John Denver’s classic ‘Take Me Home Country Roads’ has been named the State Song of West Virginia.
Most of John Denver’s songs about nature focused on the Rocky Mountain states of the west, with the exception of the tune that starts “Almost heaven, West Virginia….”
On Friday, the West Virginia legislature named Denver’s Take Me Home Country Roads as one of the state’s official songs. It joins three other compositions, West Virginia, My Home Sweet Home, West Virginia Hills and This is My West Virginia.
While it might have seemed to be a natural for such designation, it took the state 43 years to actually initiate legislation. It was all due to a Princeton DJ, Dreama Denver, who is no relation to John but is the widow of Gilligan’s Island star Bob Denver. Two years ago, she played the track on her morning show and a caller asked if it was the state’s official song. Dreama researched the question and found that it had never been considered so she contacted her local representative, Marty Gearhart, and got the ball rolling.
In its first attempt, the bill passed the legislature but not the senate. Dreama vowed to be back every year until successful and it only took one more try.
Take Me Home, Country Roads was written by Denver, Taffy Nivert and Bill Danoff (later of the Starland Vocal Band) and reached number 2 on the Hot 100 and number 3 on the Adult Contemporary charts in 1971.
John Denver Take Me Home Country Roads
Read more at VVN Music
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