HR0778 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0778 LRB102 26869 ECR 37932 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Pervis "Blues Man" Spann of Chicago, who passed away on March 14, 2022; and

WHEREAS, Pervis Spann was born in Itta Bena, Mississippi on August 16, 1932; alongside his mother and sister, he moved to Battle Creek, Michigan in 1949; he soon followed his father to Indiana; he served stateside in the U.S. Army during the Korean War era; he then moved to Chicago; he attended the Midway Television Institute and the Midwestern Broadcasting School and was also a student of the Moody Bible Institute; and

WHEREAS, Pervis Spann's first job in radio was as a disc jockey (DJ) at station WOPA in Oak Park in the 1950s; he was hired as a DJ at WVON by Leonard Chess, co-founder of Chess Records, who bought the station in 1963; he became known as one of WVON's "Good Guys", a group of star DJs, and was noted as one of the few DJs who played music that related to the Black experience; he gained notoriety with an on-air, 87-hour sleepless sit-in, which raised money for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; he established a brilliant and unique relationship with Barry Gordy of Motown Records, which permitted new Motown recordings to be heard on WVON first; he co-founded the Midway Broadcasting Corporation with fellow DJ Wesley South to run the station in 1979; he also bought radio stations in Atlanta, Jacksonville, Florida, and Memphis; and

WHEREAS, Pervis Spann formed the Delta Production Company, which promoted and produced shows featuring Black entertainment for Black audiences, with venues including The Regal Theater, Aragon Ballroom, Chicago Stadium, Arie Crown Theater, Lyric Opera House, Trianon Ballroom, and Soldier Field; he promoted between 90 to 95 percent of all the major concerts in the Chicago area, booking such stars as James Brown, Sammy Davis Jr., The Temptations, Chaka Khan, Dinah Washington, Jerry Butler, The Impressions, The Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Otis Clay, Earth, Wind & Fire, Sam Cooke, The Staple Singers, The Commodores, Marvin Gaye, Cab Calloway, Roy Hamilton, Jackie Wilson, Little Richard, and Count Basie, among others; and

WHEREAS, Pervis Spann was credited with boosting the careers of Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, and the Jackson 5; he gave Aretha Franklin the moniker "Queen of Soul"; alongside fellow DJ E. Rodney Jones, he purchased the Burning Spear nightclub on 55th Street in the early 1960s, which was the setting for the Jackson 5's first Chicago performance and where they won their first major talent show; and

WHEREAS, Pervis Spann hosted the cable TV show Blues and More with his comedian friend Carl Wright; he also authored the memoir 40 Years Spann; and

WHEREAS, Pervis Spann ran in Chicago's Republican mayoral primary in 1991 and for the Chicago City Council's 18th Ward in 1999; and

WHEREAS, Pervis Spann was known for helping others through providing shows and outreach; he enjoyed boxing and photography; he will be remembered as an astute businessman and a cultural icon; and

WHEREAS, Pervis Spann is survived by his wife of 67 years, Lovie Spann; his son and caretaker, Darrell; and his daughters, Melody Spann Cooper, Latrice Levitt, and Chanté Spann; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Pervis "Blues Man" Spann and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Pervis Spann as an expression of our deepest sympathy.