Additions Mark 10th Anniversary of Registry

The voices of former slaves, the sounds of Native American culture, the creative wordplay of "Rapper's Delight," Donna Summer's electric 1977 hit and the only surviving recording of a stage icon are among the sound recordings selected for induction into the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress.  Marking the 10th anniversary of the registry, Librarian of Congress James H. Billington today selected 25 sound recordings that will be preserved as cultural, artistic and/or historical treasures for generations to come.

"America's sound heritage is an important part of the nation's history and culture and this year's selections reflect the diversity and creativity of the American experience," said Billington.  "These songs, words and natural sounds must be preserved for future generations." Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian, with advice from the Library's National Recording Preservation Board (NRPB), is tasked with selecting annually 25 recordings that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and are at least 10 years old.  The selections for the 2011 registry bring the total number of recordings to 350.

The selections named to the registry feature a diverse array of spoken-word and musical recordings?representing nearly every musical category?spanning the years 1888-1984.  They cover a great breadth of sounds and music, ranging from the first commercial recording and the authoritative voice of journalist Edward R. Murrow to the innovative music of Hawaiian Sol Hoopii and the novelty of the all-women's jazz band International Sweethearts of Rhythm.

Among this year's selections are Dolly Parton's autobiographical song, "Coat of Many Colors"; Prince and the Revolution's "Purple Rain," the soundtrack from Prince's 1984 movie debut; Leonard Bernstein's debut performance with the New York Philharmonic; the 1912 "Come Down Ma Evenin' Star," the only surviving recording of Lillian Russell who is considered one of the greatest stars of the American musical stage; the Grateful Dead's 1977 Barton Hall concert; an album from "A Charlie Brown Christmas";  and the pioneering hip-hop album "Rapper's Delight."

Other additions to the registry feature notable performances by Ruth Etting, Bo Diddley, the Dixie Hummingbirds, Love, Parliament, Booker T. & the M.G.'s and the Gregg Smith Singers.

Nominations were gathered through online submissions from the public and from the NRPB, which comprises leaders in the fields of music, recorded sound and preservation. The Library is currently accepting nominations for the next registry at the NRPB website (www.loc.gov/nrpb/).

As part of its congressional mandate, the Library is identifying and preserving the best existing versions of each recording on the registry.  These recordings will be housed in the Library's Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation in Culpeper, Va., a state-of-the-art facility that was made possible through the generosity of David Woodley Packard and the Packard Humanities Institute, with benefaction from the U.S. Congress. The Packard Campus (www.loc.gov/avconservation/)  is home to more than 6 million collection items, including nearly 3 million sound recordings.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution. The Library seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs and exhibitions. Many of the Library's rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov.

2011 National Recording Registry

1.  Edison Talking Doll cylinder (1888)

Few, if any, sound recordings can lay claim to as many "firsts" as the small, mangled artifact of a failed business venture discovered in 1967 in the desk of an assistant to Thomas Edison.  This cylinder recording, only five-eighths of an inch wide, represents the foundation of many aspects of recording history. It was created in 1888 by a short-lived Edison company established to make talking dolls for children, and is the only surviving example from the experimental stage of the Edison doll production when the cylinders were made of tin. As such, this recording of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," as sung by an anonymous Edison employee, is the earliest-known commercial sound recording in existence.  It is also the first children's recording and, quite possibly, the first recording to be made by someone who was paid to perform for a sound recording.  Due to its poor condition, the recording was considered unplayable until 2011 when its surface was scanned in three dimensions using digital mapping tools created at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and developed in collaboration with the Library of Congress.

2.  "Come Down Ma Evenin' Star," Lillian Russell (1912)

"Come Down Ma Evenin' Star" is the only surviving recording of Lillian Russell, one of the greatest stars the American musical stage has ever known.  She was a versatile performer at home in operetta, burlesque and vaudeville whose personal life often generated as much publicity as her performances. Born in 1861, she was a star before movies and recordings, which in their early days could not do justice to her famous beauty, voice, style and stage presence.  "Come Down" was her signature song.  She introduced it in the 1902 burlesque review "Twirly-Whirly," parodying the nouveau-riche society figure she had become, but investing it with a poignancy that reflected its troubled history. Russell's former music director John Stromberg wrote the song.  Hours after finishing it, he committed suicide because of the pain of chronic, untreatable rheumatism.  Russell recorded the song in 1912, but it was not released until years later.  In 1943, rare record dealer Jack L. Caidin found a lone test pressing of "Come Down Ma Evenin' Star," inscribed by Russell herself, and released it on his own specialty label, providing us with a brief echo of the Lillian Russell phenomenon and a fleeting glimpse into 19th-century American theater.

