The Crooked Road

Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail

The Crooked Road is a hidden gem of Southwest Virginia; a heritage music trail that winds over 330 miles through the mountains to connect 10 major venues and over 40 affiliated sites. Follow The Crooked Road and find your way to inspiration at the many annual festivals, weekly concerts, radio shows, square dances, and jam sessions, ranging from large audiences to small, intimate gatherings.

Save the date for the Appalachian Trail Days Festival every May and the Abingdon Fiddlers’ Convention at the Washington County Fairgrounds every June. Check out the Damascus events calendar for heritage music around town.

The Crooked Road Major Venues

Make Damascus Your Basecamp

Make Damascus your basecamp and check out the major venues nearby on The Crooked Road:

• Southwest Virginia Cultural Center & Marketplace in Abingdon
• Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol
• Carter Family Fold in Hiltons

A Southwest Virginia Legacy

Southwest Virginia is home to a long legacy of traditional bluegrass and old time mountain music. These mountains are home to more than two dozen contemporary venues that showcase the region’s musical traditions on a regular basis. Spanning from the Coalfields to the Blue Ridge, The Crooked Road winds through the valleys connecting these cultural institutions. A road trip along The Crooked Road immerses visitors in the rich culture of Southwest Virginia as travelers find themselves hopping up on the dance floor, strumming along in the jam, or singing along with the band.

Be on the lookout for The Crooked Road’s wayside exhibits along the way, including at the Damascus Town Park, Whitetop community, and Grayson Highlands State Park.

Heritage Music in Damascus

Respected keepers of musical traditions have lived and performed in the Damascus area for many years. In addition to well-known local legends such as the Carter Family and the Stanley Brothers, others among them were:

• Horton Barker, a blind balladeer, performed at the White House for the Roosevelts in the 1930s.
• Walter “Sparkplug” Hughes was a member of The Hill Billies, a traveling vaudeville and radio band that gave its name to “hillbilly” music.
• G.B. Grayson, a renowned composer, fiddler, and singer, performed on the streets of Damascus.
• Herbert and Earl Sweet, of the Sweet Brothers, were active string band musicians here in the 1920s and 30s.