Coble honored by musicians | Arts & Culture

SALISBURY - Congressman Howard Coble, whose distrcit includes a portion of Rowan County, apparantly struck the right note with a number of musicians.

Musicians, songwriters and music industry personnel from around the country gathered in Washington, D.C., on Thursday to talk with members of Congress about issues affecting music today.

As part of their lobbying effort, the music industry took time to thank U.S. Rep. Howard Coble (R-NC) for his bill introduced last year which permits musicians to carry many of their instruments onto airplanes.

Congressman Coble spoke to the gathering – called Grammys on the Hill – in a committee room in the Rayburn House Office Building and told them it was the right thing to do. "Many musicians told us that very expensive instruments were being damaged by being shipped as cargo," Rep. Coble said. "By working with airline officials, we were able to craft a compromise that was a common-sense solution to an important problem. Now, musicians will be able to carry smaller instruments onto the aircraft, as long as they will fit in the overhead spaces."

Rep. Coble’s legislation was included into the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill that was signed into law by President Obama on February 14, 2012.