This week the Drumbo playlist features artists exclusively from - and songs about the Greater Hampton Roads/Tidewater area of Virginia. There's lots of music history from these stompin' grounds and lots of great artists have called Norfolk, Portsmouth, Newport News, Hampton, Suffolk, Chesapeake, Williamsburg and Virginia Beach home. From Gene Vincent to Charlie Byrd, Bruce Hornsby to Ruth Brown, Juice Newton to Ella Fitzgerald - Virginia's musicians cover the complete musical spectrum and many will be here to entertain our FRiends and the troops with an emphisis on our own unique Beach Music genre to "Shag" the night away.
Of course Chuck Berry is from East St. Louis, not Norfolk - but, he wrote this oft covered classic that I would be remiss to miss. Enjoy!
~ Chuck Berry ~
Promised Land (Rehearsal)
~ Elvis Presley ~
Promised Land
~ Elvis Presley ~
Promised Land
~ Johnnie Allen ~
Promised Land
~ Johnny Rivers ~
I left my home in Norfolk Virginia
California on my mind,
I straddled that Greyhound
And rode on into Raleigh
And on across Caroline.
We stopped in Charolette
But bypassed Rock Hill,
We never was a minute late.
We was ninty miles out of Atlanta by sundown,
Rollin' outta Georgia state.
We had motor trouble that turned into a struggle
Halfway across Alabam',
And that hound broke down and left us all stranded
In downtown Birmingham.
Right away I brought me a through train ticket
Ridin' across Mississippi clean,
And I was on that midnight flyer out of Birmingham
Smoking into New Orleans.
Somebody help me get out of Louisiana
Just to help me get to Houston Town,
There are people there who care a little about me
And they won't let the poor boy down.
Sure as you're born brought me a silk suit
Put luggage in my hand,
And I woke up high over Alburquerque
On a jet to the promised land.
Working on a T-bone steak a la carte
Flying over to the golden state,
When the pilot told us in thirteen minutes
He would set us at the terminal gate.
Swing low chariot come down easy
Taxi to the terminal zone,
Cut your engines and cool your wings
And let me make it to the telephone.
Los Angeles give me Norfolk Virginia
Tidewater four-ten-oh-nine,
Tell the folks back home this is the promised land calling
And the poor boy is on the line.
