 | Carry Me Back to Old VirginnyLen Spencer |
Writer(s): James A. Bland (see lyrics here) First Charted: October 7, 1893 Peak: 2 PM (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, -- streaming |
 | Carry Me Back to Old VirginnyAlma Gluck |
Recorded: November 13, 1914 First Charted: February 20, 1915 Peak: 15 PM, 11 GA (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 0.10 video, 0.03 streaming |
Awards (Spencer):Click on award for more details. 
Awards (Gluck):Click on award for more details.
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About the Song:James Bland, an African American minstrel, wrote “Carry Me Back to Old Virginny” in approximately 1878. TY2 The song was reportedly inspired by “a peaceful scene on a plantation on the James River near Williamsburg, Virginia.” TY2 In addition, a female student at Howard University in Washington, D.C. told Bland that “a dream had carried her back home ‘to old Virginny.’” TY<2 The song was introduced by George Primorose and his minstrels and became a staple for most minstrel groups. TY2 In 1940, it became the state song of Virginia. However, because the lyrics contained “several pseudo-African American colloquialisms” TY2 that could be demmed “too racially sensitive,” TY2 the state legislature retired the song in 1997. GN In 1893, Len Spencer took the song to #2. He was born February 12, 1867, in Washington D.C. He was “one of the giants of the pioneer recording era,” PM “America’s first nationally-known recording star in the 1890s.” PM He charted 45 times from 1891 to 1910, reaching #1 fifteen times. PM In 1915, Alma Gluck went all the way to #1. Her version was only the fourth million-selling record in history. PM It was her most successful of her 19 chart entries. She was born in Romania and rose to fame with the New York Metropolitan Opera. PM Ray Charles and Jerry Lee Lewis have also recorded the song. Resources:
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First posted 5/16/2025. |
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