Music of Virginia
Encyclopedia
Virginia
's musical contribution to American culture has been diverse, and includes Piedmont blues
musicians and later rock and roll
bands, many centered at such college towns as Charlottesville
and Richmond
.
. Several towns claim her as their own, including Gore
and Winchester
. Winchester is home to several Patsy Cline attractions, including a driving tour published by the local Chamber of Commerce
, and the Kurtz Cultural Center/Old Town Visitor's Center, which shows various Cline memorabilia.
Jim & Jesse McReynolds and the Virginia Boys, Ralph Stanley
, Hobart Smith
, The Statler Brothers, and The Carter Family are award winning bluegrass
and country music
musicians from Virginia. Ella Fitzgerald
and Pearl Bailey
were both from Newport News. Hip hop
and rhythm and blues
acts like Missy Elliott
, Timbaland
, The Neptunes
, Chris Brown, and Clipse
hail from the commonwealth. The Neptunes produced 43% of all songs on American radio in 2003. Singer-songwriter
s from Virginia include Jason Mraz
and jam band
s like the Pat McGee Band
and Dave Matthews Band
, who continue their strong charitable connection to Charlottesville, Virginia
. Influential stage-rock group GWAR
as well as heavy metal group Lamb of God
began at Virginia Commonwealth University
. Alternative Rock group Seven Mary Three
formed at The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg.
Multi-Platinum certified
artists are in bold.
Grammy Award Winning Artists are currently being indicated.
Badlands
, 3 Day Crush, Enuff'Z Nuff, Grew up in Virginia Beach
, the Hampton Coliseum
and the Norfolk Scope
. Vienna
is home to the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
, the only National Park
for the arts in the United States. Wolf Trap features a large outdoor amphitheatre, the 7,000 seat Filene Center, as well as a smaller indoor venue called The Barns. The Old Dominion Opry is another major venue, located near Colonial Williamsburg
, a popular tourist attraction.
Virginia's other prominent music venues include The Birchmere
in Alexandria
, a local country and bluegrass club where Mary Chapin Carpenter
performed early in her career. The Landmark Theater in Richmond and the Harrison Opera House
in Norfolk both host the Virginia Opera
. Phase 2 (the former Cattle Annie's, but significantly remodeling in 2010) is a popular, large club venue in Lynchburg
with a reputation for attracting prominent performers. Garth Newel Music Center in Hot Springs was once a farm that is now known for classical, jazz, and blues concerts with gourmet meals and views from the side of Warm Springs Mountain.
Richmond's 929 West Grace Street has housed a punk and rock-oriented club nearly uninterrupted for nearly three decades. Most famously known as Twisters throughout the 1990s, more recently the building has been known as Club 929, The Nanci Raygun, and Bagel Czar before re-opening in 2009 as Strange Matter. Like its predecessors, Strange Matter hosts up-and-coming local and national touring acts nearly every night. Alley Katz in Richmond continues to have regular shows and Toad's Place, newly opened, will accommodate mid-size bands in Richmond. The most recent venue is The National.
The Hampton Roads area also has several more intimate venues. The most prominent of them is the Norva Theatre
, which is a small club-style venue for smaller to mid-size acts.
The Shenandoah Valley hosts a few smaller venues. The mockingbird in downtown Staunton hosts a 168-seat newly renovated grass roots and acoustic music hall. Clementine cafe in downtown Harrisonburg has cemented its self as the premier venue in the valley. The Basement of the Blue Nile in Harrisonburg is one of the most popular stops for up-and-coming touring bands.
, which includes a major bluegrass concert.
The area around the Virginia and Kentucky border, especially the city of Norton
, rural folk, country and bluegrass remains a vital regional tradition. Norton is home to the Virginia Kentucky Opry and a historic music venue called the Country Cabin, while local festivals include the Doc Boggs Festival (in Wise
), the Wayne C. Henderson Music Festival (in the Grayson Highlands State Park
) and the Ralph Stanley Bluegrass Festival.
In 2005, 2006, and 2007 Richmond
is hosting the National Folk Festival
that features Virginia-area regional folk music as well as folk musicians from around the world. Many previous NFF sites have continued to conduct a regional folk festival when the NFF moves to the next site.
The Virginia Blues & Jazz Festival was started in 2006 at Garth Newel Music Center in Hot Springs. It is held each June and has featured national acts like Taj Mahal, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Buckwheat Zydeco, and Eric Lindell.
The MACRoCk festival happens the beginning of April every year in Harrisonburg VA. It has featured national acts like
MewithoutYou, Q and Not U, Fugazi, The Faint, Archers of Loaf, Dismemberment Plan, Sufjan Stevens, Prefuse 73, Mates of State, The Wrens, Converge, Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, Of Montreal, Norma Jean, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Superchunk, Elliott Smith,An Albatross, Coheed and Cambria, Avail,and Engine Down
area, home to a distinctive style of old-time music
sometimes called mountain music, which is a vibrant tradition most famously celebrated through an annual series of festivals. Galax
is a small town that is home to the Old Fiddlers' Convention, held since 1935; it is the largest and oldest festival of old-time Appalachian music in the country. The Convention has given Galax the nickname the "Capital of Old-Time Mountain Music". The Convention attracts upwards of 20,000 visitors to witness many of the most renowned American folk, country and bluegrass performers, as well as regional stars. Galax and the surrounding area has long been a rich part of American, and Virginian music, and is known for an intricate fiddling style and instrumental and vocal traditions; music collectors like Peter Seeger and Alan Lomax
visited Galax and recorded the region's music.
Though the Galax Old Fiddlers' Convention is a major focal point for the Blue Ridge's vibrant folk music scene, the region is home to a major music festival
season, which is inaugurated by the late March Fairview Ruritan Club Fiddlers' Convention, which hosts a major regional competition in several categories. Ferrum College
in Ferrum, Virginia
, is home to the annual Blue Ridge Folklife Festival, which has been held every October since 1973. The White Top Mountain-Mount Rogers
area is home to a number of major regional festivals as well, with music a major part of the White Top Mountain Molasses Festival, the White Top Mountain Maple Festival and the White Top Mountain Ramp Festival, the latter focusing on the ramp
variety of wild onion
that is commonly eaten in the area. The Carter Family Music Center, in the Carter Family
hometown of Hiltons, hosts an annual folk music festival as well as weekly concerts. Local mountain music festivals in Virginia abound in small towns like Fries
, Wytheville
, Troutdale
, Vesta
, Stuart
, Bassett
, Baywood
and Elk Creek
, as well as at the Grayson Highlands State Park near Mouth of Wilson
.
's Statler Brothers
, who were one of the most popular country acts in the country in the 1970s and 80s.
scenes on the East Coast. The city is perhaps best known for shock-punk-metal band GWAR
, known for wild on-stage antics. GWAR grew out of Death Piggy
, a hardcore punk
band that followed in the footsteps of local scene leaders White Cross
, Beex, and The Prevaricators
. However Richmond punk became big with Avail
. The Richmond punk scene grew, including: Inquisition, Fun Size, Knucklehed, Uphill Down, Four Walls Falling, The Social Dropouts, Ann Beretta
, Sixer
, River City High
, BraceWar, Smoke or Fire
(originally from Boston), Strike Anywhere
,and many underground bands. Richmond punk is often mistakenly considered to be an offshoot of the D.C. scene, however Richmond punk bands have developed a unique sound, often influenced by country, folk, and southern rock (particularly prevalent in Avail, Sixer, and Ann Beretta, and to a lesser degree in Strike Anywhere). This is most likely due to the fact that Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy during most of the Civil War, is arguably the oldest and most lively punk scene in the South. Richmond punk has a close relationship with punk from Gainesville, Florida, particularly between Avail and the now-disbanded Hot Water Music. Other hardcore bands from Richmond included Unseen Force, God's Will, Graven Image and Honor Role. Richmond also has an active metal scene that includes, in addition to GWAR, Lamb of God
, Alabama Thunderpussy
, Municipal Waste
. The metal scene is closely related the city's punk rockers, and, like the punks, there is a Southern influence in the music of Lamb of God and particularly in Alabama Thunderpussy. Richmond still harbors an extremely strong hardcore scene, emerging from the shadows of the mid 80's Four Walls Falling, Fed Up, Set Straight, Step Above, Count Me Out and Dead Serious. More recently a resurgence of old school hardcore punk has risen from Richmond with such bands as Direct Control, Government Warning, Wasted Time, etc. Richmond also has a small post-hardcore scene with bands such as Remaniscense, Wow, Owls! and Ultra Dolphins.