3.  "Ten Cents a Dance," Ruth Etting (1930)

Singer Ruth Etting was one of the first great singers of the electrical era of recording, the period after the mid-1920s when the microphone replaced the acoustic recording horn.  As with the best of the male crooners of the period, Etting's vocal delivery was artfully understated and personal. In the words of popular music writers Phil Hardy and Dave Laing, Etting, "[b]y turns peppy, fragile, and gallant ... evinced the contradictory spirits of America in the Depression:  sometimes beaten down, sometimes bearing up, whenever possible blithe."  All these characteristics are evident in her recording of Rodgers and Hart's "Ten Cents a Dance," recorded only two weeks after Etting introduced the song on stage in the musical "Simple Simon."

4.  "Voices from the Days of Slavery," various speakers (1932-1941 interviews; 2002 compilation)

In 2002, the American Folklife Center created the online presentation "Voices from the Days of Slavery," gathering together 24 interviews with former African-American slaves conducted mostly between 1932 and 1941 and across nine Southern states as part of various field recording projects.  During this period, thousands of slave narratives were also collected on paper by WPA workers, but these are the only known audio recordings of former slaves.  As historian C. Vann Woodward said of the WPA narratives, these recordings "represent the voices of the normally voiceless," but with all the nuances of expression that written transcriptions cannot reproduce. They recall aspects of slave life and culture, including family relations, work routines, songs, dances and tales, as well as the harsh realities of slavery, including punishments and auctions.  They recount experiences of the Civil War, Emancipation and Reconstruction.  One interviewee worked for Confederate President Jefferson Davis, as did his father and grandfather. These are fragments of history and reflect the technical and social limitations of the  recording sessions.  The voices of these ex-slaves, however, provide invaluable insight into their lives, communities and the world of slavery they left behind.

5.  "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart," Patsy Montana (1935)

Singer Patsy Montana's signature song, "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart," was written in 1934 when she was feeling lonely and missing her boyfriend.  Montana recorded the song a year later when Art Satherly of ARC Records needed one more song for a recording session with the Prairie Ramblers.  Her song's lively, quick polka tempo and yodeling refrain, and Montana's exuberant delivery, resulted in it being requested at every performance.  The song became one of the first hits by a female country-and-western singer.  A popular performer on the WLS radio program "National Barn Dance," Montana was the soloist with the Prairie Ramblers, a group that successfully melded jazz and string-band music.  Montana's film appearance in the Gene Autry film "Colorado Sunset" in 1939 introduced her to a wider audience, and her independent, high-spirited personality and singing style quickly secured her popularity as a singing cowgirl.  Montana was named to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996.

6.  "Fascinating Rhythm," Sol Hoopii and his Novelty Five (1938)

In the 1890s, Hawaiian musicians began playing open-tuned guitars flat in their laps, fretting the strings with steel to produce distinctive sliding tones.  The style soon reached the U.S. mainland, and when young Sol Hoopii arrived in California in 1924, the Hawaiian steel guitar was a mature and demanding instrument with national popularity.  Hoopii emerged as its greatest exponent, applying it to traditional hulas, ragtime, jazz and pop.  He and his peers influenced blues and country slide guitarists, and Dobros and pedal steel guitars are descended from the Hawaiian model.  Hoopii switched to electric guitar in the 1930s and displays his formidable technique on this Gershwin standard, deftly mixing tonal variations, a chord solo and bass runs into an adventurous and swinging improvisation.

