--- title: SR 880. Derrick Dove & The Peacekeepers; congratulate collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr880 cite_as: SR 880, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr880 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr880.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr880/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73729 date: 2026-03-03 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr879.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr881.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr880.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 880 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-03 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Russ Goodman - Sam Watson - Harold Jones - David Lucas - Carden Summers - Steve Gooch - Lee Anderson - Clint Dixon - Jaha Howard - RaShaun Kemp text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR880/2025 upstream_id: 2125949 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - ceremonial resolution - Georgia Senate honors - blues music - Wiregrass Blues Society --- # SR 880. Derrick Dove & The Peacekeepers; congratulate ## Text Senate Resolution 880 By: Senators Goodman of the 8th, Watson of the 11th, Jones II of the 22nd, Lucas of the 26th, Summers of the 13th and others A RESOLUTION Congratulating Derrick Dove & The Peacekeepers for winning the 2026 International Blues Challenge; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Derrick Dove & The Peacekeepers represented the Wiregrass Blues Society with exemplified artistry, musicality, and showmanship, setting a standard for Southern-fried blues rock excellence; and WHEREAS, in January 2026, the band captured the Band Championship at the 41st annual International Blues Challenge hosted by The Blues Foundation in Memphis, Tennessee; and WHEREAS, Derrick Dove & The Peacekeepers advanced through preliminaries, semifinals, and finals, judged on musicianship, vocals, originality, and stage presence, before their standout performance at the Orpheum Theatre; and WHEREAS, frontman and guitarist Derrick Dove was also honored with the Best Guitarist award, highlighting his dynamic, soul-stirring playing that fused deep Southern blues roots with explosive rock intensity; and WHEREAS, this remarkable championship effort was led by guitarist/vocalist Derrick Dove, keyboardist Johnathan "JT" Thomas, bassist Walt Dunn, and drummer Jamie Richardson, earning recognition for gritty, passionate performances rooted in classic blues with modern fire. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body congratulate Derrick Dove & The Peacekeepers on winning the 2026 International Blues Challenge and extend best wishes for continued success in all future competitions. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to Derrick Dove & The Peacekeepers. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia Senate resolution congratulates the band Derrick Dove & The Peacekeepers for winning the 2026 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee. ### Plain-language summary This resolution is a ceremonial statement from the Georgia Senate honoring a local blues band. Derrick Dove & The Peacekeepers, representing the Wiregrass Blues Society, won the Band Championship at the 41st annual International Blues Challenge hosted by The Blues Foundation in Memphis in January 2026. Frontman Derrick Dove also won the Best Guitarist award at the event. The resolution recounts the band's path through preliminaries, semifinals, and finals, and names the band members: Derrick Dove, keyboardist Johnathan 'JT' Thomas, bassist Walt Dunn, and drummer Jamie Richardson. It formally congratulates the band on behalf of the Senate and directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare a copy of the resolution for the band. It does not change any Georgia law. ### What it does - Formally congratulates Derrick Dove & The Peacekeepers on winning the Band Championship at the 2026 International Blues Challenge. - Recognizes frontman Derrick Dove for winning the Best Guitarist award at the same competition. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to the band. - Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory requirement; it is a ceremonial honor only. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names and honors the band Derrick Dove & The Peacekeepers (Derrick Dove, Johnathan 'JT' Thomas, Walt Dunn, and Jamie Richardson) and the Wiregrass Blues Society they represented. It has no effect on the general public or any other group. ### Why it matters This resolution has no legal or regulatory effect on Georgians; it simply records the Senate's official recognition of a local band's national competition win, giving the band and the Wiregrass Blues Society a formal honor and a keepsake copy of the resolution. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses describe the band's win of the Band Championship at the 41st annual International Blues Challenge in Memphis in January 2026. - The whereas clauses note Derrick Dove's individual Best Guitarist award and name all four band members. - The resolved clause has the Senate congratulate the band and wish them continued success. - The final clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to provide a copy of the resolution to the band. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-03-03) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2026-03-03) - Sponsors: Russ Goodman, Sam Watson, Harold Jones, David Lucas, Carden Summers, Steve Gooch, Lee Anderson, Clint Dixon, Jaha Howard, RaShaun Kemp - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73729 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr880.md?full=1