Orrin Hatch: “as we prepare to go into our August recess, I suggest we go out on a good note: I am today introducing a resolution…”

“as we prepare to go into our August recess, I suggest we go out on a good note: I am today introducing a resolution designating this Saturday, August 4, 2001 as ``Louis Armstrong Day.'' Louis Armstrong always said he was born on the Fourth of July, 1900. Friends and fans alike accepted this without question. It was, after all, a perfect birthday for an American musical legend; it was a perfect day for a man who created a music that was, in my opinion, thoroughly American. But then, years after that great jazzman's death in New York City in 1971, a researcher discovered Louis Armstrong's baptismal certificate, the standard notice of birth in New Orleans, that showed that Louis Armstrong actually was born on August 4, 1901. That means, that this Saturday is the centennial of the birth of one of America's greatest artistic icons. All across the country this week and this summer there have been Louis Armstrong celebrations. Generations of Americans, of all races and backgrounds and from all walks of life, have loved and continue to love the music of Louis Armstrong, and I am happy to consider myself one of his millions of fans. Louis Armstrong's art is deep from the roots of America's musical traditions, at the same time as being one of the most innovative styles in the history of music. In my opinion, his music is transcendent, brilliant and, above all, joyful.”