7. "Artistry in Rhythm," Stan Kenton and his Orchestra (1943)

That Stan Kenton led a jazz orchestra, not a dance band, is obvious from the first notes of "Artistry in Rhythm." This was no smooth, melodic song intended for swaying couples in the big-band ballrooms, but a complex jazz concert piece.  Though he composed the song in 1941, Kenton was unable to record it until 1943 because of the recording ban imposed by the American Federation of Musicians over royalty payments.  The music stood out then and its freshness remains obvious to listeners today.  Arranged as well as composed by Kenton, "Artistry in Rhythm" exhibits traits that are typical of his work?an aggressive sound, innovative for the layering of one section of the orchestra playing over another, then another layer over both.  As one reviewer observed, Kenton's music "was always controversial, but never sleepy."

8. Debut performance with the New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein (November 14, 1943)

On Nov. 14, 1943, 25-year-old Leonard Bernstein, then the little-known assistant conductor of the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York, made his conducting debut with the ensemble as a last-minute substitute in unenviable circumstances.  Guest conductor Bruno Walter was sick, regular conductor Artur Rodzi?ski was hundreds of miles away, and the concert was to be broadcast live across the country by CBS Radio.  Bernstein met briefly with Walter, but had no time to rehearse.  Concertgoers and radio listeners were moved deeply as Bernstein led the orchestra through the program.  After the second piece, he was brought back to the podium four times and excitement continued to grow.  In Boston, Bernstein's mentor Serge Koussevitzky dictated a telegram:  "Listening now. Wonderful."  Bernstein's triumph made the front page of the next day's New York Times and was reported across the country.

9. International Sweethearts of Rhythm: Hottest Women's Band of the 1940s (1944-1946)

The International Sweethearts of Rhythm was an interracial all women jazz band formed in the late 1930s at the Piney Woods Country Life School, a boarding school for African-American children in Mississippi.  The band made very few commercial recordings, but toured extensively in the 1940s, performing in Europe as well as at predominantly African-American theaters.  The band also was showcased in several motion pictures.  Professional musicians who joined the band include vocalist Anna Mae Winburn, Viola Burnside on tenor saxophone and Ernestine "Tiny" Davis on trumpet.  The International Sweethearts of Rhythm album, released in 1984 by Rosetta Records?a record label dedicated exclusively to reissuing performances by female jazz and blues artists?includes commercially recorded tracks by the band and excerpts from an appearance on the Armed Forces Radio Service program "Jubilee."

10. "The Indians for Indians Hour"  (March 25, 1947)

Originated by Don Whistler (a.k.a. Chief Kesh-Ke-Kosh), radio show "The Indians for Indians Hour" aired on the University of Oklahoma's WNAD in Norman, Okla., from 1941 until 1985.  It was a weekly venue for Native American music and cultural exchange featuring guests and music from 18 tribes reached by the station's signal, including Apaches, Arapahos, Caddos, Cheyennes, Choctaws, Comanches, Kaws, Kiowas, Osages, Otos, Pawnees, Poncas, Seminoles, Shawnees and Wichitas.  Whistler allowed only Indian music and had no non-Indian guests unless they worked for Indian Services.  This program, one of 320 known to survive, includes news of a recent powwow and songs praising Indian war veterans sung by a group of Kiowa war mothers.  Though the program was sometimes criticized for primarily highlighting music and entertainment instead of issues, it nevertheless served as an important tool for generational sharing and the popularization and preservation of  Native American culture.  In 1946, the show reached an estimated weekly audience of over 75,000, nearly all of Native American origin. Whistler hosted the show until his death in 1951. Later hosts included Boyce Timmons, Elton Yellowfish, David Timmons and Sammy "Tonekel" White.

11.  "Hula Medley," Gabby Pahinui (1947)

Gabby Pahinui was a master of slack-key guitar, a style originating in Hawaii.  In slack key, one or more of a guitar's strings are loosened or "slacked" from the standard EADGBE format to create a different tuning, usually a chord that allows it to be played without using the fretboard.  Often the thumb plays rhythm on the lower strings, while the fingers play the melody on the higher strings.  Pahinui made some of the first modern recordings in this genre, including the lovely instrumental "Hula Medley" in 1947.