Norfolk
was known, during hardcore's heyday, for violent clashes between punks and local military personnel from the Navy
base. Ray Barbieri (Agnostic Front
, Warzone
) and John Joseph McGeown (Cro-Mags
) became punks while serving in Norfolk due to a judge's order.
There were many semi-pros, who played venues...from the late 30's-early fifties, in southwestern Virginia. Roanoke was a hub for some of these lesser known music men, who came and went thru the early years, of country music radio, and stage performances thruout this part of Virginia. One of the more notable ones, was a group known as "The Blue Ridge Entertainer's". It was led by a man, who had done some work in Nashville, and was very popular on the Roanoke scene, by the name Roy Hall. Roy was a man of considerable talent, and well liked by his band members. Among his band members was Jayhue, and Saiford Hall(related to him), Wayne Watson, and a man by the name of Eddie Dooley. Sadly, Roy's music career ended, when he was killed, in tragic car crash accident. "Eddie" Dooley, was a friend to Roy, as well as a member of his band....and had considered going back to Nashville with Roy, who was asking him to do so. The group had just opened a show for Roy Acuff, in Radford, Va...the night Roy Hall was killed. Eddie was very saddened, by Roy's untimely death. Eddie went on to play with a number of local bands, after Roy died. He was a multi-talented self-taught music man, who played about 6 different instruments, equally well. He played guitar, Hawaiian(or steel) guitar, fiddle, piano, and a number of other instruments. When a band member was out, Eddie could fill in most any position needed. He was also a talented singer. Among the bands he played with, were, the "Virginia Pioneers", "Wanderers of the Wasteland"(led by Woody Mashburn), "Hamilton's Hawaiians", and many more. There were others, besides Eddie, who played and were members of some of these early bands. There was Ralph Hambrick, Shannon Kincaid, Jimmy Argenbright, Carl Decker, Ralph Thomas, and many more. Some of these men, were very talented men, and although many had day to day jobs....were known as regular performers on radio, and for stage shows, in Roanoke and the surrounding areas. Some of these men have now died. Eddie died in December, 2001. These men may have been lesser known, but still made a significant mark, as pioneers on early country radio, in southwestern Virginia,and deserve to be recognized for the contributions they made, to the music history, in Virginia. (More information can be found, in the archives of the "Blue Ridge Institute", in Ferrum, Va).
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
's musical contribution to American culture has been diverse, and includes Piedmont blues
Piedmont blues
Piedmont blues refers primarily to a guitar style, the Piedmont fingerstyle, which is characterized by a fingerpicking approach in which a regular, alternating thumb bass string rhythmic pattern supports a syncopated melody using the treble strings generally picked with the fore-finger,...
musicians and later rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
bands, many centered at such college towns as Charlottesville
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
and Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
.
Notable music artists from Virginia by genre
One of Virginia's most famous musical contributions is the country singer Patsy ClinePatsy 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...
. Several towns claim her as their own, including Gore
Gore, Virginia
Gore is an unincorporated town in western Frederick County, Virginia, United States located off the Northwestern Turnpike on Gore Road west of Winchester. The community is nestled in the Back Creek valley....
and Winchester
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is an independent city located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 26,203 according to the 2010 Census...
. Winchester is home to several Patsy Cline attractions, including a driving tour published by the local Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
, and the Kurtz Cultural Center/Old Town Visitor's Center, which shows various Cline memorabilia.
Jim & Jesse McReynolds and the Virginia Boys, Ralph Stanley
Ralph Stanley
Ralph Stanley , also known as Dr. Ralph Stanley, is an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing.-Biography:...
, Hobart Smith
Hobart Smith
Hobart Smith was an American old-time musician. He was most notable for his appearance with his sister, Texas Gladden, on a series of Library of Congress recordings in the 1940s and his later appearances at various festivals during the folk music revival of the 1960s...
, The Statler Brothers, and The Carter Family are award winning bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
and country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
musicians from Virginia. Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
and Pearl Bailey
Pearl Bailey
Pearl Mae Bailey was an American actress and singer. After appearing in vaudeville, she made her Broadway debut in St. Louis Woman in 1946. She won a Tony Award for the title role in the all-black production of Hello, Dolly! in 1968...
were both from Newport News. Hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
and rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
acts like Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
, Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
, The Neptunes
The Neptunes
The Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop, R&B and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s...
, Chris Brown, and Clipse
Clipse
Clipse is a Virginia Beach, Virginia-based hip hop duo. Formed in 1992 by brothers Malice and Pusha T , the group is heavily affiliated with production team The Neptunes and signed to Star Trak Entertainment.- Exclusive Audio Footage :The Thornton brothers were born in The Bronx, New...
hail from the commonwealth. The Neptunes produced 43% of all songs on American radio in 2003. Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
s from Virginia include Jason Mraz
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz , also known as Mr. AZ and Mr. Raz, is an American singer-songwriter. Mraz released his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy ", in 2002, but it was not until the release of his second album, "Mr. A-Z", in 2005, that Mraz achieved...
and jam band
Jam band
-Ambiguity:By the late 1990s use of the term jam band also became ambiguous. An editorial at jamband.com suggested that any band of which a primary band such as Phish has done a cover of be included as jam band. The example was including New York post-punk band Talking Heads after Phish performed...
s like the Pat McGee Band
Pat McGee Band
The Pat McGee Band is a rock band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed by frontman Pat McGee, who attended Longwood University in Farmville, VA. On the heels of his solo release From the Wood in 1995, the Pat McGee Band signed with Warner Bros. Records subsidiary Giant Records in 1999...
and Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is a U.S. rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley was...
, who continue their strong charitable connection to Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
. Influential stage-rock group GWAR
GWAR
Gwar is a satirical heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia, United States, in 1984. The band is best known for its elaborate science fiction/horror film inspired costumes, obscene lyrics and graphic stage performances, which feature humorous enactments of politically and morally taboo...
as well as heavy metal group Lamb of God
Lamb of God (band)
Lamb of God is an American heavy metal band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1994, the group consists of vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler, bassist John Campbell, and drummer Chris Adler...
began at Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...
. Alternative Rock group Seven Mary Three
Seven Mary Three
Seven Mary Three, occasionally abbreviated to 7 Mary 3 or 7M3, is an American hard rock band. They have released seven studio albums and one live album, and are best known for their hit singles "Cumbersome", "Water's Edge", "Lucky", and "Wait"....
formed at The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg.
Multi-Platinum certified
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
artists are in bold.
Grammy Award Winning Artists are currently being indicated.
Blues
- Robert CrayRobert CrayRobert Cray is an American blues guitarist and singer. A five-time Grammy Award winner, he has led his own band, as well as an acclaimed solo career.-Career:...
- blues guitarist, Newport NewsNewport News, VirginiaNewport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News... - Ella FitzgeraldElla FitzgeraldElla Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
- jazz singer, Newport NewsNewport News, VirginiaNewport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News... - Tommy NewsomTommy NewsomThomas Penn "Tommy" Newsom was a saxophone player in the NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, for which he later became assistant director. Newsom was frequently the band's substitute director, whenever Doc Severinsen was away from the show or filling in for announcer Ed...
