The Crooked Road is a

heritage trail Heritage trails are walking trails and driving routes in urban and rural settings that are identified by signage and guidebooks as relating to cultural heritage. The heritage might be built architecture, or it can be a cultural heritage narrative. ...

in Southwestern Virginia, that explores the musical history of the region along Southwest Virginia's Blue Ridge and Cumberland Mountains. The Crooked Road winds through almost 300 miles of scenic terrain in southwest Virginia, including 19 counties, four cities, and 54 towns.

Musical heritage

The Crooked Road celebrates the musical heritage of

Western Virginia Western Virginia is a geographic region in Virginia comprising the Shenandoah Valley and Southwest Virginia. Generally, areas in Virginia located west of, or (in many cases) within, the piedmont region are considered part of western Virginia. T ...

and

Southwest Virginia Southwest Virginia, often abbreviated as SWVA, is a mountainous region of Virginia in the westernmost part of the commonwealth. Located within the broader region of western Virginia, Southwest Virginia has been defined alternatively as all Vir ...

and

Appalachian music Appalachian music is the music of the region of Appalachia in the Eastern United States. Traditional Appalachian music is derived from various influences, including the ballads, hymns and fiddle music of the British Isles (particularly Scotland) ...

with

Old-time music Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dancing, clogging, and buck dancing. It is played on acoustic instruments, generally centering on a combination ...

Folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

Bluegrass music Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music The term American folk music encompasses numerous music genres, variously known as ''traditional music'', ''traditional folk music'', ''contemporary folk music'', ''vernacular music,'' or ...

. It also celebrates traditional dance such as

clogging Clogging is a type of folk dance practiced in the United States, in which the dancer's footwear is used percussively by striking the heel, the toe, or both against a floor or each other to create audible rhythms, usually to the downbeat with the ...

buck dancing Clogging is a type of folk dance practiced in the United States, in which the dancer's footwear is used percussively by striking the heel, the toe, or both against a floor or each other to create audible rhythms, usually to the downbeat with th ...

Square dance A square dance is a dance for four couples, or eight dancers in total, arranged in a square, with one couple on each side, facing the middle of the square. Square dances contain elements from numerous traditional dances and were first documente ...

and other traditional dances, singing and music. There are major venues to showcase The Crooked Road, including the Heartwood – The Southwest Virginia Artisan Gateway in

Abingdon, Virginia Abingdon is a town in Washington County, Virginia, United States, southwest of Roanoke. The population was 8,376 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Washington County. The town encompasses several historically significant sites and f ...

, the Ralph Stanley Museum in

Clintwood, Virginia Clintwood is a town in Dickenson County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,414 at the 2010 census, with an estimated population of 1,304 in 2018. It is the county seat of Dickenson County. Although originally called "Holly Creek" aft ...

, the

Carter Family Fold The Carter Family Fold is a musical performance and concert venue located near Hiltons, Virginia. It is dedicated to the preservation and performance of old time country and bluegrass music. It is named in honor of the original Carter Family, ...

Scott County, Virginia Scott County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,576. Its county seat is Gate City. Scott County was formed by an act of the General Assembly on November 24, ...

, the

Birthplace of Country Music Museum Birthplace of Country Music Museum is a museum celebrating the historic 1927 Bristol Sessions, which recorded some of the earliest country music in America when the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers and several other musicians recorded for the f ...

Bristol, Virginia Bristol is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,219. It is the twin city of Bristol, Tennessee, just across the state line, which runs down the middle of its main street, State S ...

, the Blue Ridge Music Center off the

Blue Ridge Parkway The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. The parkway, which is America's longest linear park, runs for through 29 Virginia and North Carolina counties, linking Shenand ...

, County Sales and the Floyd Country Store in

Floyd, Virginia Floyd is a town in Floyd County, Virginia, United States. The population was 425 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Floyd County. The Town of Floyd was originally named Jacksonville as the surrounding county was formed during the tenur ...

, and the Blue Ridge Institute & Museum at

Ferrum College , mottoeng = Not Self, But Others , established = , type = Private college , president = David L. Johns , city = Ferrum, Virginia , country = U.S. , c ...