12.  "I Can Hear It Now," Fred W. Friendly and Edward R. Murrow (1948)

"I Can Hear It Now" was an unlikely hit?a collection of speech excerpts and news reports from 1933 to 1945 featuring a wide array of speakers from Will Rogers to Adolph Hitler.  Columbia Records gambled on radio producer Fred Friendly's idea when a musicians' strike limited the recording of new music.  Friendly, later president of CBS News, spent months locating and copying 100 hours of broadcast disc recordings, using newly introduced magnetic recording tape to create compelling montages.  CBS Radio's Edward R. Murrow added star power as narrator and co-writer.  "I Can Hear It Now" found Americans eager to relive their own history, and sold briskly on 78-rpm discs and in Columbia's new LP format.  The ease of editing and recording on magnetic tape allowed the creation of portions of the album that are now controversial, such as the fabrication of a break-in announcement of the Pearl Harbor attack, and the re-recording of a newscast to replace a damaged original.  However, the recording was widely imitated and Friendly and Murrow produced two sequels, along with radio and television spin-offs.

13.  "Let's Go Out to the Programs," The Dixie Hummingbirds (1953)

At the time of its release, "Let's Go Out to the Programs" was considered to be a novelty, but it now stands as a celebration of a golden age of African-American gospel music.  In the '50s, high-energy quartets and quintets like the Dixie Hummingbirds played multi-artist shows known as "programs," where several top gospel acts pushed each other to the limit.  Led by the legendary Ira Tucker, the Hummingbirds recreate such a program in less than three minutes with striking although good-natured imitations of four gospel groups:  the Soul Stirrers (with their young lead singer, Sam Cooke), the Blind Boys of Mississippi, the Pilgrim Travelers and the Bells of Joy.  The Dixie Hummingbirds continue to perform today, led by Ira Tucker Jr.  Younger singers carry on the legacy of the Soul Stirrers while original members of the Bells of Joy still sing in their home of Austin, Texas.

14.  "Also Sprach Zarathustra," Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1954, 1958)

Richard Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra" was recorded several times during the 78 rpm era, but had to wait for magnetic tape, superior microphones and advances in disc mastering for its extremely wide dynamics to be fully captured as recorded sound.  The dawn of high-fidelity recording happily coincided with the beginning of the Fritz Reiner era at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, when the ensemble was hailed by Igor Stravinsky as "the most precise and flexible orchestra in the world."  One of Reiner's first recordings with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, "Zarathustra," was taped simultaneously in mono and stereo by two RCA Victor teams although only the mono version was initially issued.  The album's 1958 release in RCA's Living Stereo line a few years later showed just how great the recording and performance were, with the perspective and balance Reiner drew from the orchestra fully revealed.

15.  "Bo Diddley" and "I'm a Man," Bo Diddley (1955)

Born Elias Otha Bates in Mississippi in 1928, Bo Diddley acquired his stage name after moving to Chicago as a child.  He played guitar locally with a small group, drawing inspiration from the polyrhythmic song and music emanating from storefront churches, a pulsing blend that he distilled into the song "Bo Diddley," the A-side of his first single.  Drummer Clifton James played the defining beat, and Bo's guitar and Jerome Greene's maracas added further rhythmic layers beneath the chanted couplets.  Having introduced himself, he threw down the gauntlet on the B-side, "I'm a Man," a throbbing slow blues that, as simple as it seems, took nearly 30 takes to get down just right.  It was also a major hit and inspired Muddy Waters' answer song, "Manish Boy."

16.  "Green Onions," Booker T. & the M.G.'s  (1962)

Booker T. & the M.G.'s were a rarity when they were formed in the early 1960s?a racially integrated rhythm-and-blues group.  Formed as a house band for Stax Records, Booker T. & the M.G.'s were playing around in the studio in early 1962 when they came up with two catchy instrumentals.  "Green Onions" was originally intended as the B-side to "Behave Yourself," but was quickly reissued as the A-side, then later as the title cut to their first LP.  Anchored by the rhythm section of drummer Al Jackson Jr. and bassist Lewie Steinberg, "Green Onions" is propelled by Booker T. Jones' driving organ and Steve Cropper's stinging guitar.

