Carry Me Back to Old Virginny

"Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" is a song written circa 1878 by James A. Bland (1854–1911), an African-American composer and minstrel performer.[1] It was Virginia's state song from 1940 until 1997.[2]

There is some evidence suggesting that it is an adaptation of "Carry Me Back to Ole Virginny" ("De Floating Scow of Ole Virginia") which had been popular since the 1840s and was sung by Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War.[1]

  1. ^ a b Don Tyler (21 March 2016). Music of the First World War. ABC-CLIO. p. 96. ISBN 978-1-4408-3997-9.
  2. ^ "Attempt to Make Bluegrass Tune New Virginia State Song Fails". NBC4 Washington. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 2020-02-16.