- musician in Johnny Carson's The Tonight ShowThe Tonight ShowThe Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
Band, PortsmouthPortsmouth, VirginiaPortsmouth is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the city had a total population of 95,535.The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard, is a historic and active U.S... - Victor WootenVictor WootenVictor Lemonte Wooten is an American bass player, composer, author, and producer, and has been the recipient of five Grammy Awards....
- bass virtuoso, member of Béla Fleck and the FlecktonesBéla Fleck and the FlecktonesBéla Fleck and the Flecktones is a primarily instrumental group from the United States, that draws equally on bluegrass, fusion and jazz, sometimes dubbed "blu-bop". The band formed in 1988, initially to perform once on the PBS series Lonesome Pine Specials. The Flecktones have toured extensively...
, HamptonHampton, VirginiaHampton is an independent city that is not part of any county in Southeast Virginia. Its population is 137,436. As one of the seven major cities that compose the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, it is on the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula. Located on the Hampton Roads Beltway, it hosts... - Ruth BrownRuth BrownRuth Brown was an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, composer and actress, noted for bringing a pop music style to R&B music in a series of hit songs for Atlantic Records in the 1950s, such as "So Long", "Teardrops from My Eyes" and " He Treats Your Daughter Mean".For these...
- singer, songwriter, actress, musician, Portsmouth, VirginiaPortsmouth, VirginiaPortsmouth is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the city had a total population of 95,535.The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard, is a historic and active U.S...
Country
- The Carter Family - highly influential 1920's & 1930'2 country trio, known as the "First Family of Country Music, Maces Spring, VirginiaMaces Spring, VirginiaMaces Spring is a small unincorporated community in Scott County, Virginia, United States, along State Route 614. The settlement consists of a small number of houses. There are now no stores in Maces Spring and its main claim to fame is its association with the country music group, the Carter...
- The Statler Brothers - Mega country-rock-gospel band, StauntonStaunton, VirginiaStaunton is an independent city within the confines of Augusta County in the commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 23,746 as of 2010. It is the county seat of Augusta County....
- Tim BarryTim BarryTim Barry is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is the former lead singer of the Richmond, Virginia-based punk rock band Avail. In addition to performing with Avail, he was the bass guitarist in the Richmond-based folk punk band Pioneers from 1994-1995...
- frontman of Avail, and country/folk singer/songwriter, RichmondRichmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area... - Roy ClarkRoy ClarkRoy 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...
- country music artist, MeherrinMeherrin, VirginiaMeherrin is a small unincorporated community in Lunenburg and Prince Edward counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is approximately 18.6 miles by road south of Farmville.... - Patsy ClinePatsy ClinePatsy 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...
- country music singer, b. WinchesterWinchester, VirginiaWinchester is an independent city located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 26,203 according to the 2010 Census... - Neko CaseNeko CaseNeko Case is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her solo career and her contributions as a member of the Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers....
- country singer, b. AlexandriaAlexandria, VirginiaAlexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as... - Steve EarleSteve EarleStephen Fain "Steve" Earle is an American singer-songwriter known for his rock and Texas Country as well as his political views. He is also a producer, author, a political activist, and an actor, and has written and directed a play....
- country-rock musician and songwriter, HamptonHampton, VirginiaHampton is an independent city that is not part of any county in Southeast Virginia. Its population is 137,436. As one of the seven major cities that compose the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, it is on the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula. Located on the Hampton Roads Beltway, it hosts... - River City GangRiver City GangRiver City Gang is an American country music group and songwriting team founded in Richmond, Virginia. Since its creation, River City Gang has been composed of three members: Sam Hayes , Brian S...
- country-rock band, RichmondRichmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area... - Phil VassarPhil VassarPhil Vassar is an American country music artist. Vassar made his debut on the country music scene in the late 1990s, co-writing singles for several country artists, including Tim McGraw , Jo Dee Messina , Collin Raye , and Alan Jackson Phil Vassar (born May 28, 1964 in Lynchburg, Virginia) is an...
- country singer and songwriter, LynchburgLynchburg, VirginiaLynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 75,568 as of 2010. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or "The Hill City." Lynchburg was the only major city in... - Ricky Van SheltonRicky Van SheltonRicky Van Shelton is a currently retired American country music artist. Active between 1986 and 2006, he has charted more than twenty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts...
- country singer, Danville, VirginiaDanville, VirginiaDanville is an independent city in Virginia, United States, bounded by Pittsylvania County, Virginia and Caswell County, North Carolina. It was the last capital of the Confederate States of America. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Danville with Pittsylvania county for... - Hobart SmithHobart SmithHobart Smith was an American old-time musician. He was most notable for his appearance with his sister, Texas Gladden, on a series of Library of Congress recordings in the 1940s and his later appearances at various festivals during the folk music revival of the 1960s...
- banjo virtuoso, Saltville, VirginiaSaltville, VirginiaAs of the census of 2000, there were 2,204 people, 909 households, and 660 families residing in the town. The population density was 273.7 people per square mile . There were 1,003 housing units at an average density of 124.5 per square mile...
Pop/Rock/Heavy Metal
- Scott McKenzieScott McKenzieScott McKenzie is an American singer. He is best known for his 1967 hit single and generational anthem, "San Francisco ".-Life and career:...
- mainstream folk, singer/songwriter, Alexandria, VirginiaAlexandria, VirginiaAlexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as... - The J.O.B. (The Jim O'Ferrell Band)The J.O.B. (The Jim O'Ferrell Band)The J.O.B. is an Americana Rock music band from Richmond, Virginia USA. The band was formed in 2008 by Jim O'Ferrell after his return from multiple combat deployments as an Infantryman for the US Army in Iraq. A lifelong singer-songwriter, O'Ferrell assembled the band to perform and record songs...
- alternative rock, modern Americana rock band, RichmondRichmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area... - Alabama ThunderpussyAlabama ThunderpussyAlabama Thunderpussy was a Stoner metal band from Richmond, Virginia. It was founded by Bryan Cox, Erik Larson and Asechiah Bogdan in 1996.-History:...
- mainstream rock, metal band, RichmondRichmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area... - At WarAt WarAt War is an EP by the Brazilian death metal band Rebaelliun. It was released in 1999 by Hammerheart Records.-Personnel:*Marcello Marzari – bass, vocals*Fabio Penna Corrêa – guitar*Ronaldo Lima – guitar*David Stone– drums...
- Kris BensonthrashThrash metalThrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
/speed metalSpeed metalSpeed metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1970s from NWOBHM and hardcore punk roots. It is described by Allmusic as "extremely fast, abrasive, and technically demanding" music....
, Virginia Beach - AvailAvailAvail is a punk band from Richmond, Virginia. Originally from Northern Virginia, the band formed in 1987, its members including Joe Banks, Doug Crosby, Brian Stewart, and Mikey Warstler. The only original remaining member, guitar player Joe Banks, teamed up with rival band LDK's Tim Barry...
- punk band, RichmondRichmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area... - Carbon LeafCarbon LeafCarbon Leaf is a five-piece indie rock band from Richmond, Virginia that is known for their Alt-Country and Celtic / Bluegrass infused Indie Rock...
- celtic-infused rock, RichmondRichmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area... - Clarence ClemonsClarence ClemonsClarence Anicholas Clemons, Jr. , also known as The Big Man, was an American musician and actor. From 1972 until his death, he was a prominent member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, playing the tenor saxophone. He released several solo albums and in 1985, had a hit single with "You're a...
- saxophonist for Bruce SpringsteenBruce SpringsteenBruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
's E Street BandE Street BandThe E Street Band has been rock musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972.The band has also recorded with a wide range of other artists including Bob Dylan, Meat Loaf, Bonnie Tyler, Air Supply, Dire Straits, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Stevie Nicks, Tom Morello, Sting, Ian...
