JV's Restaurant
Encyclopedia
J V's Restaurant is a Falls Church and Fairfax County, Virginia
institution that evolved from a strip mall eatery, founded in October 1947, into one of the Washington, D.C. region's premiere locations for live music, without losing its rustic atmosphere.
Its slogan is "Ageless Charm Without Yuppie Bastardization". Located on Arlington Boulevard
, Route 50, just west of Annandale Road, J V's has provided a venue for live music for well over four decades. In 2004, the Wammies
, governed by the Washington Area Music Association
, presented J V's with a special award, voted on by the participating Washington-region musicians, the Special Appreciation Award as their favorite live venue.
years by brothers Louis and George Dross who, as a Greek resistance fighter against the German forces, was captured and held as a prisoner-of-war for 18 months, emigrated to the United States with his wife shortly after that conflict's conclusion, with the establishment always maintaining a strong support for POWs/MIAs.
Originally a small diner operation located in an undeveloped area of Fairfax County in the Jefferson Village Shopping Center, it was named the Jefferson Restaurant, as were all businesses in the art-deco strip mall (i.e. Jefferson Barber, Jefferson Bakery) after the adjacent infant neighborhood on the northwest corner of Route 50 and Annandale Road. Local Falls Church phone numbers in that era all began 532- or 533-, JEfferson 2 or JEfferson 3. The restaurant's original number was JE2-2222. A movie house, added to the complex next to the restaurant in 1948, would be named the Jefferson Theatre.
Proprietor George Dross's past experience as a foreign national prisoner-of-war proved an attraction for military personnel from Fort Myer
who would drive the five miles from Arlington County, also on Route 50. Eddie Fisher
, later a Hollywood celebrity, would motor west to have breakfast with the proprietor and chew the fat. (From 1952 to 1953, Fisher was the official vocal soloist for The United States Army Band (Pershing's Own) and a tenor section member in the United States Army Band Chorus (an element of Pershing's Own) assigned at Fort Myer.)
By the late 1950s, the restaurant had become a place for live performances by local artists who would drop by and jam. It changed its name formally to J V's Restaurant in the early 1960s, after the Jefferson Village Shopping Center, and formalized the schedule for live music performances about 1980. Prior to that, it had been mostly open-mike. Many musicians, famous and not-yet-famous, have appeared over the years, including members of Patsy Cline
's band, the Country Gentlemen
, the Seldom Scene, Tony Rice
, Roy Clark
, Catfish Hodge, Billy Hancock
, and various members of such bands as Molly Hatchet
, Eric Clapton
, Blackfoot
, Lynyrd Skynyrd
, Rod Stewart
, and Willie Nelson
's Ungrateful Bastards.
An attempt was made to secure a liquor license in the 1960s, but Virginia laws proscribing the exact size of tables in said-licensed establishments were missed by fraction of inches, and the management said the heck with it, and it has remained a beer joint to the current day.
This latter day honky-tonk pays regular homage to the military, and hosts participants in the annual Rolling Thunder motorcycle gathering in honor of POWs and MIAs. Several local musicians have composed songs about the establishment and Lorraine Campbell, the current owner, and daughter of the founders.
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...
institution that evolved from a strip mall eatery, founded in October 1947, into one of the Washington, D.C. region's premiere locations for live music, without losing its rustic atmosphere.
Its slogan is "Ageless Charm Without Yuppie Bastardization". Located on Arlington Boulevard
Arlington Boulevard
Arlington Boulevard is a major arterial road in Arlington County, Fairfax County, and the independent City of Fairfax in Northern Virginia in metropolitan Washington, DC, United States. It is designated U.S...
, Route 50, just west of Annandale Road, J V's has provided a venue for live music for well over four decades. In 2004, the Wammies
Washington Area Music Awards
The Washington Area Music Awards are a music award for Washington, D.C. area performers, issued by the Washington Area Music Association . The awards are issued at an annual awards program....
, governed by the Washington Area Music Association
Washington Area Music Association
The Washington Area Music Association is a regional music industry not-for-profit organization based in Washington, D.C.. WAMA's activity centers around highlighting the area's cultural contribution by assisting regional musicians with becoming recognized on a national scale.The organization...
, presented J V's with a special award, voted on by the participating Washington-region musicians, the Special Appreciation Award as their favorite live venue.