17.  "Forever Changes," Love (1967)

Love was an integrated psychedelic band from Los Angeles that played an aggressively original mix of rock, folk and blues, but the band was falling apart as its members prepared for their third album, "Forever Changes."  Leader Arthur Lee was alarmed and pessimistic about the state of the world and was convinced his own demise was imminent, although he lived until 2006.  His new songs were filled with unexpected shifts and rife with foreboding, though his message was ultimately about resolution and self-reliance in the face of uncertainty and impermanence.  Two compositions by second guitarist Bryan MacLean somewhat augmented Lee's musings, but were no less striking and unusual.  Rock was growing more electric in 1967, but "Forever Changes" is essentially acoustic, with a restrained and supple rhythm section supporting the ambitious horn and string charts of pop arranger David Angel, making Johnny Echols' searing guitar solos all the more memorable.  The fusion of psychedelic, mainstream and classical styles, now seen as a landmark, found few takers at the time. Love soon disintegrated, but "Forever Changes" continues to loom large.

18.  "The Continental Harmony: Music of William Billings," Gregg Smith Singers (1969)

Composer William Billings published six collections of his choral music between 1770 and 1794.  His "New England Psalm Singer" (1770) was the first tune book devoted entirely to the compositions of a single American composer.  Billings was largely self-taught, yet his a cappella choral writing, featuring the melody in the tenor, created an indigenous sacred music that expanded the musical language of America.  While Billings was well-known in his lifetime?his song "Chester" was nearly as popular as "Yankee Doodle" during the American Revolution?his work was largely forgotten for more than a century.  Despite his having composed over 340 works, little of Billings' music was included in mainstream American sacred choral music collections after 1820.  His musical style and some of his pieces, however, were kept alive within America's Southern shape-note singing tradition.  Following World War II, a generation of scholars and performers rediscovered his fresh and vigorous music.  This recording by the Gregg Smith Singers, a 16-member choral ensemble dedicated to the performance of American music, helped re-introduce Billings' music to the world.

19.  "A Charlie Brown Christmas," Vince Guaraldi Trio (1970)

"A Charlie Brown Christmas" introduced jazz to millions of listeners.  The television soundtrack album includes expanded themes from the animated "Peanuts" special of the same name as well as jazz versions of both traditional and popular Christmas music, performed primarily by the Vince Guaraldi Trio.  The original music is credited to pianist Guaraldi and television producer Lee Mendelson.  Best remembered is the "Linus and Lucy" theme, originally composed by Guaraldi for an earlier "Peanuts" project, which remains beloved by fans of the popular television specials, those devoted to the daily newspaper comic strip and music lovers alike.

20.  "Coat of Many Colors," Dolly Parton (1971)

Dolly Parton's autobiographical song, "Coat of Many Colors," affectionately recounts an impoverished childhood in the hills of Tennessee that was made rich by the love of her family. The song was instrumental in establishing Parton's credibility as a songwriter.  Her voice uplifts the song with emotion and tender remembrances of her close-knit musical family.  Parton has called "Coat of Many Colors" the favorite of her compositions because of the attitude and philosophy it reflects.  Parton's prolific songwriting career has embraced many different musical styles, including pop, jazz and bluegrass, as well as country.  Dolly Parton was voted the Country Music Association's Female Vocalist of the year for 1975 and 1976, and the its Entertainer of the Year in 1978. She also was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999.

21.  "Mothership Connection," Parliament (1975)

"Ain't nothin' but a party, y'all" intones George Clinton on the title track of this lively and rhythmic funk album.  While this undeniably is a party record, it is also rooted in the deepest currents of African-American musical culture and history.  For example, the words "Swing down, sweet chariot/Stop, and let me ride" are an unmistakable reference to the influential spiritual recorded by the Fisk Jubilee Singers. "Mothership Connection" was released in late 1975 shortly after the arrival to Parliament of saxophonist Maceo Parker and trombonist and arranger extraordinaire Fred Wesley.  Like Parker and Wesley, bass player Bootsy Collins, dubbed by one critic a "bass deity," had played with pioneer of funk James Brown.  Add to such assembled talent the classically trained Bernie Worrell, whose synthesizer conjures galaxies of  cosmic sound but whose piano, as heard on the track "P-Funk," evokes the ethereal chords of jazz pianist McCoy Tyner.  DJ, conductor, arranger and wild lyricist George Clinton oversees the whole, providing an amazing range of space characters (Lollipop Man, Star Child) outlandish vocabulary ("supergroovalistic," "prosifunkstication") and all-around funkiness.  The album has had an enormous influence on jazz, rock and dance music.

