Download Instrumental   Meet the Danoffs, Bill and Taffy.  Taffy?  Who names their kid after a piece of candy?  Well, I once knew a drummer named “Heath” so maybe it’s not so unusual.  Anyway, “The Danoffs” were working as a folk duo in 1970 at a small club in Washington D.C. with a young chap named John Denver.  After the show one night, they all went back to the Danoff’s apartment and they played a song for John that wasn’t quite complete.  He helped them finish what they called “Country Roads” and they played it together the next night at the club to a standing ovation.  Denver immediately stole the song.

Bill Danoff had never been to West Virginia and originally was going to use his home state of Massachusettes in the lyrics but decided it wasn’t musical enough (even though it had the requisite four syllables and would have fit).  Nobody much relates country roads to Massachusettes anyway, so West Virginia was an excellent choice.  Denver hadn’t been to either state but knew a hit song when he heard one.

I didn’t particularly care for John Denver’s “folksy” take on the tune, but then I heard a guy who called himself “The King” do it in a country rock style that I liked so much better.  His name was James Brown – no, not that James Brown – and he made a career out of recording songs that he thought Elvis should have done.  Try this arrangement on your audience and they’ll love it – unless you’re in West Virginia.  They take this tune very seriously there…