On July 3, Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. will present a concert at the Levee in Charleston, West Virginia, where he will perform his new song, Come Home to West Virginia, live for the first time. The sing was released on Monday, June 20, on West Virginia Day. That was just 3 days before devastating flooding hit West Virginia, killing 23 and leaving thousands homeless. Landau plans to donate 100 percent of the July profits from the song to West Virginia flood relief efforts.
Murphy is an American jazz singer from Logan County, West Virginia. He won the sixth season of America’s Got Talent. The 41-year-old says, “I got with the co-writers of my song out in California right away, and we all decided to do whatever we could to help.”
The free performance is a command return for Murphy, who performed at the 2015 Live on the Levee concert. It will be the kickoff for his Homecoming tour. He will perform with the Boston Pops, film a live PBS special at The Grove in Hollywood, and perform in multiple states.
The new tune has been played widely on West Virginia radio stations since its debut. It names many of Murphy’s favorite West Virginia themes and places.
In addition to 23 deaths, the flooding in West Virginia washed out roads, destroyed buildings and cut off power to thousands. More than 1,200 homes were destroyed or severely damaged. According to Kevin Law, West Virginia climatologist, this is the third-deadliest flood on record in the state.
Come Home to West Virginia is currently available on Amazon.com, as an iTunes download and on Murphy’s website.