22.  Barton Hall concert by the Grateful Dead (May 8, 1977)

The Grateful Dead was known for its eclectic style that drew on many genres of popular and vernacular music, an improvisational foundation, and a commitment to touring and "live" performances.  The Grateful Dead was one of the few musical groups to not only allow, but encourage fans to record its concerts, offering tickets to a special "tapers" section at their shows. The organized trading of Grateful Dead tapes goes back at least to 1971 with the formation of the First Free Underground Grateful Dead Tape Exchange.  Fans of the Grateful Dead will never completely agree about which one of their over 2,300 concerts was the best, but there is some consensus about the tape of their Barton Hall performance at Cornell University on May 8, 1977. The soundboard recording of this show has achieved almost mythic status among "Deadhead" tape traders because of its excellent sound quality and early accessibility, as well as its musical performances.

23.  "I Feel Love," Donna Summer (1977)

Brian Eno famously declared after hearing Donna Summer's single "I Feel Love" that the track would "change the sound of club music for the next 15 years."  Summer wrote the song in collaboration with producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Belotte, who felt that the song was supposed to represent the music of the future and should be entirely electronic.  Consequently, they hired Robbie Wedel who brought four cases of Moog synthesizers to the session.  Those produced nearly all the sounds on the record, including synthesized bass drums and cymbals. Particularly notable was the bass line that Belotte has described as "a giant's hammer on a wall."  When the thunderous sound was combined with Summer's breathy and ethereal vocal, the cut?as Eno predicted--took the clubs by storm.  Partly through the involvement of Patrick Cowley, who made a 15-minute remix along with an 8-minute one, the song won particular popularity in gay dance clubs and soon achieved the status of an anthem in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

24.  "Rapper's Delight," Sugarhill Gang (1979)

The Sugarhill Gang's infectious dance number from late 1979 might be said to have launched an entire genre.  Although spoken word had been a component of recorded American popular music for decades, this trio's rhythmic rhyming inspired many future MCs and rap artists. The album version of "Rapper's Delight" is an epic 14 1/2 minute salvo of irreverent stories and creative wordplay.  The song dates from hip-hop's infancy.  As such, it does not address subject matter that has given rap music both positive and negative notoriety, but the song's inventive rhymes, complex counter-rhythms and brash boastfulness presage the tenets of hip hop. "Rapper's Delight" also reflects an early instance of music sampling, drawing its bass line and other features from Chic's 1979 hit "Good Times."  As a result of an out-of-court settlement for copyright infringement, songwriting credits for "Rapper's Delight" include that song's composers, Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards, as well as Sylvia Robinson and the Sugarhill Gang (Michael Wright, Guy O'Brien, and Henry Jackson).

25.  "Purple Rain," Prince and the Revolution (1984)

Prince was already a hit-maker and a critically acclaimed artist when his sixth album, the soundtrack for his 1984 movie debut, launched him into superstardom.  Earlier, he had played all the instruments on his records to get the sounds he wanted, but now he led an integrated band of men and women who could realize the dense, ambitious fusion that he sought, blending funk, synth-pop and soul with guitar-based rock and a lyrical sensibility that mixed the psychedelic and the sensual.  Prince experimented throughout the album, dropping the bass line from "When Doves Cry" to fashion a one-of-a-kind sound, and mixing analog and electronic percussion frequently.  Portions of "Purple Rain" were recorded live at the First Avenue Club in Prince's hometown of Minneapolis.  The success of the album served notice that the Twin Cities were a major center for pop music as numerous rock and R&B artists from the region emerged in its wake.  Like much of Prince's other work, "Purple Rain" was provocative and controversial, and some of its most explicit lyrics led directly to the founding of the Parents Music Resource Center.

