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TO CELEBRATE THE ONE HUNDREDTH BIRTHDAY OF THE LATE DIZZY GILLESPIE AND HONOR HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF JAZZ, TO COMMEND THE TOWN OF CHERAW ON ITS SPONSORSHIP OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA JAZZ FESTIVAL, AND TO DECLARE OCTOBER 21, 2017, DIZZY GILLESPIE DAY IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
Whereas, born in Cheraw on October 21, 1917, John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was the son of James and Lottie Gillespie. James Gillespie, a brickmason and local band leader, made instruments available to his nine children and recognized early on that the young John Birks possessed exceptional musical abilities. He learned to play the piano at age four and by the age of twelve had taught himself to play the trombone and trumpet; and
Whereas, in the early 1940s, along with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie initiated "bebop," in the sleek, intense, high-speed sound that has become jazz's most enduring style; and
Whereas, throughout his sixty-year career, he contributed greatly to the jazz world by serving as a composer, band leader, and innovative musician; and
Whereas, further, Dizzy Gillespie wrote or co-wrote many songs that became jazz standards, including "A Night in Tunisia," "Groovin' High," "Manteca," "Salt Peanuts," and "Woody 'n You"; and
Whereas, while performing three hundred concerts a year worldwide in the 1960s and 1970s, he collected awards ranging from Grammys to the Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime achievement in the arts in 1990, as well as numerous honorary doctorates. Counted an international treasure, Dizzy passed away on January 6, 1993; and
Whereas, to celebrate Dizzy Gillespie as one of its most famous sons and honor him on the one hundredth anniversary of his birth, the Town of Cheraw will host the South Carolina Jazz Festival from October 20 through October 22, 2017. The House is pleased to encourage all citizens of the Palmetto State to visit and enjoy this family friendly event, which features a bebop parade, musical performances, an outdoor market, evening "jazz crawls," an art exhibit, a book sale, a golf tournament (with proceeds benefiting the Dizzy Gillespie Scholarship Fund), an art competition, a Historic Cheraw cell-phone tour, and a Sunday jazz mass. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, celebrate the one hundredth birthday of the late Dizzy Gillespie and honor his contributions to the development of jazz, commend the Town of Cheraw on its sponsorship of the South Carolina Jazz Festival, and declare October 21, 2017, Dizzy Gillespie Day in South Carolina.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Mayor Andy Ingram of the Town of Cheraw.
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