Toni Doman-Vandyke is a member of the Virginia West duo and a radio personality.
Toni Doman-Vandyke has had various roles at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, Bristol, Virginia, and works as grants coordinator and curatorialspecialist. Since 2018 she has produced and hosted the WBCM-LP Radio Bristol program,“Mountain Song & Story,” which showcases influential Appalachian artisans and traditions through in-depth interviews, music and storytelling. She earned her master’s degree in communications and media arts and studies from Ohio University focusing on Appalachian music and culture as the core of her graduate research. She is also one of the few students to earn the world’s first four-year degree in traditional bluegrass music offered at Glenville State University in West Virginia. She is a comedian and musician and performs in the duo Virginia West. Through all her creative outlets, Doman-Vandyke aims to promote our arts and culture for a greater understanding of the region.
“Probably the most exciting part of this process for me included the actual researchand diving deep into the hidden stories of female musicians. The biggest challenge was not having enough space to tell all the interesting stories on the exhibit panels. Because of this, we’ve even been able to build out a website (www.WomenInOldTimeMusic.com) that features more information on all the women featured in the exhibit, along with detailed bios and recordings. During our research phase, I had a focus area of researching challenges that women faced in the music industry, a topic I found very interesting.
“Often these challenges were simply the barriers to entry that women faced, with decision makers and record producers making assumptions on a female musician’s ability and morality. Many country and old-time musicians got their start playing on barn dance style radio programs in the 1930s/’40s, and it wasn’t uncommon for record producers to curate a radio persona to fit what they assumed their audiences would enjoy. A great example of this is The Coon Creek Girls, an all-female string band whose name was a fictional place that was suggested by producers to sound more ‘down home and relatable.’
“Other challenges that we feature in the exhibit tell stories of women not receiving equal pay, women working as homemakers and mothers leaving them little room to pursuetheir own careers, double standards, financial inequalities and more. To put it simply, women have always been part of the story of old-time music through passing down songs and stories and their presencealone plays an influence on the genre.Nearly all the women we interviewed for this exhibit touched on the feeling thatthemusic industry has come a long way in working towards equity,but we still have work to do.I feel the stories that are featured in the exhibit are important to not only women and the genreof old-time music, but these stories help us understand thedifficultset of challenges that female musicians have historically faced. I hope that these stories will help us shift our viewpoint and make for a more equal future,” she says.
On the musical front, Doman-Vandyke plays in Virginia West a project with her husband and musical partner KT Vandyke. The two of them have a love and passion for old-time, country and roots music styles, and they enjoy writing their own arrangementsof old folk and country music songs. They both attended college programs aimed at teaching Appalachian music styles. He attended East Tennessee State University and was involved with the Bluegrass Old-Time and Country Music program, and she attended Glenville State University in West Virginia for a Bachelors in Bluegrass Music (now Appalachian studies).
“The name, Virginia West, pays homage to where we’re both from, while also alluding to the type of music we play. I’m a native of West Virginia, while KT grew up here in Southwest Virginia. We basicallyflipped West Virginiato Virginia West as a way to take the Appalachian sounds of the region in a more country-western influenced direction, thus Virginia West was born. Occasionally, people have asked ‘who Virginia is’ thinking that’s my name (surprise it’s not). We’re both working on new music this year and are returning to performing regularly since theCOVID-19 pandemic, and we’re so excited that venues are returning to pre-pandemic level attendance numbers and that many gatherings have returned. We are a duo and both play melody and rhythm and take turns singing lead and harmony. I play with a sunburst MartinD-18 guitar and KT plays a Huss and Dalton Crossroads 00. You can keep up with us via ourFacebookpage orInstagram,” she says.
In her role on the radio, she created and hosts “Mountain Song and Story,” a weekly program that is centered around amplifying the voices of local people through their stories all with a greater goal of highlighting Appalachia in a positive light.
“Mountain Song & Story”tells the tales and folklore of the people who make up the rich cultural tapestry of Central Appalachia. Showcasing influential Appalachian artisans and traditions through in-depth interviews, music and storytelling,“Mountain Song & Story”aims to promote the arts and culture for a greater understanding of the region.
“Each week I choose a theme relating to Appalachian culture and region, and then Ifeature songs, stories and history about the topic. Currently the program features regularguests, such as regional artisans, craftspeople, musicians, folklorists, storytellers or anyone who is related to the topic of the week. In the past I had a weekly story segment and featured a regional folktale or folklore story to go along with the topic. I have also partnered with the Archives of Appalachia at ETSU to assist with researching the program and to broadcast oral history recordings. Some of my favorite past topics have been shows about gravy, a special series of Halloweenepisodes featuring spooky personal stories of local storytellers and an entire show about beans,” she says.
You can listen to her radio show Thursdays at 4 p.m. on Radio Bristol (WBCM-LP 100.1 FM) or through the Birthplace’s website, www.birthplaceofcountrymusic.org.
