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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The death of acclaimed songwriter Bill Dees on |
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October 24, 2012, at the age of 73, brought a great loss to the music |
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world and profoundly saddened his family and friends; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Electra on January 24, 1939, William Marvin |
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Dees was the son of Beecher and Dorine Dees; he grew up in Borger and |
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showed talent at an early age, singing harmony with his brothers on |
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an Amarillo radio show and winning a gold watch at the county fair |
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in the third grade for his rendition of "I'm a Lonely Little Petunia |
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in an Onion Patch"; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Dees attended Phillips High School, where his |
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music teacher recruited him for a group called the Five Bops; after |
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scoring a regional hit with the song "Jitterbuggin'," the band was |
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chosen to open several local concerts for Roy Orbison, then a rising |
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star; Mr. Orbison later produced a recording session for Mr. Dees, |
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and the pair cowrote "Borne on the Wind," which became a top 5 |
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single in the United Kingdom; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1964, Mr. Dees moved to Nashville and lined up |
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steady work before approaching Mr. Orbison about further |
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collaborations; they became songwriting partners and made the top |
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10 with the unusually sophisticated pop composition "It's Over"; |
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building on that success, they wrote "Oh, Pretty Woman," which |
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reached the top of the charts in the United States and some 20 other |
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countries and became a rock and roll classic; Mr. Dees, who sang |
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harmony on the recording, gave up his day job to play keyboards in |
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Mr. Orbison's touring band for more than a year and appeared with |
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him on The Ed Sullivan Show; ultimately, the legendary singer |
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recorded nearly 70 songs cowritten with Mr. Dees, as well as several |
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numbers by Mr. Dees alone; and |
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WHEREAS, Other artists also recorded songs by Mr. Dees, among |
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them Loretta Lynn, Dinah Shore, Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell, and |
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Lynn Anderson; he continued to follow his muse and performed in his |
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own ensembles and as a solo act; in 2002, he released his first |
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album under his own name, Saturday Night at the Movies, which |
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featured three songs from his final writing sessions with his great |
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friend Mr. Orbison; he followed up with two more albums, and in |
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2006, he was honored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at "An Evening |
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With Bill Dees"; and |
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WHEREAS, Although he moved to the Ozarks in the 1970s, Mr. |
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Dees maintained strong Texas ties, and his buoyant personality |
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endeared him to countless residents of the New Boston area; he |
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shared many a funny story, new song, or favorite Bible verse with |
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delighted friends in the Lone Star State, and his ready smile and |
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frequent laughter brightened every encounter; and |
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WHEREAS, Bill Dees brought joy to people around the globe |
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through his musical talent, and those who were fortunate enough to |
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know this charming, warm, and generous man will forever remember |
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him with deepest admiration and affection; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Bill Dees and extend |
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sincere condolences to his loved ones; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas House |
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of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of William |
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Marvin Dees. |