, NorfolkNorfolk, VirginiaNorfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach.... - Stewart CopelandStewart CopelandStewart Armstrong Copeland is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the band The Police. During the group's extended hiatus from the mid-1980s to 2007, he played in other bands and composed soundtracks...
- drummer for rock band The PoliceThe PoliceThe Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
and jazz ensemble Animal Logic, ChesapeakeChesapeake, VirginiaAs of the census of 2000, there were 199,184 people, 69,900 households, and 54,172 families residing in the city. The population density was 584.6 people per square mile . There were 72,672 housing units at an average density of 213.3 per square mile... - Days DifferenceDays DifferenceDays Difference is a pop/rock band that formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia in 2004. The quartet consists of Jeremy Smith , Jonathan Smith , Micah Ricks and Jeremiah Ricks . The group released their debut album Numbers in 2007...
- pop/rock band, Virginia Beach - ParachuteParachute (band)Parachute is a rock band from Charlottesville, Virginia. The members graduated from college in May 2008 and since then have been touring and promoting their debut album Losing Sleep and sophomore album The Way It Was full-time.-History:...
- indie rock band, CharlottesvilleCharlottesville, VirginiaCharlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for... - Dave Matthews BandDave Matthews BandDave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is a U.S. rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley was...
- jam band, CharlottesvilleCharlottesville, VirginiaCharlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for... - The Dismemberment PlanThe Dismemberment PlanThe Dismemberment Plan is a Washington D.C. based indie rock band formed on January 1, 1993. Also known as D-Plan or The Plan, the name comes from a stray phrase uttered by insurance salesman Ned Ryerson in the popular comedy Groundhog Day. The band members included Eric Axelson , Jason Caddell ,...
- FairfaxFairfax, VirginiaThe City of Fairfax is an independent city forming an enclave within the confines of Fairfax County, in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Although politically independent of the surrounding county, the City is nevertheless the county seat.... - The Dreamscapes ProjectThe Dreamscapes ProjectThe Dreamscapes Project is a rock band from Reston, Virginia that formed in 1997. In 2010 Northern Virginia Magazine awarded the band as best musician in their "Best of NOVA" awards.-History:...
- acoustic rock, RestonReston, VirginiaReston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The population was 58,404, at the 2010 Census and 56,407 at the 2000 census... - Mark Oliver EverettMark Oliver EverettMark Oliver Everett is the lead singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist and sometime drummer of the independent rock band Eels...
- lead singer, guitarist, and keyboardist of EelsEels (band)Eels is an American indie rock band formed by singer/songwriter Mark Oliver Everett, better known as E... - Dave GrohlDave GrohlDavid Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
- Nirvana/Foo Fighters drummer, guitarist and lead singer - grew up in AlexandriaAlexandria, VirginiaAlexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as... - Daycare Swindlers - punk rock band, Warrenton, VirginiaWarrenton, VirginiaWarrenton is a town in Fauquier County, Virginia, United States. The population was 6,670 at the 2000 census, and 14,634 at the 2010 estimate. It is the county seat of Fauquier County. Public schools in the town include Fauquier High School, Warrenton Middle School, Taylor Middle School and two...
- Beyond the Victory - Metalcore band, Richmond, VirginiaRichmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
- Down To NothingDown To NothingDown to Nothing is a straight edge hardcore band based out of Richmond, Virginia. Since their inception in 2000, DTN have toured all over the world. Their most recent studio recording is a CD/vinyl release titled "The Most" on Revelation Records which was released on July 15, 2007...
- hardcore punk band, RichmondRichmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area... - GwarGwarGwar is a satirical heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia, United States, in 1984. The band is best known for its elaborate science fiction/horror film inspired costumes, obscene lyrics and graphic stage performances, which feature humorous enactments of politically and morally taboo...
- thrash metal band, RichmondRichmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area... - Hounds - hardcore band, RichmondRichmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
- Lamb of GodLamb of God (band)Lamb of God is an American heavy metal band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1994, the group consists of vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler, bassist John Campbell, and drummer Chris Adler...
- heavy metal band, RichmondRichmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area... - MaeMaeMae was an American alternative/indie band that formed in Norfolk, Virginia in 2001. The band's name is an acronym for "Multi-sensory Aesthetic Experience," based on a course taken by drummer Jacob Marshall while a student at Old Dominion University....
- Pop/rock, NorfolkNorfolk, VirginiaNorfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach.... - MoutheaterMoutheaterMoutheater is a band heavily influenced by punk, noise rock, metal, and post-punk from the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. Their debut 7 inch entitled "Lot Lizard" was recorded by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago, IL during the summer of 2007 and included artwork by Dwid Hellion of...
- Noise Rock/Sludge/Punk, NorfolkNorfolk, VirginiaNorfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach.... - Jason MrazJason MrazJason Thomas Mraz , also known as Mr. AZ and Mr. Raz, is an American singer-songwriter. Mraz released his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy ", in 2002, but it was not until the release of his second album, "Mr. A-Z", in 2005, that Mraz achieved...
- acoustic pop/rock, MechanicsvilleMechanicsville, VirginiaMechanicsville is the name of four places in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States of America:*Mechanicsville, Hanover County, Virginia*Mechanicsville, Loudoun County, Virginia*Mechanicsville, Rockbridge County, Virginia... - Municipal WasteMunicipal Waste (band)Municipal Waste is a thrash metal/crossover thrash band from Richmond, Virginia.They performed at the UK's Download Festival on June 15, 2008, on the tuborg stage....
- thrash crossover band, RichmondRichmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area... - Pig DestroyerPig Destroyer-Biography:The band formed in 1997 with vocalist J. R. Hayes , guitarist Scott Hull , and drummer John Evans. Evans was later replaced by Brian Harvey...
- grindcoreGrindcoreGrindcore is an extreme genre of music that started in the early- to mid-1980s. It draws inspiration from some of the most abrasive music genres – including death metal, industrial music, noise and the more extreme varieties of hardcore punk....
band - Seven Mary ThreeSeven Mary ThreeSeven Mary Three, occasionally abbreviated to 7 Mary 3 or 7M3, is an American hard rock band. They have released seven studio albums and one live album, and are best known for their hit singles "Cumbersome", "Water's Edge", "Lucky", and "Wait"....
- alternative rock, post-grungePost-grungePost-grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged in the mid-1990s as a derivative of grunge, using the sounds and aesthetic of grunge, but with a more commercially acceptable tone...
band, WilliamsburgWilliamsburg, VirginiaWilliamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city... - Matt SharpMatt SharpMatthew Kelly Sharp is a founding member and former bassist for the band Weezer. In 1994, he started a band called The Rentals and released their debut album shortly after Weezer's first release, their second album in 1999, and an EP in 2007...
- original WeezerWeezerWeezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
bassist, The RentalsThe RentalsThe Rentals are an American rock band fronted by vocalist Matt Sharp, best known as the former bass player for rock group Weezer. The band is best known for their mid-1990s hit single, "Friends of P.". The group has released two albums, Return of the Rentals and Seven More Minutes on Maverick...
, grew up in Arlington - Strike AnywhereStrike AnywhereStrike Anywhere is a punk rock/melodic hardcore band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1999 after the demise of frontman Thomas Barnett's previous band, Inquisition, they took their name from the Inquisition song "Strike Anywhere". Their music is characterized by fast tempos, catchy melodies, and...
- punk rockPunk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
/melodic hardcoreMelodic hardcoreMelodic hardcore is a subgenre of hardcore punk with a strong emphasis on vocal melody. The genre is commonly defined with fast hardcore drum beats, complex guitar riffs and melodic singing with occasional screaming and shouting.-History:...
band, RichmondRichmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area... - Scott TravisScott TravisScott Travis is a Grammy Award winning American rock musician, best known as the drummer for the English heavy metal band Judas Priest and the American heavy metal band Racer X.-Biography:...
