Roanoke Welcomes Navy Musician Home
Amherst County native musician 1st Class Caleb Cox returned home to Roanoke, Va., Wednesday, Sept. 7, in his new role as lead vocalist with the U.S. Navy Band Country Current. Cox was selected for the rare vacancy in the Navy’s only country/bluegrass ensemble after a competitive audition in November 2021. As all enlisted sailors in the Navy are required to do, Cox graduated from Navy boot camp in August 2022, arriving in Washington, DC, home of the US Navy Band, just three weeks before the start of Country Current’s 2022 national tour. Audience members can still hear Country Current on tour in Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia until September 14. Concert details can be found online at: www.navyband.navy.mil/events/t
The eldest of six children, Cox was born in Bedford County, Virginia, and moved to Amherst County when he was three years old. He started playing guitar and singing at the age of seven with local bands, including his family band, and made a name for himself in the region as a leading artist in the tradition. country and bluegrass. Dozens of friends and family came out to hear the hometown celebrity perform at Elmwood Park in Roanoke, Va., the band’s first gig on a national tour of 2022.
Country Current is nationally recognized for its versatility and musicianship, performing a blend of modern country music and cutting-edge bluegrass. This seven-member ensemble employs musicians from diverse backgrounds with extensive recording and high-profile touring experience on the music stages of Nashville, New York, New Orleans and more. In the tradition of country music, each member is a skilled performer on multiple instruments.
One of the primary responsibilities of the US Navy Band is to tour the country. All of the band’s major performing units embark on concert tours to specific parts of the country each year, allowing the band to reach audiences in parts of the country that do not have the opportunity to regularly see the best musical ensembles of the Navy.
