Louis Armstrong, Mills Bros - Carry me back to old Virginny

The Mills Brothers were a major African-American jazz and pop vocal quartet of the 20th century producing more than 2,000 recordings that sold more than 50 million copies and garnered at least three dozen gold records. The Mills Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.

Mills Brothers, Louis Armstrong - Carry me back to old virginny (1937)

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Mills
• Brothers
• Louis
• Armstrong
• 1937
• 30's
• 40's

[otharris]

I am from Virginia, and I am black. I love Virginia's State song. I don't understand the need to whitewash history. Northerners tend to over-simplify the Old South. My family loves the South. Slavery happened, and there were some slaves that felt affection towards there owners. Some slave and black free man fought in the Confederate Army. My grandmother feels cautious about the North just as many white Southerners. I have a great affinity for Virginia and all the South.

[crazycuntryboy2]

Soooooooooooooooooo sweet. ooooooaaaaa. Nie song dude. thanks for postin'

[agrahamt]

@otharris Since it's a very urban take on the song, and the coolest Louis ever sang, I choose to look at it as both genuine and ironic. Hard to believe they never (?) performed together, such a perfect fit. Obviously the lyrics of the song are an idyllic fantasy with a "simple" narrator who misses the good ol' days.. neither of these artists focused on the bad side of life. At the very top of my list of Armstrong recordings, but I have to admit I feel a little guilty about that.

[camking88]

If this were a song by a woman singing about how she misses her abusive ex and can't wait to go back to him no one would be defending it. If this were a song by a Jew singing about how he misses the Nazi regime no one would be defending it. It is okay to enjoy the musicianship of Louis Armstrong and the Mills Brothers, but make no mistake about the lyrical content.

[PooPoo2U]

@kerm123: Louis Armstrong gives this song quite a bit of reverence and is he not black? Ray Charles?

And of course you read about the lynchings in Virginia, the term "lynch" comes from the name of a Virginia colonist who hung British loyalists in the Revolutionary War, who were WHITE.

[PooPoo2U]

I just don't see how this is racist. Not only are there plenty of African Americans here defending it, but look how many African Americans gladly performed it. It was even written by an African American for pete's sake!

Long live the Commonwealth!

[chasosak]

The first recording I bought around 1936 For35cents. Old Folks at home was on the opposite side. I've collected many recordings during my lifetime of 87 years and counting.Thanks for the memory. -Chuck

[bdemare00]

@otharris

not a field nigga...

[bgibso94]

I'm a native of Virginia, and I'm Black. I love my home. I have no problem with the song. It's a pretty accurate description of how a Black Virginian feels about their home. History's lessons are hard, but we're all here TODAY. Just like everything else, we've taken something that might have been meant to hurt and harm us, and turned it into an even more beautiful rendition of the original.

[moosicnerd]

Awesome historic song, it's a shame they changed it.

[CHNOPSXXY]

Why not just enjoy the good music? This is a great state song, and Virginia should have kept it as the official state song of Virginia. On Jan 28, 1997 the Virginia Senate voted 24 -15 to designate Carry Me Back as state song "emeritus" in a bow to political propaganda; specifically because the lyrics use the slang term (popular back in those days) "darkey." "There's where this old darkey's heart am long'd to go."

The PC worshipers hate the depiction of a slave who loves and misses, "massa."

[twstdelf]

Holy crap! That's an awesome rendition! Thanks for posting! :)