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Proclamation 6606—Country Music Month, 1993

October 07, 1993


By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Country music is one of America's unique musical forms. Our immigrant ancestors from Great Britain and Ireland brought their tunes and melodies with them, and those songs were reshaped by life and landscape in our new Nation. In Appalachia, the Piedmonts, the Ozarks, the Mississippi Delta, and the Pine Barrens, those songs and ballads were forged from the spirit of working men and women, farmers and field laborers, miners and railroad workers, and pioneers crossing the Great Plains.

They blended with songs of African Americans, Mexican Americans, and Cajuns. Out of this wellspring came Western swing, honky-tonk, blues, gospel, and shape note music, creating a family of many musical cousins. Country music is not one voice, but many, irresistible to the ear and to any heart that likes to sing. The instruments that accompany the songs are also from our ancestors of many lands--the dulcimer from Germany, the fiddle from all of Europe, the banjo from Africa.

Country music is about the American story. It fuses the traditions of many cultures and celebrates what makes us Americans. Country lyrics tell tales of life and love, joy and heartbreak, toil and celebration. From early folk singers like Woody Guthrie to such legends as Roy Acuff, Hank Williams, and Patsy Cline to today's bright stars--the singers all let loose the soulful music inside their hearts. In its rhythms and words, we can hear the lonesome sound, as well as the festive spirit, of our beloved land.

The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 102, has designated the month of October as "Country Music Month." I urge all Americans to join me in recognizing the role that country music has played in shaping our cultural heritage.

Country Music Month is a time to recognize the contributions of singers, songwriters, musicians, and all in the industry who work to bring us the very best of country music and dance. Throughout the month of October, let us celebrate country music in our homes and towns across the United States.

Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 1993 as Country Music Month.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this seventh day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eighteenth.

Signature of William J. Clinton

WILLIAM J. CLINTON

Note: This proclamation was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on October 8, and it will be published in the Federal Register on October 13.

William J. Clinton, Proclamation 6606—Country Music Month, 1993 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/268951

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