Honoring the life of Ruth Brown and her copyright royalty reform efforts on behalf of rhythm and blues recording artists.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1090) honoring the life of Ruth Brown and her copyright royalty reform efforts on behalf of rhythm and blues recording artists.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on House Resolution 1090 currently under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to join with my friend, Ranking Member Conyers, in support of this resolution to honor the life of Ruth Brown, a pioneering rhythm and blues singer who passed away last month. Ruth Brown was a well-known performer who paved the road for other R&B artists. In the 1950s she topped the R&B charts with a series of hits that helped establish Atlantic Records as a leading recording label for pop singers.

The label became known as ``the house that Ruth built.'' That means Yankee Stadium is not the only ``house that Ruth built.''

Ruth Brown's style and singing ability influenced numerous other well-known musical artists, including Bonnie Raitt and Little Richard. Later in her career, she was awarded Tony and Grammy honors and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

But Ruth Brown's most enduring contributions and her most remarkable qualities might have been her persistence and passionate desire for justice. During her last two decades, she devoted herself to the cause of collecting unpaid royalties for musicians, spending much of her time working with Congress to promote copyright royalty reform. She also helped establish a nonprofit foundation in Philadelphia to help finance medical care for needy musicians.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) for introducing this resolution, and I join him in urging the Members of the House to support this resolution to honor the extraordinary life and accomplishments of Ruth Brown and to extend the House's deepest sympathy to her family and friends.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I also yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman, Jim Sensenbrenner, for his very personal remarks about Ruth Brown and I thank him and our colleagues, Charles Rangel, Jerry Nadler, Barbara Lee and Bobby Scott, who all recognize the accomplishments of rhythm and blues singer Ruth Brown, who passed away on November 17, 2006. She was not only a great artist of contemporary music, but a fighter who reformed copyright royalty payments for recording artists.

She had a great talent, as has been described, and became one of Atlantic Records' first recording stars. For that, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received a 1999 Lifetime Achievement Award from The Blues Foundation. She had an autobiography, ``Miss Rhythm,'' and received the Ralph Gleason Award for Music.

Aside from her outstanding singing career, though, Ruth Brown came to the attention of the Congress because she was a tireless advocate for the rights of other musicians and artists in the rhythm and blues category. She worked with us to advance the cause of copyright royalty reform so that rhythm and blues artists could at last receive the royalties that they deserved from their music. She also helped found the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1988 to recognize, promote and preserve rhythm and blues music. The important work of this foundation continues to this day. She came to the Hill and worked with not only the Judiciary Committee, but with the Congressional Black Caucus as well.

The resolution we introduce today acknowledges the important contributions to American culture and recognizes Ruth Brown for her efforts to reform the royalty system and expresses the House's deepest condolences to the Ruth Brown family and friends. We remember her as a wonderful, beautiful musician, but also as a dedicated fighter for justice in the copyright field that is within our jurisdiction.

So it is with great regret that we acknowledge the contributions of the late Ruth Brown.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.