Background

"Carry Me Back" Essentially Retired.  "Carry Me Back to Ol' Virginny" became Virginia's official state song in 1940. It had been written in 1875 by James A. Bland, a distinguished African American composer and musician from New York who wrote over 700 songs, including "Oh Dem Golden Slippers" and "In the Evening by the Moonlight." Because of continuing controversy about the song's outdated and racially charged lyrics, the 1997 Virginia General Assembly designated "Carry Me Back" as Virginia's "state song emeritus" and thereby essentially relegated it to history. As a practical matter, though, the state had not had a state song for more than twenty years, since "Carry Me Back" had rarely been played at public events.

Contest Chronology

Statutory Authority.  The 1998 General Assembly enacted HJR 107 which directed the ACIR to recommend a new official state song. The following year the contest was continued by SJR 477.

State Song Subcommittee Established.  After the 1998 General Assembly session, the ACIR established the State Song Subcommittee. It was comprised of selected members of the ACIR, outside legislators, and distinguished members of the public with backgrounds in music and poetry.

Contest Beginning.  On July 8, 1998 the ACIR announced the official start of "The 1998 State Song Competition." The deadline for receipt of entries was August 31, 1998. By that date, the ACIR had received 339 official entries.

Judges.  The members of the ACIR State Song Subcommittee served as judges for the contest.

Criteria.  The ACIR's official entry form listed six criteria by which the entries would be judges: dignity; adaptability for various uses; "singability"' value as a tool to promote the State; broad age appeal; and visual images of Virginia's historic, natural, and scenic beauty. In addition, the form indicated that if geographic references were included in a song, such terms should be inclusive enough to represent all Virginians.

Three Rounds of Judging

• Round 1:  Semifinalists.  On December 11, 1998, the State Song Subcommittee announced 59 semi-finalist songs.

• Round 2:  Finalists.  As of April 15, 1999, the State Song Subcommittee narrowed the list of semi-finalists to 20 finalist songs.

• Round 3:  Grand Finalists.  On July 8, 1999, the ACIR named eight grand finalist winners and decided to involve colleges around the state in making new arrangements of the eight remaining songs in the contest. The purpose was to ensure that comparable versions would be available and to show how adaptable the songs might be to various musical styles.  See and hear the list of finalists.

CONTEST SUSPENDED.  The last meeting of the ACIR's State Song Subcommittee was January 5, 2000, when the newly arranged versions of the grand finalist songs were publicly aired for the first time. Following the January meeting, the work of the State Song Subcommittee was temporarily suspended. To date, the ACIR has not held a final round of judging to choose one or more winners from among the remaining eight grand finalist songs.

FUTURE OF THE CONTEST.   Senator Emmett Hanger, who serves as chair of both the ACIR and the State Song Subcommittee, has publicly stated on several occasions that he hopes to revive the State Song Contest in the near future. As of April 2004, the date for the next State Song Subcommittee meeting had not yet been set.

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