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2017 SESSION

17100939D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 625
Offered January 11, 2017
Prefiled January 9, 2017
Commending Old Dominion.
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Patrons-- Austin; Senator: Newman
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WHEREAS, Old Dominion is one of the hottest new bands to break onto the country music scene, winning praise for their clever lyrics, innovative instrumentation, genre-busting arrangements, and finger-snapping melodies; and

WHEREAS, Old Dominion formed authentically, through a shared love of music and songwriting, and band members chose the band’s name in 2007 as a nod to their Virginia roots; and

WHEREAS, Old Dominion is made up of lead singer Matthew Ramsey, drummer Whit Sellers, lead guitarist Brad Tursi, bassist Geoff Sprung, and multi-instrumentalist Trevor Rosen; and

WHEREAS, Matthew Ramsey and Whit Sellers are natives of Botetourt County and played on the drumlines of their respective high schools in the Roanoke region, James River High School and Lord Botetourt High School; and

WHEREAS, Geoff Sprung, a native of Falls Church, Brad Tursi, and Whit Sellers met while attending James Madison University in Harrisonburg and later moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where Old Dominion was formed; and

WHEREAS, Old Dominion first gained a national audience in 2013, when they attracted the attention of John Marks, SiriusXM head of country music programming, who began playing the band’s music on the subscription radio service; and

WHEREAS, Old Dominion signed with RCA Records Nashville in early 2015, then released their debut studio album, “Meat and Candy,” in November 2015; the band played almost every note on the album themselves instead of employing session players; and

WHEREAS, “Meat and Candy” features three hit singles, the Platinum-selling, two-week No. 1 “Break Up With Him,” Top 5 chart hit “Snapback,” and “Song For Another Time,” which hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay in December 2016; and

WHEREAS, the members of Old Dominion have collectively written seven No. 1 songs recorded by other artists, and their songwriting appears on hits by country music stars Kenny Chesney, Blake Shelton, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, and Keith Urban, among others; and

WHEREAS, in 2016, Old Dominion was named New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards and won Breakthrough Group/Duo of the Year at the American Country Countdown Awards; and

WHEREAS, Old Dominion strives for authenticity over perfection, and the band members’ friendship, chemistry, and history is a unique combination that stands out among today’s popular country music artists; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the members of the band Old Dominion for their success breaking into the country music industry, fueled by their strong songwriting ability and musicianship; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the members of the band Old Dominion as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the chart-topping success that was cultivated during their years in the Commonwealth.