This Sunday Elder Music column was launched in December of 2008. By May of the following year, one commenter, Peter Tibbles, had added so much knowledge and value to my poor attempts at musical presentations that I asked him to take over the column. He's been here each week ever since delighting us with his astonishing grasp of just about everything musical, his humor and sense of fun. You can read Peter's bio here and find links to all his columns here.

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We're in the home stretch now. Here are the last of the states (alphabetically).

It seems that whenever a town or city is mentioned in these songs, I have been there.

Not too unusual except that I live in a country on the other side of the world.

Rapid City is one place where I spent some days waiting for a radiator to be fixed. It came into close contact with a deer. I hasten to add that I was a passenger at the time, not the driver.

I don't know if KINKY FRIEDMAN has ever hit a deer but nothing would surprise me when it comes to the Kinkster.

Kinky is better known for being from Texas (and writing books about New York), but his song is about South Dakota. It's called Rapid City, South Dakota.

♫ Kinky Friedman - Rapid City, South Dakota

I don't know what it is about Tennessee that inspires waltzes, but there you go.

You probably think you know what's coming up given that introduction, but it's is not to be.

Anyone who knows the music of JESSE WINCHESTER has got it right though.

Jesse's song is The Brand New Tennessee Waltz.

♫ Jesse Winchester - The Brand New Tennessee Waltz

Another Texan, LYLE LOVETT, and his song is about that state.

To quote Tom Rush, "Lyle is not like the other children.” He has a really quirky attitude when it comes to writing songs but it's not too obvious in this one. It's called That's Right (You're Not from Texas). He performs it as if it's 1940 and Bob Wills is still the king.

♫ Lyle Lovett - That's Right (You're Not from Texas)

I couldn't find any songs about Utah, at least none with the state's name in the title.

I did find one where Utah was mentioned and that's good enough for me.With some of these I got a bit desperate. You might have noticed.

The song is sung by MARTY ROBBINS.

The song is Utah Carol, and it's taken from his terrific “Gunfighter Ballads” album.

♫ Marty Robbins - Utah Carol

My choice for Vermont is Moonlight in Vermont.

There are many different versions of it, but one stood out as far as I'm concerned, and that is the one by BILLIE HOLIDAY. Regular readers are probably not surprised by that. I won't say anything else, just let Billie sing the song.

Billie Holiday - Moonlight in Vermont

DAVE ALVIN first came to prominence in the band The Blasters with his brother Phil.

Since then he's had a solo career singing fine songs in his superb baritone voice. He mostly writes his own material, but he has released an album called "Public Domain" where he performed fine old songs, some dating back a century or more.

East Virginia Blues is one from that album.

♫ Dave Alvin - East Virginia Blues

Now to the hardest state of them all, Washington.

Oh, there are a lot of songs about Washington but they all refer to the city on the other side of the country.

I resorted to the intertube and there are some websites that suggest that there are no songs about Washington or, at least, none that mention the state in the title.

That was my unofficial criterion for these columns - that the name had to be in the title. Undeterred by that, I spent several days searching and finally found one. It's by M. WARD.

M (his mum and dad weren't very imaginative in the naming department) has a song called Four Hours in Washington which I was assured is about the state. However, it isn't actually mentioned in the lyrics, but I'm desperate so it'll have to do.

♫ M. Ward - Four Hours in Washington

KATHY MATTEA really was born in West Virginia.

So she's not lying when she sings West Virginia, My Home. Kathy was classically trained as a singer but discovered folk music and took up the guitar.

Since then she's ventured into gospel, bluegrass and has become a respected singer/songwriter. Anything she performs is well worth a listen.

♫ Kathy Mattea - West Virginia, My Home

Thank heaven for GLENN YARBROUGH, he had the solitary Wisconsin song.

Readers with long musical memories know that Glenn started out as the lead singer for the Limeliters. He then went on to have a long solo career. Actually, the career is still continuing.

Glenn's song today is just called Wisconsin.

♫ Glenn Yarbrough - Wisconsin

Poor old Wyoming, always coming last alphabetically.

It never seems to be the thing to do something or other in reverse order. Even I haven't done that.

I could completely rearrange all these columns but that sounds like too much hard work, so I won't. Anyway, we have JOHN DENVER for this final state.

John's song is called Song of Wyoming.

♫ John Denver - Song of Wyoming

Well, that's it. Or is it? There's an obvious clichéd way to end this series and never let it be said that I'll always avoid the clichés.

So, an extra track from SIMON AND GARFUNKEL to sum up all that's gone before, simply called America.

♫ Simon and Garfunkel - America