 Texas State Musician and extend to him sincere |
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best wishes for an enjoyable tenure and continued success; and, be |
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it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Mr. Hernández as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |
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Shine |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 982 was adopted by the House on April |
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12, 2019, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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