2011 National Recording Registry (Listing in Chronological Order)

1.  Edison Talking Doll cylinder (1888)
2. "Come Down Ma Evenin' Star," Lillian Russell (1912)
3.  "Ten Cents a Dance," Ruth Etting (1930)
4.  "Voices from the Days of Slavery," Various speakers (1932-1941 interviews; 2002 compilation)
5.  "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart," Patsy Montana (1935)
6.  "Fascinating Rhythm," Sol Hoopii and his Novelty Five (1938)
7.   "Artistry in Rhythm," Stan Kenton & and his Orchestra (1943)
8.  Debut performance with the New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein (November 14, 1943)
9.  International Sweethearts of Rhythm: Hottest Women's Band of the 1940s (1944-1946)
10. "The Indians for Indians Hour"  (March 25, 1947)
11.  "Hula Medley," Gabby Pahinui (1947)
12.  "I Can Hear It Now," Fred W. Friendly and Edward R. Murrow (1948)
13.  "Let's Go Out to the Programs," The Dixie Hummingbirds (1953)
14.  "Also Sprach Zarathustra," Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1954, 1958)
15.  "Bo Diddley" and "I'm a Man," Bo Diddley (1955)
16.  "Green Onions,"  Booker T. & the M.G.'s  (1962)
17.  "Forever Changes," Love (1967)
18.  "The Continental Harmony: Music of William Billings," Gregg Smith Singers (1969)
19.  "A Charlie Brown Christmas," Vince Guaraldi Trio (1970)
20.  "Coat of Many Colors," Dolly Parton (1971)
21.  "Mothership Connection," Parliament (1975)
22.  Barton Hall concert by the Grateful Dead (May 8, 1977)
23.  "I Feel Love," Donna Summer (1977)
24.  "Rapper's Delight," Sugarhill Gang (1979)
25.  "Purple Rain," Prince and the Revolution (1984)

# # #

Floor Statement of U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley

Celebrating the Life of Katie Beckett

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Mr. President, I come to the floor today to celebrate the life of Katie Beckett.  Never has the word "inspiration" been used more appropriately in describing someone, and today, I am grateful to be able to recognize the inspirational life of Katie Beckett.

Mary Katherine "Katie" Beckett was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on March 9, 1978.  Five months after she was born, Katie contracted viral encephalitis followed by grand mal seizures.  The encephalitis caused damage to her central nervous system and her respiratory system, and she was attached to a ventilator.  She would be almost two years old before she could breathe on her own.

Under Medicaid law of the time, Katie could only receive care through Medicaid if she remained in the hospital even though she was able to receive care at home.  Iowa Congressman Tom Tauke heard of Katie's situation and realized that it made no sense to keep a child in the hospital who could be at home with her family.  He worked to convince the Administration that the system should be changed to allow states to provide Medicaid to children receiving care in their homes.

Ultimately, President Reagan took up Katie's cause intervening so that Katie could receive treatment at home and still be covered under Medicaid.  This change in policy became known as "Katie Beckett waivers" and, to date, more than a half million disabled children have been able to receive care in their homes with their families rather than being forced into hospitals and institutions.

But Katie's story doesn't end there.  As Katie grew up, as she battled to establish her own place in society as a young American with disabilities, she realized she had an opportunity to serve others who faced similar challenges.  In her own words, this is from a piece Katie wrote in 2002 titled "Whatever happened to Katie Beckett?"

"I started my advocacy career at age ten.  It was not my choice but rather a path chosen for me. It was not until I was twelve or thirteen that I realized the important work I was able to do because I was who I was and how much this work helped other kids."

Katie graduated with a degree in English from Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids.  She lived in the community.  She wanted to be a teacher and write novels for young people.  She was fiercely independent, sometimes to the consternation of her mother, Julie.  She was quick witted and funny and loved a good cup of coffee.  She lived her life as a tireless advocate for the disabled.  She testified before Congress several times and was a contributing voice on numerous groups dedicated to disability policy.  When we took up policy proposals like the Family Opportunity Act and Money Follows the Person, we wanted Katie's perspective, and we depended on her advocacy in the community to get those laws passed.

Katie was the living embodiment of a person with disabilities participating and contributing in society.  Mr. President, on Friday, May 18, Katie went home to be with the Lord.

She leaves behind thousands of lives touched by her presence.  A light may go out, but a light lives on in those of us fortunate to have known Katie Beckett.  We remain inspired to work every day to create opportunities for the disabled to participate and contribute and live the life of service and dedication that Katie did.  Katie remains an inspiration.

May 22, 2012

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Herb Kohl, D-Wis., Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., today filed an amendment seeking to combat the costly, widespread and inappropriate use of antipsychotics in nursing homes.