- Heavy Metal - drummer for Judas Priest, Norfolk - We Were GentlemenWe Were GentlemenWe Were Gentlemen was an American metalcore band from Virginia Beach, Virginia.-History:The band was renamed from Through The Harlots Eyes by Richard Neupert and Kalan Blehm in July 2005, in their hometown of Virginia Beach. They had previously played guitar together in various local bands for a...
- metalcoreMetalcoreMetalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...
band, Virginia BeachVirginia Beach, VirginiaVirginia Beach is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay... - Jake E Lee - Heavy Metal/Glam Metal - Guitarist - Ex RattRattRatt is an American heavy metal band that had significant commercial success in the 1980s. The band is best known for songs such as "Round and Round," "Wanted Man," "Lay It Down," "You're in Love", "Slip of the Lip", "Back For More", "Dance", "Body Talk", "I Want a Woman", and "Way Cool Jr." Ratt...
, Ex DioDiöDiö is a locality situated in Älmhult Municipality, Kronoberg County, Sweden with 891 inhabitants in 2005.Diö is situated 10 km north of the town Älmhult.Diö's largest employer is the wheelchair manufacturer Rea Stolen Invacare...
, Ex Ozzy OsbourneOzzy OsbourneJohn Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
, Ex Mandy LionMandy LionMandy Lion is a heavy metal singer. He has sung for numerous bands, most notably World War Three . He is also the lead singer of the Mandy Lion Band....
, - The ZigguratThe ZigguratThe Ziggurat is a ten-story, stepped pyramidal office building and adjacent 5 story concrete parking structure located in West Sacramento, California on the shore of the Sacramento River. Designed to resemble the ancient Mesopotamian ziggurats, the building was built by The Money Store in 1997 and...
- Heavy Metal- RadfordRadford-Places:England* Radford, Coventry* Radford, Nottingham* Radford, Oxfordshire* Radford, Somerset* Radford Semele, WarwickshireAustralia* Radford College, CanberraUSA* Radford, Virginia* Radford University, Virginia...
Badlands
Badlands
A badlands is a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded by wind and water. It can resemble malpaís, a terrain of volcanic rock. Canyons, ravines, gullies, hoodoos and other such geological forms are common in badlands. They are often...
, 3 Day Crush, Enuff'Z Nuff, Grew up in Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay...
Urban
- Chris Brown - R&B singer, TappahannockTappahannock, VirginiaTappahannock is the oldest town in Essex County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,068 at the 2000 census. Located on the Rappahannock River, Tappahannock is the county seat of Essex County...
- ClipseClipseClipse is a Virginia Beach, Virginia-based hip hop duo. Formed in 1992 by brothers Malice and Pusha T , the group is heavily affiliated with production team The Neptunes and signed to Star Trak Entertainment.- Exclusive Audio Footage :The Thornton brothers were born in The Bronx, New...
(Malice and Pusha TPusha TTerrence Thornton better known by his stage name Pusha T is an American recording artist, occasional actor and one half of the critically acclaimed hip hop duo Clipse. He is also the co-founder and co-chief executive officer of Re-Up Records along with his brother Gene 'Malice' Thornton...
) - rap/hip-hop duo, Virginia BeachVirginia Beach, VirginiaVirginia Beach is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay... - Danja - record producer/songwriter, Virginia BeachVirginia Beach, VirginiaVirginia Beach is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay...
- D'AngeloD'AngeloMichael Eugene Archer , better known by his stage name D'Angelo, is an American R&B and neo soul singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He is known for his production and songwriting talents as much as for his vocal abilities, and often draws comparisons to his influences,...
- R&B singer, RichmondRichmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area... - Grandmaster JayGrandmaster JayJohn Johnson , better known by his stage name Grandmaster Jay, is an American MC/DJ and producer. Over his career, he has been known by several pseudonyms including "MC Master Jay", "Jay Blaze", "The Grand Imperial DJ Prince", and "Jay Blax".He was crowned the KISS MasterMix Champion two years in a...
- Hip-Hop Rapper/Deejay/Producer RichmondRichmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area... - Missy ElliottMissy ElliottMelissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
- hip-hop and R&B singer, PortsmouthPortsmouth, VirginiaPortsmouth is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the city had a total population of 95,535.The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard, is a historic and active U.S... - Lex LugerLex Luger (producer)Lexus Arnel Lewis better known by his stage name Lex Luger, is an American record producer from Suffolk, Virginia who is signed to 1017 Brick Squad.-Career:...
- producer, SuffolkSuffolk, VirginiaSuffolk is the largest city by area in Virginia, United States, and is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 84,585. Its median household income was $57,546.-History:... - NottzNottzDominick Lamb better known by his stage name, Nottz is a music producer, writer and rapper from Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. He sometimes extends his executive name to Nottz Raw.-History:...
- producer and rapper, NorfolkNorfolk, VirginiaNorfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach.... - Pharrell - rapper and producer, Virginia BeachVirginia Beach, VirginiaVirginia Beach is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay...
- The NeptunesThe NeptunesThe Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop, R&B and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s...
(Pharrell and Chad HugoChad HugoCharles Edward Hugo is an American musician and record producer. He is best known as one half of the music production and writing duo The Neptunes and as a member of the funk/rock band N.E.R.D. He is a saxophonist, pianist and guitarist...
) - hip hop, R&B and pop producer/artist duo- N.E.R.D (Pharrell, Chad HugoChad HugoCharles Edward Hugo is an American musician and record producer. He is best known as one half of the music production and writing duo The Neptunes and as a member of the funk/rock band N.E.R.D. He is a saxophonist, pianist and guitarist...
, and Shay Haley) - rock, funk, and hip hop band
- N.E.R.D (Pharrell, Chad Hugo
- The Neptunes
- SkillzSkillzShaquan Lewis, also known as Mad Skillz, Skillz, is an American rapper known for his acclaimed 1996 album From Where???, a reference to his origins in Virginia, not the stereotypical New York City or Los Angeles rapper, and he's also known for his yearly "Rap Ups", which he has done since...
- rapper and ghostwriter, RichmondRichmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area... - Trey SongzTrey SongzTremaine "Trey" Aldon Neverson , better known by his stage name Trey Songz, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor. His debut album, I Gotta Make It, was released in 2005, while his second album, Trey Day, was released in 2007...
- R&B singer, PetersburgPetersburg, VirginiaPetersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and south of the state capital city of Richmond. The city's population was 32,420 as of 2010, predominantly of African-American ethnicity... - TimbalandTimbalandTimothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
- rapper and producer, NorfolkNorfolk, VirginiaNorfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach.... - The Lady of RageThe Lady of RageRobin Yvette Allen , better known by her stage name The Lady of Rage, is an American rapper and actress best known for collaborations with several Death Row Records artists, including Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg on the seminal albums The Chronic and Doggystyle...
- American rapper and actress, from Farmville, VA, best known for collaborations with several Death Row RecordsDeath Row RecordsDeath Row Records is a record label founded in 1991 by Marion "Suge" Knight Jr., Andre Young , Tracy Lynn Curry and Michael Harris . It is known to have been home to many popular West Coast hip hop artists such as Dr...
artists.
Other/Multi
- Bruce HornsbyBruce HornsbyBruce Randall Hornsby is an American singer, pianist, accordion player, and songwriter. Known for the spontaneity and creativity of his live performances, Hornsby draws frequently from classical, jazz, bluegrass, folk, Motown, rock, blues, and jam band musical traditions with his songwriting and...
