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90_HR0218
LRB9006194KBkb
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The State of Illinois and its citizens wish to
3 express their sympathy to the family of Ralph Bass; and
4 WHEREAS, Ralph Bass was born in the Bronx, New York on
5 May 1, 1911; his parents were Lena and Ralph Bass Sr.; Ralph
6 Bass spent his early years in New York City and received his
7 education in the city; and
8 WHEREAS, During a visit to the southern states as a young
9 man, Ralph Bass visited a dance club and experienced a form
10 of music that would change his life and set the direction for
11 his future work as a record producer; he discovered that this
12 music with which he so mysteriously connected was called "the
13 Blues"; observing the hypnotic power the music seemed to have
14 on its listeners, Ralph was determined to bring the rest of
15 the world the delight that the music brought to his own soul;
16 and
17 WHEREAS, When Ralph Bass began his career in the record
18 business, black performers and black music were still
19 struggling to find acceptance in mainstream America; black
20 performers were basically relegated to all-black audiences
21 through a network of theatres and nightclubs known as "The
22 Chitlin' Circuit"; the performers would travel from town to
23 town, often sleeping in their traveling vans or buses because
24 they were refused hotel rooms because of the color of their
25 skin; it was against this backdrop that Ralph, a young Jewish
26 man from the Bronx, decided to make his impact on the world
27 and humanity; and
28 WHEREAS, As a record producer, Ralph Bass became one of
29 the pioneers in bringing black music to its proper place in
30 the American mainstream; he helped to shape the careers of
31 such great luminaries as Etta James, Sam Cooke, James Brown,
32 Earl Bostic, The Platters, The Dominoes, and many others as
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1 well; Ralph was successful because he believed in the music
2 and in the people who produced it; for his efforts, Ralph was
3 inducted as a member into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame in
4 1994; and
5 WHEREAS, On December 17, 1960, Ralph Bass married dancer
6 and choreographer Shirley Hall of Chicago, Illinois, at the
7 home of her parents; she invited him to the Bahamas, and like
8 his wife, he immediately fell in love with the islands; the
9 couple built a home there in 1965 and together spent their
10 time between Chicago and Nassau; and
11 WHEREAS, Ralph Bass was a great supporter of his wife's
12 tireless work with the development of The Bahamas Dance
13 Theater, and played an active role in the numerous cultural
14 exchanges between the Bahamian students and American students
15 from The Sammy Dyer School of the Theater in Chicago; Ralph
16 was well-loved by the hundreds of students of The Bahama
17 Dance Theater and was affectionately called "Daddy Cool" by
18 them; and
19 WHEREAS, Ralph Bass believed in the brotherhood of all
20 men and sought to involve himself in those things that
21 encouraged unity among people; he was generous in spirit and
22 worked to extract from others the good and beautiful things
23 that they had to offer; the whole world is a little better
24 because of the music and the songs that Ralph had worked so
25 diligently for us to hear; he will long be remembered for his
26 pioneering work in the music industry, but more so for his
27 belief in a people and their music; and
28 WHEREAS, Ralph Bass completed his life's work and passed
29 into eternity on Wednesday March 5, 1997; he passed as he
30 lived, peacefully; he shared his final moments in the company
31 of Shirley, his wife and soulmate of 36 years; and
32 WHEREAS, Ralph and Shirley adopted one daughter, Mrs.
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1 Joey Fox-Stevenson and he has two sons from a previous
2 marriage: Dennis and Michael; in addition, he is survived by
3 his grandchildren Alexis, Scott, and Todd Bass; his
4 daughter-in-law Jenny Bass; his son-in-law Gregory Stevenson;
5 his three sisters Virginia, Julie, and Evelyn; his brother
6 Leonard; many nieces and nephews including Heather Silverman;
7 his close friends Henrietta Redd and Fred Parnell; the
8 students and faculty of The Sammy Dyer School of the Theater
9 and The Bahamas Dance Theater, numerous friends in the music
10 business, both in Chicago and the Bahamas; in addition to
11 many other relatives and friends; therefore, be it
12 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
13 NINETIETH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
14 mourn, along with his family and friends, the death of music
15 producer Ralph Bass; and be it further
16 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
17 presented to the family of Ralph Bass along with our deepest
18 condolences.