Trustees of Your History
“Take Me Home, Country Roads”
by Susan Soderberg, historian and president of the Germantown Historical Society
Conceived in Germantown, Maryland and born in Georgetown, DC, the popular song has come to symbolize America as the crowd chant supporting the U.S. men’s team in the World Cup. The team may not be going on to the final competition, but the song has been further immortalized. When asked by the Washington Post recently why he thought the song was so popular, co-author Bill Danoff said, “It’s easy to sing and people know the words.” It’s not political or ideological, and it touches a common cord – home, Momma, and country roads.[i]
It began way back in August 1970 when musicians Taffy Nivert and Bill Danoff, who had formed a duet called Fat City, were traveling on Clopper Road to her family reunion at the Izaak Walton League in Germantown. The lodge was located on Waring Station Road off Clopper Road, a gravel road then. The reunion was organized by Taffy’s uncle Tomas Warren Fisher, president of the League at the time.[ii]
As they drove, the two made up a song about the country road they were traveling. Taffy was driving and Bill was playing the guitar.[iii] Running between Gaithersburg and Germantown, Clopper Road was quite rural then, with farms and cows and some dense woods. They worked on the lyrics during the next few months. During that time, Bill was inspired by the sights of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shenandoah River while traveling to a gig in Roanoke, Virginia, but had never set foot in West Virginia before writing the song. They were still composing when they opened for John Denver at The Cellar Door, a popular club on M Street in Georgetown, in the week between Christmas and New Years 1970.
As well as singing and composing, Danoff worked as a doorman and lighting and sound tech for The Cellar Door and had met Denver when he played there previously. Denver had also already recorded Danoff’s song, “I Guess He’d Rather Be in Colorado.” So, Denver agreed to meet with Bill and Taffy about this new song in their basement apartment on Q Street in Georgetown. He was late because he was in a car accident and had broken his thumb; but he still came directly from the emergency room. They changed some of the lyrics to give the song a more universal appeal, and Denver decided the three would play it at The Cellar Door the next night.[iv] The crowd loved it. And they later recorded it as a single with RCA.
John Denver went on to make the song famous with several albums and many performances, but always credited Bill and Taffy, who later formed a group called The Starland Vocal Band with Margot Chapman and Jon Carroll who traveled with Denver and opened many shows for him. Their group eventually landed a Grammy with “Afternoon Delight.”
Bill and Taffy married in 1972 and divorced after the band broke up in 1981. Bill Danoff has written many more award-winning songs and produced more albums.[v] Taffy is living a quiet life in Florida.
See more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taffy_Nivert
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Danoff
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_Me_Home,_Country_Roads
NBC 4 Washington, D.C. ‘It’s crazy’: ‘Country Roads’ cowriter reacts to World Cup revival
Taffy Nivert as she appeared in a Starland Vocal Band promotional photo dated June 1977, by Windsong/RCA Records
[i] Washington Post, July 6, 2026.
[ii] Arthur Virts, Boyds, A Character Study (2008), p126-127.
[iii] NBC 4, Washington, D.C. interview Dec. 20, 2020.
[iv] NBC 4, Washington, D.C. interview Dec. 20, 2020.
[v] https://billdanoff.com.
JULY 4TH FLEA MARKET CANCELLED
The Germantown Community Flea Market is cancelled for this coming Saturday, July 4 due to extreme heat and threat of storms. The three non-profit organizations that manage the market rely solely on volunteers, some of whom are teens and elderly. Our policy is to cancel the market if there is a threat of dangerous weather. Thank you for your understanding, and please stay safe and cool in this heat wave! We plan to see everyone in August.
The GHS Spring Newsletter is now available!
The GHS Fall Newsletter is now available!
NEW for Food Vendors at the Germantown Community Flea Markets
All food vendors must pre-register at germantownmdhistory@gmail.com
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Company name
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Montgomery County food vendor license number
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Owner name and cell phone number
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Day-of contact name and cell phone number
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All food vendors must ONLY park in aisles 5 or 6 (signage will be in the lot to note this)
No food vendors will be allowed into the lot unless they are pre-registered.
The GHS Summer Newsletter is now available!
The GHS Spring Newsletter is now available!
The GHS Winter Newsletter is now available!
Check out new information under the “Museum of Banking History” tab, along with innovative ways to contribute under “Support.”
Help us create the first Museum of Banking History in the state in the historic 1922 Germantown Bank building. $50,000 has been spent so far on exterior work completed through donations and grants. $80,000 now needed for interior design and construction. The themes of the Museum will be “The Evolution of Money,” “The History of Banking,” and “The History of This Small Community Bank.”
We thank you for your support!
Who are we?
The Germantown Historical Society is a non-profit organization founded in 1990. The basic goals of the group are to educate the community about local history, to provide an archive for local historical information, and to preserve local historic sites. The office of the Society is located in the Historic Germantown Bank Building across from the train station at 19330 Mateny Hill Road. We intend to create a museum of banking history inside the 1922 building which has an original walk-in vault and safe deposit boxes. We currently have a challenge grant of $100,000 from the Maryland Heritage Area Authority to achieve this goal and are raising money to match this challenge. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 475, Germantown, MD 20875. Our telephone number is 301-972-2707. We are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/germantownmdhistory.
Video courtesy of K-SEF Productions
WHY? Germantown has evolved from an 1840s crossroads village to an 1890s railroad town to a 21st Century “Corridor City.” Since 1974 Germantown has been growing by about 2,000 people a year. With this tremendous building boom Germantown has lost more than half of its historic structures–and along with them knowledge of the cultural and historical past of this important little railroad town. Many of the new residents have no idea that there was even a town here before the suburban growth. An understanding of the roots of this New Town can help to foster community identity and cohesion. Education about local history can also bring connection and relevance to state and national history for students and adults.
WHAT WE DO The Germantown Historical Society presents two public programs on local history every year with guest speakers. Members receive a quarterly newsletter. We advocate for the preservation of historic resources in Germantown. A video on Germantown history is available for presentation to school or adult groups. Exhibits on local history, old maps, Walter Johnson, and genealogical research are displayed in our museum and at public events. Research is currently being conducted to preserve and protect historic sites in Germantown. An ongoing project of the Society is to collect oral histories, as well as copies of old photographs and family histories. It also archives old Gazette newspapers and historical papers of Germantown organizations. Monthly Flea Markets are sponsored by the Society to raise funds.
The Germantown Historical Society, Inc. is supported in part by funding from the Montgomery County Government and the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County
