70s Classic Was Written About the WRONG Destination Cuz Band MISREAD a ROAD SIGN!-Professor of Rock

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Coming up, we go back to the making of a song that came from the basement sessions of an artist that originally wanted to work for the CIA. Songwriting couple Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert were traveling to a family reunion when they read a road sign… It said Westernport Maryland but they misread it as West Virginia and so they wrote a song about the road sign… Their error would become an all-time standard. They originally wrote the song with Johnny Cash in mind but they were playing with a rookie by the name of John Denver who wanted to hear some of their newly written songs as both Denver and the songwriting couple were looking for their first hit. They showed him their West Virginia song called Take Me Home Country Roads but it wasn’t quite finished. They finished the song together and then next day when they played it to a small audience, the crowd went nuts… they were even singing along by the end. Take Me Home Country Roads became a 70s classic and It’s been named by legislation as an official song for West Virginia, even though the co-writers and the music icon that made it a huge hit had never been there before!. Let’s travel through the backroads to reach our destination and honor a true American standard…NEXT on Professor of Rock!

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Our story begins with Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert, who were driving south on Maryland Route 36 to attend a family reunion. Billy noticed a road sign that read “Westernport,”….as in Westernport, Maryland…But, he misread it as “West Virginia.” That innocent error sparked their imagination, and prompted the couple to start riffing on writing a song about West Virginia. A place they had never been, but somehow were drawn to, as if it was their destiny to compose a song dedicated to its scenic beauty & a sanctuary from the pressures of the world.

Mary Catherine Nivert, born in Washington, D.C., earned the nickname "Taffy" from her older brother, who had a tough time pronouncing her middle name, Tafferine, when he was a child.

Her passion for singing blossomed in high school, where she would often sing along with the radio. Her talent caught the attention of a bartender in Georgetown who overheard her singing to a jukebox. Impressed, by what he heard, the bartender invited her to join a vocal group, which ultimately led her to meet her future husband, Bill Danoff, whom she married in ’72.

In the mid-60s, Bill was enrolled at Georgetown, pursuing studies in Mandarin with hopes of landing a job with the CIA. However, due to the limited opportunities available in the Central Intelligence Agency, Bill took a detour and embarked on a career in professional music instead. In his early teen years in the late 50s, Bill would often come up with impressions for songs.