History
Founded in the immediate post-World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
years by brothers Louis and George Dross who, as a Greek resistance fighter against the German forces, was captured and held as a prisoner-of-war for 18 months, emigrated to the United States with his wife shortly after that conflict's conclusion, with the establishment always maintaining a strong support for POWs/MIAs.
Originally a small diner operation located in an undeveloped area of Fairfax County in the Jefferson Village Shopping Center, it was named the Jefferson Restaurant, as were all businesses in the art-deco strip mall (i.e. Jefferson Barber, Jefferson Bakery) after the adjacent infant neighborhood on the northwest corner of Route 50 and Annandale Road. Local Falls Church phone numbers in that era all began 532- or 533-, JEfferson 2 or JEfferson 3. The restaurant's original number was JE2-2222. A movie house, added to the complex next to the restaurant in 1948, would be named the Jefferson Theatre.
Proprietor George Dross's past experience as a foreign national prisoner-of-war proved an attraction for military personnel from Fort Myer
Fort Myer
Fort Myer is a U.S. Army post adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. It is a small post by U.S...
who would drive the five miles from Arlington County, also on Route 50. Eddie Fisher
Eddie Fisher (singer)
Edwin Jack "Eddie" Fisher , was an American entertainer. He was one of the world's most famous and successful singers in the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show. His divorce from his first wife, Debbie Reynolds, to marry his best friend's widow, Elizabeth Taylor, garnered...
, later a Hollywood celebrity, would motor west to have breakfast with the proprietor and chew the fat. (From 1952 to 1953, Fisher was the official vocal soloist for The United States Army Band (Pershing's Own) and a tenor section member in the United States Army Band Chorus (an element of Pershing's Own) assigned at Fort Myer.)
By the late 1950s, the restaurant had become a place for live performances by local artists who would drop by and jam. It changed its name formally to J V's Restaurant in the early 1960s, after the Jefferson Village Shopping Center, and formalized the schedule for live music performances about 1980. Prior to that, it had been mostly open-mike. Many musicians, famous and not-yet-famous, have appeared over the years, including members of Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline , born Virginia Patterson Hensley in Gore, Virginia, was an American country music singer who enjoyed pop music crossover success during the era of the Nashville sound in the early 1960s...
's band, the Country Gentlemen
The Country Gentlemen
The Country Gentlemen were a bluegrass band that originated during the 1950s in the area of Washington, DC, United States, and recorded and toured with various members until the death in 2004 of Charlie Waller, one of the group's founders who in its later years served as the group's "focal point...
, the Seldom Scene, Tony Rice
Tony Rice
Tony Rice is an American acoustic guitarist and bluegrass musician. He is considered one of the most influential acoustic guitar players in bluegrass, progressive bluegrass, newgrass and acoustic jazz.Rice spans the range of acoustic music, from traditional bluegrass to jazz-influenced New...
, Roy Clark
Roy Clark
Roy Linwood Clark is an American country music musician and performer. He is best known for hosting Hee Haw, a nationally televised country variety show, from 1969–1992. Clark has been an important and influential figure in country music, both as a performer and helping to popularize the genre...
, Catfish Hodge, Billy Hancock
Billy Hancock
William C. Hancock Jr. is a singer, guitarist, and recording artist. He has made several recordings, primarily in the rockabilly genre but also has recorded rock 'n' roll, blues, jazz, rhythm & blues, and country music...
, and various members of such bands as Molly Hatchet
Molly Hatchet
Molly Hatchet is an American southern rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1975. They are widely known for their hit song "Flirtin' with Disaster" from the album of the same title. The band, founded by Dave Hlubek and Steve Holland, took its name from a prostitute who allegedly mutilated...
, Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, Blackfoot
Blackfoot
The Blackfoot Confederacy or Niitsítapi is the collective name of three First Nations in Alberta and one Native American tribe in Montana....
, Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
, Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
, and Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
's Ungrateful Bastards.
An attempt was made to secure a liquor license in the 1960s, but Virginia laws proscribing the exact size of tables in said-licensed establishments were missed by fraction of inches, and the management said the heck with it, and it has remained a beer joint to the current day.
This latter day honky-tonk pays regular homage to the military, and hosts participants in the annual Rolling Thunder motorcycle gathering in honor of POWs and MIAs. Several local musicians have composed songs about the establishment and Lorraine Campbell, the current owner, and daughter of the founders.
External links
- http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/cityguide/profile?id=797886&p=print
- http://www.jvsrestaurant.com/index.php
- http://www.myspace.com/jvsrestaurant