- singer, pianist and songwriter, WilliamsburgWilliamsburg, VirginiaWilliamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city... - Gary "U.S." Bonds - singer and songwriter, NorfolkNorfolk, VirginiaNorfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
- Keller WilliamsKeller WilliamsKeller Williams is an American musician from Fredericksburg, Virginia, who began performing in the early 1990s. He is also known by the names K-Dub or just Keller, when performing. Williams' music combines elements of bluegrass, folk, alternative rock, reggae, electronica/dance, jazz, funk, and...
- one-man jam band from FredericksburgFredericksburg, VirginiaFredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286... - Pearl BaileyPearl BaileyPearl Mae Bailey was an American actress and singer. After appearing in vaudeville, she made her Broadway debut in St. Louis Woman in 1946. She won a Tony Award for the title role in the all-black production of Hello, Dolly! in 1968...
- Broadway singer, Newport NewsNewport News, VirginiaNewport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News... - Toby Mac - Christian hip hop, rap, rock, FairfaxFairfax, VirginiaThe City of Fairfax is an independent city forming an enclave within the confines of Fairfax County, in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Although politically independent of the surrounding county, the City is nevertheless the county seat....
- Wayne NewtonWayne NewtonWayne Newton is an American singer and entertainer based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He performed over 30,000 solo shows in Las Vegas over a period of over 40 years, earning him the nicknames The Midnight Idol, Mr. Las Vegas and Mr. Entertainment...
- a.k.a. "Mr. Las Vegas"; singer and songwriter, Roanoke - Ketch Secor of the Old Crow Medicine ShowOld Crow Medicine ShowOld Crow Medicine Show is an old-time string band based in Nashville, Tennessee. Their music has been called bluegrass, Americana, and alt-country, in addition to old-time. Along with original songs, the band performs many pre-World War II blues and folk songs...
is from, Harrisonburg, VirginiaHarrisonburg, VirginiaHarrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia in the United States. Its population as of 2010 is 48,914, and at the 2000 census, 40,468. Harrisonburg is the county seat of Rockingham County and the core city of the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical... - Robbin Thompson
Music venues and institutions
For larger concerts and events, Virginia has the Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow (marketed as D.C. for most tours), the Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach in Virginia Beach, the Richmond ColiseumRichmond Coliseum
Richmond Coliseum is an arena in Richmond, Virginia, where the SPHL Richmond Renegades played until the 2008-2009 season and the SIFL Richmond Raiders will play starting with the 2010 season. It is also the venue for various large concerts. The arena opened in 1971 and holds 13,500 people. A...
, the Hampton Coliseum
Hampton Coliseum
The Hampton Coliseum is a multi-use cultural, entertainment and sports arena in Hampton, Virginia. Construction on the arena began on May 24, 1968 and the venue opened in 1970 as the first large multi-purpose arena in the Hampton Roads region and the state of Virginia, opening a year prior to...
and the Norfolk Scope
Norfolk Scope
Norfolk Scope is a multipurpose culture, entertainment, convention and sports arena at the northern perimeter of downtown Norfolk, Virginia, designed by Italian architect/engineer Pier Luigi Nervi in conjunction with the local firm of Williams and Tazewell...
. Vienna
Vienna, Virginia
Vienna is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 15,687. Significantly more people live in zip codes with the Vienna postal addresses bordered approximately by Interstate 66 on the south, Interstate 495 on the east, Route 7 to...
is home to the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, known locally in the Washington, D.C. area as simply Wolf Trap, is a performing arts center located on 130 acres of national park land in Wolf Trap, Virginia...
, the only National Park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
for the arts in the United States. Wolf Trap features a large outdoor amphitheatre, the 7,000 seat Filene Center, as well as a smaller indoor venue called The Barns. The Old Dominion Opry is another major venue, located near Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg is the private foundation representing the historic district of the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. The district includes buildings dating from 1699 to 1780 which made colonial Virginia's capital. The capital straddled the boundary of the original shires of Virginia —...
, a popular tourist attraction.
Virginia's other prominent music venues include The Birchmere
The Birchmere
The Birchmere is a concert hall in Alexandria, Virginia, known for presenting performers in the bluegrass, country, folk, and jazz genres. The main stage has table seating with dinner service. The room seats 500 people and the tables in front are about two feet from the stage...
in Alexandria
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
, a local country and bluegrass club where Mary Chapin Carpenter
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Mary Chapin Carpenter is an American folk and country music artist. Carpenter spent several years singing in Washington, D.C. clubs before signing in the late 1980s with Columbia Records, who marketed her as a country singer...
performed early in her career. The Landmark Theater in Richmond and the Harrison Opera House
Harrison Opera House
The Edythe C. and Stanley L. Harrison Opera House, also known as the Harrison Opera House, is the official home of the Virginia Opera in the Ghent district of Norfolk, Virginia. Once a World War II USO theater, this historic venue was renovated in 1993. With 1,632 seats, the renovated Harrison...
in Norfolk both host the Virginia Opera
Virginia Opera
Virginia Opera is an opera company based in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Organized in 1974 by a group of Norfolk, Virginia community volunteers, Virginia Opera presented its first productions in 1975 and in the intervening four decades has become known and respected nationwide for the...
. Phase 2 (the former Cattle Annie's, but significantly remodeling in 2010) is a popular, large club venue in Lynchburg
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 75,568 as of 2010. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or "The Hill City." Lynchburg was the only major city in...
with a reputation for attracting prominent performers. Garth Newel Music Center in Hot Springs was once a farm that is now known for classical, jazz, and blues concerts with gourmet meals and views from the side of Warm Springs Mountain.
Richmond's 929 West Grace Street has housed a punk and rock-oriented club nearly uninterrupted for nearly three decades. Most famously known as Twisters throughout the 1990s, more recently the building has been known as Club 929, The Nanci Raygun, and Bagel Czar before re-opening in 2009 as Strange Matter. Like its predecessors, Strange Matter hosts up-and-coming local and national touring acts nearly every night. Alley Katz in Richmond continues to have regular shows and Toad's Place, newly opened, will accommodate mid-size bands in Richmond. The most recent venue is The National.
The Hampton Roads area also has several more intimate venues. The most prominent of them is the Norva Theatre
Norva Theatre
The NorVa is a performing theatre located in Norfolk, Virginia. The NorVa's name consists of an abbreviation relating to its location.The NorVa was the brainchild of local music venue entrepreneurs Bill Reid and Rick Mersel, who have also developed the NTelos Wireless Pavilion and have ties to the...
, which is a small club-style venue for smaller to mid-size acts.
The Shenandoah Valley hosts a few smaller venues. The mockingbird in downtown Staunton hosts a 168-seat newly renovated grass roots and acoustic music hall. Clementine cafe in downtown Harrisonburg has cemented its self as the premier venue in the valley. The Basement of the Blue Nile in Harrisonburg is one of the most popular stops for up-and-coming touring bands.
Music festivals
The Wolf Trap is home to several renowned music festivals, including the Louisiana Swamp Romp, the Washington Irish Folk Festival and Ricky Skagg's Pickin' Party, a bluegrass festival. Winchester is home to the Celebrating Patsy festival for Virginia's country legend Patsy Cline; Winchester is also home to the Shenandoah Apple Blossom FestivalShenandoah Apple Blossom Festival
The Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival, a six-day festival held annually in Winchester, Virginia, is known for its many guest celebrities and events. The festival was first held Saturday, May 3, 1924, and was originally celebrated as a one day event...
, which includes a major bluegrass concert.
The area around the Virginia and Kentucky border, especially the city of Norton
Norton, Virginia
Norton is an independent city within the confines of Wise County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 Census, the city population was 3,958, making it the smallest city in the state by population...
