Virginia in Song: Five More Odes to the Old Dominion (Part 2)
Virginia's pivotal role in birthing country music, combined with its abundance of talented artists, has inspired countless songs. In Part 1 of Odes to the Old Dominion, we shared five favorites. Here are five more, each offering a unique perspective on the Commonwealth's allure—from stunning natural beauty to historic urban vibrancy. These tracks vividly evoke Virginia's rich history, culture, and landscapes.
Page Wilson—“Virginia”
Page Wilson embodied Virginia pride: “Home in my heart always,” he sang in his heartfelt tribute, simply titled “Virginia.” A Hanover County native, with a father running a Texaco station in Mechanicsville and a mother in the Northside Baptist Church choir, Wilson gave back through his radio show, Out O’ the Blue Radio Revue, and local festival planning. His song “Virginia” perfectly distills his devotion to the state.
Wilson once served on the Richmond Folk Festival programming board, aligning with his show's eclectic mix of genres. Held annually in October downtown, the festival showcases global sounds—from country, bluegrass, and zydeco to Moroccan Gnawa, Afro-Venezuelan parranda, and Japanese taiko—right in the heart of central Virginia, “Between the Blue Ridge and Chesapeake Bay,” as Wilson aptly described.
David Rawlings—“Cumberland Gap”
David Rawlings, one half of the acclaimed Americana duo with Gillian Welch, released Poor David’s Almanack in 2017. The Grammy-nominated lead single “Cumberland Gap” evokes the perilous Appalachian pass near the Virginia-Kentucky-Tennessee border: “He made the trip in the blizzard’s grip / I’d rather wrestle Satan.”
Yet the real Cumberland Gap National Historical Park welcomes families with 70 miles of hiking trails, ranger programs, fishing, camping, Gap Cave tours, and the Hensley Settlement—a preserved early-20th-century homestead community.
Ray T Jones—“That Norfolk Sound”
Navy veteran Raymond Thomas Jones, stationed in Norfolk during the Vietnam War, captured the city's Black cultural hub on Church Street—home to spots like Eureka Lodge, Queen’s Lounge, and Plaza Hotel. His 1975 track “That Norfolk Sound” blends acoustic and fuzzy guitars, celebrating strolls down Church Street amid live music. He even filmed a WAVY-TV 10 special outside nearby Scope arena.
Today, Scope hosts concerts, sports, and events, while adjacent Chrysler Hall features the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and Virginia Ballet. Church Street's Attucks Theatre, a 1919 National Historic Landmark, revives its legacy with jazz, once hosting legends like Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, and Nat King Cole.
The Bluegrass Clippers—“Back Home”
During bluegrass's 1970s-1980s resurgence, Richmond's Bluegrass Clippers released Clippin’ the Grass on Outlet Records in 1983. Amid covers of Stanley Brothers, Lester Flatt, and Bill Monroe, lead vocalist Buzzy Vaughan's original “Back Home” paints a serene drive: “Sunlight dancing on the gold autumn leaves / Listen to the birds singing in the breeze / Winding down the road I’m just a mile away / When I get home this time my plan is to stay.”
Virginia's scenic drives deliver: The 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway links Shenandoah to Great Smoky Mountains National Parks with panoramic vistas. Route 13 along the Eastern Shore offers birdwatching, Colonial architecture, and Chincoteague-Assateague wild ponies.
Steve Bassett—“Tres Leches”
Steve Bassett co-wrote “Sweet Virginia Breeze,” Virginia's official Popular State Song (2015), with Robbin Thompson. Inspired nearby in Richmond's Fan district, Bassett's 2017 album Tres Leches nods to Kuba Kuba's famed dessert, featured on the cover.
Since 1998, chef Manny Mendez's Kuba Kuba has defined Richmond's Cuban scene with its bodega vibe, authentic dishes, and tres leches cake—soaked in evaporated milk, condensed milk, and cream. Food Network star Duff Goldman praised it; it takes three days to craft but vanishes fast.
Didn't spot your favorite Virginia song here or in Part 1? Share it in the comments!