Origins

The idea for Virginia's "Crooked Road" began to germinate in the minds of Virginians in January 2003. A number of public officials, musicians, and others were interested in an economic development strategy for the Appalachian region of

, and they wanted to draw on the region's rich musical heritage. Over time, the project grew, and today The Crooked Road and its affiliated venues span 19 counties.

Route

The Crooked Road starts in and goes through Southwest Virginia from

Rocky Mount, Virginia Rocky Mount is a town in and the county seat of Franklin County, Virginia, United States. The town is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area, and had a population of 4,903 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the Roanoke Region of ...

Breaks Interstate Park Breaks Interstate Park is a bi-state state park located partly in southeastern Kentucky and mostly in southwestern Virginia, in the Jefferson National Forest, at the northeastern terminus of Pine Mountain. Rather than their respective state park ...

on the Virginia border. The marked route passes through

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

, Floyd,

Patrick Patrick may refer to: * Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name * Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People * Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint *Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...

, Carroll, Grayson,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, Scott, Lee, Wise and Dickinson counties.Crooked Road Map
/ref> Major venues along the route are located in Ferrum, Floyd, Galax, Abingdon, Bristol, Hiltons, Norton, and Clintwood. Affiliated venues are also located in nine neighboring counties and several independent cities.

References

{{Reflist

Bibliography

* Abraham, Michael
Harmonic Highways: Motorcycling Virginia's Crooked Road
Blacksburg, Va: Pocahontas Press, 2011. 303 pages : illustrations, maps, portraits. * Chaney, Ryan. 2013.
Straightening the Crooked Road
. Ethnography. 14, no. 4: 387-411.
The Crooked Road: Virginia's Heritage Music Trail
The Crooked Road, n.d.
Crooked Road: Virginia's Heritage Music Trail
The Crooked Road: A Treasury of American Music. Abingdon, Va: The Crooked Road, 2011. Summary: The 50 songs and tunes collected here were selected from CD recordings currently being sold by artists who live along The Crooked Road in Southwest Virginia's Blue Ridge and Cumberland Mountains. * Going Down the Crooked Road. Roanoke, Va: Roanoke Times, 2005. * McNeill, Kylene Barker, et al
Christmas Along the Crooked Road
2007. Summary: "Features stellar musicians from Southwest Virginia and Northwest North Carolina performing some of their favorite holiday songs, new and old in bluegrass, oldtime and mountain style." Notes by Kylene Barker McNeill and Debbie Robinson, biographical information about the musicians, credits and durations on container insert. * National Council for the Traditional Arts
Music from the Crooked Road: Mountain Music of Virginia: a National Tour Celebrating the Living Musical Culture of Southwest Virginia
Silver Spring, MD: NCTA, 2006. Notes: Presented with major support from: the Crooked Road Virginia's heritage music trail, the Virginia Tourism Corporation, the National Endowment for the Arts. "A national tour of old-time, bluegrass, mountain gospel and flatfoot dance featuring: Sammy Shelor, Wayne Henderson, the Whitetop Mountain Band, Elizabeth Laprelle, Kirk Sutphin & Eddie bond, No speed limit". * Saffle, Michael. 2014.
Perpetuating the Culture of Musical Memories: Virginia's Crooked Road"
Musik Und Erinnern. 309-322. * Skeens, Betty, and Libby Bondurant
Grazing Along the Crooked Road: Recipes and Stories--Past and Present
Pounding Mill, Va: Henderson Publishing, 2009. Notes: "First edition October 2008. Second edition April 2009." Map of "The Crooked Road: Virginia's Heritage Music Trail" on lining papers. "In Memory of Betty Skeens." * Thornton, Tim. 2010. "Blazing New Trails: The Crooked Road Offers a Model for Promoting a Scenic Region". Virginia Business. 25, no. 8: 80-83. * Virginia's Heritage Music Trail
The Crooked Road: Virginia's Heritage Music Trail
Abingdon, Va: Virginia's Heritage Music Trail, 2011. Notes: Cover title. "Visitor guide."—Cover. "A place of beauty- a place of song. This is the Crooked Road ... an authentic music that has been preserved by the region's musicians for generations."

External links

The Crooked Road

The Crooked Road
Appalachian culture Performing arts in Virginia Dance in Virginia Heritage trails Cultural tourism Southwest Virginia