, rural folk, country and bluegrass remains a vital regional tradition. Norton is home to the Virginia Kentucky Opry and a historic music venue called the Country Cabin, while local festivals include the Doc Boggs Festival (in Wise
Wise, Virginia
Wise is a town in Wise County, Virginia, United States. The population was 3,286 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Wise County. It was originally incorporated as the town of Gladeville in 1874. The town's name was changed to Wise in 1924. Wise is named after Virginia governor Henry A...
), the Wayne C. Henderson Music Festival (in the Grayson Highlands State Park
Grayson Highlands State Park
Grayson Highlands State Park is located in Virginia, United States, adjacent to Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. The park lies within Jefferson National Forest. The park was established in 1965 and contains a total of 4,822 acres...
) and the Ralph Stanley Bluegrass Festival.
In 2005, 2006, and 2007 Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
is hosting the National Folk Festival
National Folk Festival (USA)
The National Folk Festival is an itinerant folk festival in the United States. Since 1934, it has been run by the National Council for the Traditional Arts and has been presented in 26 communities around the nation...
that features Virginia-area regional folk music as well as folk musicians from around the world. Many previous NFF sites have continued to conduct a regional folk festival when the NFF moves to the next site.
The Virginia Blues & Jazz Festival was started in 2006 at Garth Newel Music Center in Hot Springs. It is held each June and has featured national acts like Taj Mahal, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Buckwheat Zydeco, and Eric Lindell.
The MACRoCk festival happens the beginning of April every year in Harrisonburg VA. It has featured national acts like
MewithoutYou, Q and Not U, Fugazi, The Faint, Archers of Loaf, Dismemberment Plan, Sufjan Stevens, Prefuse 73, Mates of State, The Wrens, Converge, Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, Of Montreal, Norma Jean, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Superchunk, Elliott Smith,An Albatross, Coheed and Cambria, Avail,and Engine Down
Blue Ridge mountain music
The southwestern portion of Virginia is, along with western North Carolina, part of the Blue RidgeBlue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
area, home to a distinctive style of old-time music
Old-time music
Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music, with roots in the folk music of many countries, including England, Scotland, Ireland and countries in Africa. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dance, buck dance, and clogging. The genre also...
sometimes called mountain music, which is a vibrant tradition most famously celebrated through an annual series of festivals. Galax
Galax, Virginia
Galax is an independent city in the southwestern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is bounded to the northeast by Carroll County and to the southwest by Grayson County. The population was 7,042 as of 2010...
is a small town that is home to the Old Fiddlers' Convention, held since 1935; it is the largest and oldest festival of old-time Appalachian music in the country. The Convention has given Galax the nickname the "Capital of Old-Time Mountain Music". The Convention attracts upwards of 20,000 visitors to witness many of the most renowned American folk, country and bluegrass performers, as well as regional stars. Galax and the surrounding area has long been a rich part of American, and Virginian music, and is known for an intricate fiddling style and instrumental and vocal traditions; music collectors like Peter Seeger and Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax was an American folklorist and ethnomusicologist. He was one of the great field collectors of folk music of the 20th century, recording thousands of songs in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, the Caribbean, Italy, and Spain.In his later career, Lomax advanced his theories of...
visited Galax and recorded the region's music.
Though the Galax Old Fiddlers' Convention is a major focal point for the Blue Ridge's vibrant folk music scene, the region is home to a major music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
season, which is inaugurated by the late March Fairview Ruritan Club Fiddlers' Convention, which hosts a major regional competition in several categories. Ferrum College
Ferrum College
Ferrum College is a private college in Ferrum, Virginia, USA, in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwest Virginia. Ferrum College has the second-oldest environmental science program in the nation and was ranked 41st by US News and World Report in Comprehensive Colleges–Bachelor's for 2006....
in Ferrum, Virginia
Ferrum, Virginia
Ferrum is a census-designated place in Franklin County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,313 at the 2000 census. Ferrum is home to Ferrum College and its Blue Ridge Folklife Festival...
, is home to the annual Blue Ridge Folklife Festival, which has been held every October since 1973. The White Top Mountain-Mount Rogers
Mount Rogers
Mount Rogers is the highest natural point in the state of Virginia, USA, with a summit elevation of above mean sea level. It lies in Grayson County and Smyth County, Virginia, about WSW of Troutdale, Virginia, within the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and Jefferson National Forest.The...
area is home to a number of major regional festivals as well, with music a major part of the White Top Mountain Molasses Festival, the White Top Mountain Maple Festival and the White Top Mountain Ramp Festival, the latter focusing on the ramp
Wild leek
Allium tricoccum — known as the ramp, spring onion, ramson, wild leek, wild garlic, and, in French, ail sauvage and ail des bois — is an early spring vegetable, a perennial wild onion. It has a strong garlic-like odor and a pronounced onion flavor. Ramps are found across North America, from the...
variety of wild onion
Onion
The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
that is commonly eaten in the area. The Carter Family Music Center, in the Carter Family
Carter Family
The Carter Family was a traditional American folk music group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Their music had a profound impact on bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop and rock musicians as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s. They were the first vocal group to become country...
hometown of Hiltons, hosts an annual folk music festival as well as weekly concerts. Local mountain music festivals in Virginia abound in small towns like Fries
Fries, Virginia
Fries is a town in Grayson County, Virginia, United States. The population was 484 as of the 200\10 census. Fries is part of the Blue Ridge area, and shares in that region's old-time musical traditions...
, Wytheville
Wytheville, Virginia
Wytheville is a town in Wythe County, Virginia, United States. The population was 8,211 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Wythe County. The town is home to a Chautauqua Festival, held the third weekend in June every year since 1985...
, Troutdale
Troutdale, Virginia
Troutdale is a town in Grayson County, Virginia, United States. The population was 194 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Troutdale is located at ....
, Vesta
Vesta, Virginia
Vesta is an unincorporated community in Patrick County, Virginia, United States. Vesta is located on U.S. Route 58 northwest of Stuart. Vesta has a post office with ZIP code 24177....
, Stuart
Stuart, Virginia
Stuart is a town in Patrick County, Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 961 at the 2000 census. Due to recent boundary expansion, the town of Stuart has an estimated population of nearly 1,700 residents. The town of Stuart was named after Confederate Gen. J.E.B...
, Bassett
Bassett, Virginia
Bassett is a census-designated place in Henry County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,338 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Martinsville Micropolitan Statistical Area. The town was founded along a rail line by the same family that later started Bassett Furniture. Bassett...
, Baywood
Baywood, Virginia
Baywood is an unincorporated community in Grayson County, in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Virginia.-History:Baywood was established as a hub community, roughly embracing the area from Meadow Creek, Edmonds, NC, Little River and New River. The area was settled in the late 18th century...
and Elk Creek
Elk Creek, Virginia
Elk Creek is an unincorporated community in Grayson County, Virginia, United States.Elk Creek is home to a local dragstrip owned by the people who participate in the races held there....
, as well as at the Grayson Highlands State Park near Mouth of Wilson
Mouth of Wilson, Virginia
Mouth of Wilson is an unincorporated community, in Grayson County in the U.S. state of Virginia, just north of the North Carolina state line. The community lies in the Appalachian Mountains on the western banks of the New River, where the Big Wilson Creek empties its waters. The main road through...
.
Country music
Virginia's contributions to country music include the legendary singer Patsy Cline, pioneering performers The Carter Family and StauntonStaunton, Virginia
Staunton is an independent city within the confines of Augusta County in the commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 23,746 as of 2010. It is the county seat of Augusta County....
's Statler Brothers
Statler Brothers
The Statler Brothers were an American country music vocal group founded in 1955 in Staunton, Virginia.Originally performing gospel music at local churches, the group billed themselves as The Four Star Quartet, and later The Kingsmen...
, who were one of the most popular country acts in the country in the 1970s and 80s.
