As we reported yesterday, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver were feted Monday afternoon in the Tennessee State Senate with a resolution honoring Doyle, his current band and their manager, Josh Trivett, for the band’s many contributions to bluegrass Gospel music over 32 years.
Each of them was presented with a framed copy of the resolution by Senator Steve Southerland, after it was read aloud by the clerk. The guys then offered a pair of a cappella hymns, He Made It Alright and I’m Going To Heaven.
Like most state legislatures these days, Tennessee makes online video available of their proceedings, and you can watch the presentation below (skip to about 15 minutes in).
The full text of the resolution follows:
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 467 By Crowe
A RESOLUTION to honor Doyle Lawson and his band, Quicksilver, for their many contributions to this state through their gospel bluegrass music. WHEREAS, it is most fitting that this General Assembly should pay homage to those inspirational bluegrass artists who perform pure and passionate gospel music; and WHEREAS, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver have been inspiring and uplifting audiences with their unique brand of bluegrass music, mostly gospel, but some secular, for thirty-two outstanding years; and
WHEREAS, a native of Sullivan County, Doyle Lawson grew up in a musical family whose members sang in a cappella groups in church; and
WHEREAS, inspired by the “high lonesome” music of Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys early in life, Mr. Lawson taught himself to play the mandolin at the age of twelve with an instrument his father borrowed from Willis Byrd; and
WHEREAS, after a fortuitous meeting with Jimmy Martin, Doyle Lawson realized that he wanted to play music for a living and subsequently taught himself to play banjo and guitar; and
WHEREAS, by 1963, Mr. Lawson was playing banjo with Jimmy Martin’s band; he later played with JD Crowe and then the Country Gentlemen before founding his own group in April 1979; and
WHEREAS, the membership of the band has changed many times over the years, but still remains true today to the “Quicksilver Sound” that Mr. Lawson so carefully created; and
WHEREAS, the present exemplary lineup for Quicksilver includes Jessie Baker on banjo, Jason Barie on fiddle, Corey Hensley on guitars, bass, and vocals, Mike Rogers on guitar and vocals, Carl White on drums, and Josh Swift on Dobro and vocals, with Josh Trivett serving as manager; and
WHEREAS, over the past thirty-two years, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver have recorded many fine albums, the most recent of which is 2010’s Light On My Feet, Ready To Fly; and
WHEREAS, in addition to their long lasting success with the public, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver have also earned unprecedented critical acclaim: they have been named Vocal Group of the Year seven times and have received Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year honors four times and Song of the Year laurels three times from the International Bluegrass Music Association; and
WHEREAS, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver have been named Bluegrass Band of the Year five times, Vocal Group of the Year five times, Gospel Bluegrass Band of the Year five times, and Overall Gospel Group of the Year seven times by the Society for the Preservation of Blue Grass Music of America (SPBGMA) and have won Bluegrass Album of the Year honors five times; Mr. Lawson has been honored as Mandolin Player of the Year five times and Male Vocalist of the Year four times by the SPBGMA; and
WHEREAS, this gifted group has received four Grammy nominations for Best Bluegrass Album and four Dove nominations for either best Bluegrass Gospel Album or Best Bluegrass Gospel Song; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Lawson has received a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and has been awarded an honorary Ph.D. in Fine Arts from King College; and
WHEREAS, as testament to their popularity among true aficionados of bluegrass music, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver have been hosting their own festival in Denton, North Carolina for more thirty years; and
WHEREAS, a devout Christian, Mr. Lawson rededicated his life to Jesus Christ on the first Sunday of May in 1985; he worships at Cold Spring Presbyterian Church, where he is active in men’s Bible study; and
WHEREAS, his many professional accomplishments aside, Doyle Lawson is most grateful for the love and companionship he shares with his loving wife of thirty-three years, Suzanne; their son and daughter-in-law, Robbie and Carla; their daughters, Suzi and Kristi; and their precious grandson, Spencer; and
WHEREAS, this Body wishes to commend Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver for creating inspiring gospel bluegrass music, for entertaining their faithful fans, and for sharing their talents and their pure love of music with the world for more than thirty years; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING, that we hereby honor and commend Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver for their many contributions to this state and nation through their fantastic gospel bluegrass music.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we thank Doyle Lawson for his dedication and ongoing commitment to spreading the message of Jesus Christ through his music.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an appropriate copy of this resolution be prepared for presentation with this final clause omitted from such copy.
