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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Music fans around the state and nation mourn the |
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loss of the celebrated Texas singer and songwriter Mac Davis, who |
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died on September 29, 2020, at the age of 78; and |
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WHEREAS, A native of Lubbock, Morris Mac Davis was born on |
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January 21, 1942, to T. J. and Edith Davis, and he enjoyed the |
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companionship of two siblings, Linda and Kim; after graduating from |
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high school and joining his mother in Atlanta at the age of 16, he |
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started performing with a local band, the Zots; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1961, Mr. Davis went to work for the Vee-Jay |
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record company, and by 1966, he was a "plugger" for Liberty Records |
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in Hollywood, pitching other songwriters' material to recording |
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artists while also sneaking in demos of his own songs; soon he was |
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writing for such artists as Nancy Sinatra, Bobby Goldsboro, and |
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Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, and in 1968, Elvis Presley |
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performed Mr. Davis's song "A Little Less Conversation" in the 1968 |
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film Live a Little, Love a Little; he went on to write several more |
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tracks for Presley, including the classic "In the Ghetto," which |
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has since been recorded by 170 artists, from Dolly Parton to Nick |
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Cave & the Bad Seeds; and |
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WHEREAS, Starting in the 1970s, Mr. Davis became a successful |
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singer in his own right, with hits such as "Baby, Don't Get Hooked |
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on Me," "Stop and Smell the Roses," "It's Hard to Be Humble," and |
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"Hooked on Music"; with his good looks and genial Texas charm, he |
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also enjoyed a career as an actor, appearing in such films as North |
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Dallas Forty, Cheaper to Keep Her, and The Sting II, as well as such |
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television series as The Muppet Show, Rodney, and King of the Hill; |
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in 1993, he played the title role in a Broadway musical, The Will |
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Rogers Follies; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Davis continued to work as a songwriter well |
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into his 70s; with Bruno Mars, he cowrote "Young Girls" for the |
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album Unorthodox Jukebox, and in 2014, he cowrote "Addicted to |
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You," a dance club hit for the Swedish performer Avicii; during his |
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solo music career, he charted 30 times on the Billboard Hot Country |
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Songs chart between 1970 and 1986, and in 1998, he received a star |
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on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; he was inducted into the Nashville |
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Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2000 and into the Songwriters Hall of |
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Fame in 2006; and |
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WHEREAS, In all his endeavors, Mr. Davis benefited from the |
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love and support of Lise Gerard, his wife of 38 years, and he was the |
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proud father of three children, Noah, Cody, and Joel; and |
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WHEREAS, As a writer and performer, Mac Davis brought joy to |
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multitudes of people, and he leaves behind a legacy of memorable and |
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beautifully crafted songs that will continue to delight listeners |
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for generations to come; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Mac Davis and extend |
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heartfelt sympathy to his family and many friends; 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 his family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Mac Davis. |