Hardcore punk and Heavy Metal
The city of Richmond has long had one of the more active punk rockPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
scenes on the East Coast. The city is perhaps best known for shock-punk-metal band GWAR
GWAR
Gwar is a satirical heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia, United States, in 1984. The band is best known for its elaborate science fiction/horror film inspired costumes, obscene lyrics and graphic stage performances, which feature humorous enactments of politically and morally taboo...
, known for wild on-stage antics. GWAR grew out of Death Piggy
Death Piggy
Death Piggy was an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1982 in Richmond, Virginia. They flourished briefly, before Dave Brockie, then their lead singer/bassist, decided to play a joke set while wearing monster costumes as an opening act for Death Piggy. This joke act would later be the basis for...
, a hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
band that followed in the footsteps of local scene leaders White Cross
White Cross
White Cross is a hardcore/thrashcore band from Richmond, Virginia. The core members were Mikey Rodriguez , Richard "Crispy" Kranmer , Rob Mosby and Dewey Rowell . They released one EP, one LP, one CD, and were featured on the national hardcore compilation, We Got Power...
, Beex, and The Prevaricators
The Prevaricators
The Prevaricators were a hardcore punk band from Richmond, Virginia. They released several records in the mid 1980's and developed a loyal following in the Richmond punk scene. Their lineup included Steve Hunter singing, David Stover on guitars, Hal Imburg on drums, Alford Faulknier on bass, and...
. However Richmond punk became big with Avail
Avail
Avail is a punk band from Richmond, Virginia. Originally from Northern Virginia, the band formed in 1987, its members including Joe Banks, Doug Crosby, Brian Stewart, and Mikey Warstler. The only original remaining member, guitar player Joe Banks, teamed up with rival band LDK's Tim Barry...
. The Richmond punk scene grew, including: Inquisition, Fun Size, Knucklehed, Uphill Down, Four Walls Falling, The Social Dropouts, Ann Beretta
Ann Beretta
Ann Beretta is a punk band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1996 by Rob Huddleston, Leer Baker, Chris Rupp and Russ Jones , the band plays straightforward punk with small doses of rockabilly and country mixed into their sound....
, Sixer
Sixer
Sixer is a punk band from Richmond, Virginia formed in 1999. Leer Baker and Chris Rupp left the band Ann Beretta in mid 1999 to start Sixer. Also in the lineup is Casey Martin and Dan Duggin. In 2000 the band released with the EP Busted Knuckles and Heartbreak their first record...
, River City High
River City High
River City High is a punk rock band from Richmond, Virginia. Like many Richmond punk bands, they incorporate other influences into their music, specifically classic rock...
, BraceWar, Smoke or Fire
Smoke or Fire
Smoke or Fire is an American punk rock band from Boston, Massachusetts.The band originally formed in 1998, when western Massachusetts native Joe McMahon got together with Chris Brand , Bill Ironfield , and Nick Maggiore , hailing from New Hampshire...
(originally from Boston), Strike Anywhere
Strike Anywhere
Strike Anywhere is a punk rock/melodic hardcore band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1999 after the demise of frontman Thomas Barnett's previous band, Inquisition, they took their name from the Inquisition song "Strike Anywhere". Their music is characterized by fast tempos, catchy melodies, and...
,and many underground bands. Richmond punk is often mistakenly considered to be an offshoot of the D.C. scene, however Richmond punk bands have developed a unique sound, often influenced by country, folk, and southern rock (particularly prevalent in Avail, Sixer, and Ann Beretta, and to a lesser degree in Strike Anywhere). This is most likely due to the fact that Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy during most of the Civil War, is arguably the oldest and most lively punk scene in the South. Richmond punk has a close relationship with punk from Gainesville, Florida, particularly between Avail and the now-disbanded Hot Water Music. Other hardcore bands from Richmond included Unseen Force, God's Will, Graven Image and Honor Role. Richmond also has an active metal scene that includes, in addition to GWAR, Lamb of God
Lamb of God (band)
Lamb of God is an American heavy metal band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1994, the group consists of vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler, bassist John Campbell, and drummer Chris Adler...
, Alabama Thunderpussy
Alabama Thunderpussy
Alabama Thunderpussy was a Stoner metal band from Richmond, Virginia. It was founded by Bryan Cox, Erik Larson and Asechiah Bogdan in 1996.-History:...
, Municipal Waste
Municipal Waste (band)
Municipal Waste is a thrash metal/crossover thrash band from Richmond, Virginia.They performed at the UK's Download Festival on June 15, 2008, on the tuborg stage....
. The metal scene is closely related the city's punk rockers, and, like the punks, there is a Southern influence in the music of Lamb of God and particularly in Alabama Thunderpussy. Richmond still harbors an extremely strong hardcore scene, emerging from the shadows of the mid 80's Four Walls Falling, Fed Up, Set Straight, Step Above, Count Me Out and Dead Serious. More recently a resurgence of old school hardcore punk has risen from Richmond with such bands as Direct Control, Government Warning, Wasted Time, etc. Richmond also has a small post-hardcore scene with bands such as Remaniscense, Wow, Owls! and Ultra Dolphins.
Norfolk
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
was known, during hardcore's heyday, for violent clashes between punks and local military personnel from the Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
base. Ray Barbieri (Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front is an American hardcore band. The band began playing hardcore similar to their contemporaries, and were thrust to the forefront of the burgeoning New York hardcore scene in the mid-1980s with their widely regarded 1984 classic Victim in Pain before evolving to incorporate thrash...
, Warzone
Warzone (band)
Warzone was an American hardcore punk band formed on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1982. The band helped develop the New York hardcore sound, the hardcore skinhead style and the youth crew subgenre...
) and John Joseph McGeown (Cro-Mags
Cro-Mags
Cro-Mags are a hardcore punk turned crossover thrash band from New York City. The band, which had a strong cult following, released many records, their first two considered the most influential...
) became punks while serving in Norfolk due to a judge's order.
There were many semi-pros, who played venues...from the late 30's-early fifties, in southwestern Virginia. Roanoke was a hub for some of these lesser known music men, who came and went thru the early years, of country music radio, and stage performances thruout this part of Virginia. One of the more notable ones, was a group known as "The Blue Ridge Entertainer's". It was led by a man, who had done some work in Nashville, and was very popular on the Roanoke scene, by the name Roy Hall. Roy was a man of considerable talent, and well liked by his band members. Among his band members was Jayhue, and Saiford Hall(related to him), Wayne Watson, and a man by the name of Eddie Dooley. Sadly, Roy's music career ended, when he was killed, in tragic car crash accident. "Eddie" Dooley, was a friend to Roy, as well as a member of his band....and had considered going back to Nashville with Roy, who was asking him to do so. The group had just opened a show for Roy Acuff, in Radford, Va...the night Roy Hall was killed. Eddie was very saddened, by Roy's untimely death. Eddie went on to play with a number of local bands, after Roy died. He was a multi-talented self-taught music man, who played about 6 different instruments, equally well. He played guitar, Hawaiian(or steel) guitar, fiddle, piano, and a number of other instruments. When a band member was out, Eddie could fill in most any position needed. He was also a talented singer. Among the bands he played with, were, the "Virginia Pioneers", "Wanderers of the Wasteland"(led by Woody Mashburn), "Hamilton's Hawaiians", and many more. There were others, besides Eddie, who played and were members of some of these early bands. There was Ralph Hambrick, Shannon Kincaid, Jimmy Argenbright, Carl Decker, Ralph Thomas, and many more. Some of these men, were very talented men, and although many had day to day jobs....were known as regular performers on radio, and for stage shows, in Roanoke and the surrounding areas. Some of these men have now died. Eddie died in December, 2001. These men may have been lesser known, but still made a significant mark, as pioneers on early country radio, in southwestern Virginia,and deserve to be recognized for the contributions they made, to the music history, in Virginia. (More information can be found, in the archives of the "Blue Ridge Institute", in Ferrum, Va).