My Heart is in Virginia

Virginia's former state song, "Carry Me Back to Old Virginia," was written in 1875 by James A. Bland, a noted black songwriter of his day, and was officially adopted in 1940. To more modern ears, however, its lyrics seemed to romanticize slavery, which made the song objectionable to many people. At the center of a controversy that spanned thirty years, "Carry Me Back" was officially declared "state song emeritus" in 1997.

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Early in 1998, a subcommittee of legislators and public appointees was established to go about choosing a new state song. The result was a contest to solicit songs from all people around Virginia.

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In mid July 1998, Brad Jefferson heard about the Virginia State Song Competition on the radio.  Excited about the challenge, he began working on the lyrics.  Brad researched Virginia’s historical and natural characteristics and created a simple, yet beautiful image of Virginia.  The goal was to create an up-beat song that would inspire pride in the state, and would be fun to sing – especially for elementary school children.

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When the lyrics were completed, Brad enlisted the help of his son Kevin (then, age 9) to come up with a simple melody.  With 2 years of experience at the piano, Kevin spent almost three days creating and writing notes for the song's basic melody.  To complete the song, Brad and Kevin collaborated with friend Dan Smith of Centreville to put chords to the notes and further embellish the rest of the song.

To demonstrate the song's broad appeal to all ages, they recorded the song with friends (from Holy Cross Lutheran Church's children's choir) and extended family. Daniel Smith's wife, Sue Smith, sang the lead vocal with the chorus of 16 children. The children's voices reflect an innocence and pure love for the state.

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Their vision was rewarded when "My Heart Is In Virginia" was selected as one of 14 finalist songs by the State Song Committee in the Spring of 1999. Although the Virginia state song committee has stopped its search for a state song, "My Heart is in Virginia" continued its life and is has been performed at about 60 schools around the state.