"The overuse of antipsychotics is a common and well-recognized problem that puts frail elders at risk and costs taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year," Kohl said. "We need a new policy that helps to ensure that these drugs are being appropriately used to treat people with mental illnesses, not used to curb behavioral symptoms of Alzheimer's or other dementias."

"This amendment responds to alarming reports about the use of antipsychotic drugs with nursing home residents," Grassley said. "It's intended to empower these residents and their loved ones in the decisions about the drugs prescribed for them."

"This measure is responsive to mounting evidence that antipsychotics are being misused and overused in the nursing homes we trust to care for our loved ones," Blumenthal said. "The amendment will do what is necessary to curb this deeply concerning practice, putting the power to make key health care decisions back into the appropriate hands and eliminating unnecessary costs to taxpayers."

The amendment to S. 3187, the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act would require the Health and Human Services Secretary to issue standardized protocols for obtaining informed consent, or authorization from patients or their designated health care agents or legal representatives, acknowledging possible risks and side effects associated with the antipsychotic, as well as alternative treatment options, before administering the drug for off-label use.

While the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved antipsychotic drugs to treat an array of psychiatric conditions, numerous studies conducted during the last decade have concluded that these medications can be harmful when used by frail elders with dementia who do not have a diagnosis of serious mental illness. In fact, the FDA issued two "black box" warnings citing increased risk of death when these drugs are used to treat elderly patients with dementia.

Last year, the Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS OIG) issued a report showing that over a six-month period, 305,000, or 14 percent, of the nation's 2.1 million elderly nursing home residents had at least one Medicare or Medicaid claim for atypical antipsychotics.

The HHS OIG also found that 83 percent of Medicare claims for atypical antipsychotic drugs for elderly nursing home residents were associated with off-label conditions and that 88 percent were associated with a condition specified in the FDA box warning. Further, it showed that more than half of the 1.4 million claims for atypical antipsychotic drugs, totaling $116.5 million, failed to comply with Medicare reimbursement criteria.

The amendment also calls for a new prescriber education program to promote high-quality, evidence-based treatments, including non-pharmacological interventions. The prescriber education programs would be funded through settlements, penalties and damages recovered in cases related to off-label marketing of prescription drugs.

MAKING MEDICARE MAKE SENSE

Answers To Some of The Most Commonly Asked Medicare Questions

Q: Who Pays First If I Have Medicare and Other Health Coverage?

A: If you have Medicare and other health coverage, each type of coverage is called a "payer." When there's more than one payer, "coordination of benefits" rules decide who pays first. The "primary payer" pays what it owes on your bills first, and then your provider sends the rest to the "secondary payer" to pay. In some cases, there may also be a "third payer." Whether Medicare pays first depends on a number of things, including the situations listed in the chart below. However, this chart doesn't cover every situation. Be sure to tell your doctor and other health care provider's insurance specialist/billing staff if you have coverage in addition to Medicare. This will help them send your bills to the correct payer to avoid delays. Note: Paying "first" means paying the whole bill up to the limits of the payer's coverage. It doesn't always mean the primary payer pays first in time.

If you have questions about who pays first or if your coverage changes, call the Medicare Coordination of Benefits Contractor (COBC) at 1-800-999-1118. TTY users should call 1-800-318-8782. For example, if you need to find out about Medicare's coverage of End Stage Renal Disease and how it works with other insurance the COBC will answer your questions.   Also, to better serve you please have the following information ready when you call: your Medicare number (located on your red, white, and blue Medicare card) and one additional piece of information, such as your Social Security Number (SSN), address, Medicare effective date(s), or whether you have Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) and/or Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) coverage.

Below is a summary chart of who likely pays first. If you would like a copy of the Medicare booklet referenced in the chart, titled, "Medicare and Other Health Benefits: Your Guide to Who Pays First," call 1-800-633-4227, (which is 1-800-Medicare), and ask for CMS Product Number 02179, and tell them the title of the booklet.

Please note: In some cases, if you are entitled to, but don't have, the first payer coverage, the second payer won't cover you.  This can be vital information to know in some employer retiree plans and COBRA cases.  For instance, if you are 65 and older, and retired, and you do not enroll in Medicare, it is possible that your retiree coverage won't cover you.  Check with your retiree plan to be sure.

*If your employer participates in a plan that is sponsored by two or more employers, the rules are slightly different.