title
PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING THE CHI-LITES
WHEREAS, The Chi-Lites were formed in Chicago in 1959, originally called the Hi-Lites, and consisted of Marshall Thompson, Creadel "Red" Jones, Eugene Record, Robert Lester, and Clarence Johnson; and
WHEREAS, the Hi-Lites changed their name to Marshall & the Chi-Lites, with the “C” being added to reflect the name of their hometown, Chicago; and
WHEREAS, by the end of 1964 Clarence Johnson had left the group, which ten truncated the name to simply the Chi-Lites; and
WHEREAS, during the ensuing four years, Eugene Record slowly emerged as the group's lead singer, songwriter and producer; and
WHEREAS, in 1969, after signing with Brunswick the previous year, "Give It Away" became the Chi-Lites’ first USA national hit single attaining No. 10 in the R&B charts; and
WHEREAS, the follow-up release "Let Me Be The Man My Daddy Was" was moderately successful but another major hit was elusive until "Are You My Woman?" climbed into the R&B Top 10 in early 1971; and
WHEREAS, a succession of Top 10 hits followed commencing with their next release “(For God's Sake) Give More Power to the People" which was the first release to crossover into the pop charts, the ballads "Have You Seen Her" and "Oh Girl", both reaching number one in the R&B charts with "Oh Girl" also achieving the No. 1 slot in the pop charts in the spring of 1972; and
WHEREAS, three Top 10 R&B hits followed for the Chi-Lites: "Homely Girl", "There Will Never Be Any Peace" and "Toby"; and
WHEREAS, in 1980 the group signed to Carl Davis' CHI-SOUND Records label and in 1982 the Chi-Lites single "Hot on a Thing (Called Love)" reached No. 15; and
WHEREAS, the following year the Chi-Lites’ next Top 10 hit "Bottoms Up" came after signing with Larc Records; and
WHEREAS, in 2000 the Chi-Lites was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Foundation; and
WHEREAS, the Chi-Lites’ song, "Are You My Woman", was sampled and featured in Beyoncé’s hit song Crazy In Love, winning Grammy Awards for Best R&B Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration; and
WHEREAS, the Chi-Lites’ song, "That's How Long I Love You", is featured on Jay-Z's The Black Album song “December 4th”; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the President and the Cook County Board of Commissioners, on behalf of the residents of Cook County, honors the Chi-Lites for their essential contribution to the cultural health and viability of Cook County.
end