Southwest Virginia is home to The Crooked Road, a 333 mile stretch along scenic roadways where traditional and heritage music can be heard.  “The variety of music is amazing … old time string bands, a cappella gospel, blues, 300 year old ballads, and bluegrass” (myswva.org).

Music can be heard in Major Venues such as the Birthplace of Country Music in Bristol, the Carter Family Fold in Hiltons, the Old Fiddlers Convention in Galax, and the Floyd Country Store in Floyd.  In addition to these Major Venues, there are over 60 Affiliated Venues, places where traditional music can be found, often in weekly jam sessions, where anyone with a song or instrument is welcome to join in.  Radford is home to the Radford Fiddle and Banjo Jam which was started by Ralph Berrier in 2000 and is currently located in the River City Grill (Photo Credit: Photography Intern).

An offshoot of the Fiddle Jam is held in the Pizza House, a locally owned business since 1971.

While not an Affiliated Venue of The Crooked Road, the Pizza House Jam is a place where local musicians gather to play and sing.

While I can join in on singing a few of the songs, I have no talent with a musical instrument.

The music fills the room, the folks watching tap their feet or sing along, and the faces of the musicians reflect the joy of the evening.

And that is what music is all about.