SJ164: Commending the Whitetop Mountain Band.


SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 164
Commending the Whitetop Mountain Band.
 
Agreed to by the Senate, February 16, 2012
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 24, 2012
 

WHEREAS, when the Whitetop Mountain Band members put their fingers to their fiddles and start picking their banjos, listeners of the Appalachian Mountain music start tapping their toes and take to the dance floor; and

WHEREAS, the Whitetop Mountain Band began in the 1940s, when fiddler and luthier Albert Hash joined with other mountain musicians to play the old-time music that traces its roots to Colonial times, when Europeans settled in the crest of one of the highest mountains in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, for several decades, Albert Hash and a number of other well-known mountain musicians entertained audiences; in the 1970s, Albert Hash?s brother-in-law, Thornton Spencer, and his wife, Emily, joined the popular band; and

WHEREAS, today, Thornton and Emily Spencer perform alongside their daughter, Martha, Jackson Cunningham, and Debbie Bramer, in venues locally and around the nation and world, bringing people to their feet with their high energy performances that include flatfoot dancing; and

WHEREAS, the Whitetop Mountain Band has recorded such popular hits as Keep My Skillet Good & Greasy All the Time, Echoes of the Blue Ridge, and The Hard Working Miner, which epitomize the characteristic sounds of mountain music; and

WHEREAS, dedicated to carrying on the traditional music from this rugged part of the Commonwealth, the Albert Hash Memorial Band Program at Mount Rogers Combined School, now led by Emily Spencer, was created to introduce new generations of students to the musical heritage of Southwest Virginia; and

WHEREAS, the Whitetop Mountain Band, an integral part of the community, holds weekly jam sessions in the area while also performing for charitable events; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Whitetop Mountain Band for preserving and sharing the music that has echoed around the mountains of Southwest Virginia for generations; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Whitetop Mountain Band as an expression of the General Assembly?s appreciation for the band?s contributions to the cultural history of the Commonwealth and best wishes for continued success in its future endeavors.

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 164
Offered February 8, 2012
Commending the Whitetop Mountain Band.
Patron-- Carrico

WHEREAS, when the Whitetop Mountain Band members put their fingers to their fiddles and start picking their banjos, listeners of the Appalachian Mountain music start tapping their toes and take to the dance floor; and

WHEREAS, the Whitetop Mountain Band began in the 1940s, when fiddler and luthier Albert Hash joined with other mountain musicians to play the old-time music that traces its roots to Colonial times, when Europeans settled in the crest of one of the highest mountains in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, for several decades, Albert Hash and a number of other well-known mountain musicians entertained audiences; in the 1970s, Albert Hash?s brother-in-law, Thornton Spencer, and his wife, Emily, joined the popular band; and

WHEREAS, today, Thornton and Emily Spencer perform alongside their daughter, Martha, Jackson Cunningham, and Debbie Bramer, in venues locally and around the nation and world, bringing people to their feet with their high energy performances that include flatfoot dancing; and

WHEREAS, the Whitetop Mountain Band has recorded such popular hits as Keep My Skillet Good & Greasy All the Time, Echoes of the Blue Ridge, and The Hard Working Miner, which epitomize the characteristic sounds of mountain music; and

WHEREAS, dedicated to carrying on the traditional music from this rugged part of the Commonwealth, the Albert Hash Memorial Band Program at Mount Rogers Combined School, now led by Emily Spencer, was created to introduce new generations of students to the musical heritage of Southwest Virginia; and

WHEREAS, the Whitetop Mountain Band, an integral part of the community, holds weekly jam sessions in the area while also performing for charitable events; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Whitetop Mountain Band for preserving and sharing the music that has echoed around the mountains of Southwest Virginia for generations; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Whitetop Mountain Band as an expression of the General Assembly?s appreciation for the band?s contributions to the cultural history of the Commonwealth and best wishes for continued success in its future endeavors.