WCVE Public Radio Mourns Passing of Page Wilson
WCVE Public Radio received word that our friend and colleague, Page Wilson, has passed away. Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to his family, friends and fans at this time.
For more than 10 years, Out O’ the Blue Radio Revue has been a valuable part of our Saturday evening line up on WCVE Public Radio and we have appreciated the eclectic programming that Page has brought to our airways and our listeners.
My heart has a hole that can't be filled.
My ear hears a sound that can't be heard.
My tongue has a voice that has no words.
Goodbye Page till we see you play again. Amen
I have never felt as proud to be a Virginian as the first time I heard Page Wilson sing his beautiful ballad to our state. A fan of music, I've spent many a Saturday nights cooking in my kitchen and smiling at the tunes that Page spun for us- especially when it was a sweet Jerry tune. The world is nicer place because you were with us, Page. You departure leaves a big ole hole in our hearts. God speed, friend.
I'll always hear those footsteps clomping across the wooden floor (Is that Buck Toad comin'?) and the sound of the screen door slamming opening up to strumming and laughter and Welcome! Welcome! It sure was fun to have Page bring his collection of tunes and fine musician friends to Pocahontas Park to play each summer. He got such a kick out of the nature center critters we'd let crawl across the stage while he was playing (turtles, snakes, toads and more)...made him feel more at home in the swamp it seemed. The Great Blue Heron has indeed gone home to roost. too soon....you know...I never did want to "let a little quiet happen"....
Page was always so generous to the artists of Delta Groove/Eclecto Groove records while I was handling the promotion for the label.
I am heart broken to learn of this.
Frank Roszak
We'll miss you, Page.
Those of us who worked with you, and those who never spoke to you but only listened to the show -- I don't know any single person who had any contact with you who did not think of you as a friend.
Thanks for your music, and for making the planet, and our lives, much better.
Thanks also to WCVE for giving you a forum.
Second only to his family, few knew Page better than those of us who worked with him on the air. We all recognized the enormous talent he shared with so many and scrambled like puppies to be on the air with him. When I was with WCVE-FM (before it became the enigmatic and ridiculous "Idea Station"), Page and I did pledge versions of The Out O' the Blue Radio Revue every chance we could. Despite his professional demeanor on mike, he could break up his partners in crime until uttering a word without a high squawk in our voices was virtually impossible. Page didn't care - he loved watching us struggle with the glee he sprinkled like fairy dust in that tiny studio. Oh, he could be a terror with whom to argue, but that grin of his never ceased to be the balm in Gilead.
My grandson Jack and Page's daughter Virginia Blue fell in love at an early age - I think at aseven or eight - and Page kept me howling at their antics. Almost Saturday night in the spring and summer, Page and his fellow musicians (every one of them a musical heartbreaker in his own right) formed a caravan into the station - not even the ancient Silk Roaad offered more delacies than they: fresh, free-range eggs, corn, potatoes, peas in the pod, tomatoes in abundance and, of course, the endless parade of zucchini. Page's unbridled generosity was unstoppable, as was his and his colleagues' gift of making music reach deep into the soul.
We will alll miss him dreadfully...and there will never be a replacement for him in our hearts.
Rest in peace dear Page. And thank you so very much for all of the music you've shared with me over the years. Where else could Tom Waits, the Grateful Dead and Dolly Pardon be heard within minutes of each other on the same station? It was the best show on the radio. You are and always will be missed.
We here on the Northern Neck (Kinsale)will truly miss Page and 'Out Of The Blue Radio Review'. He was our favorite 'listening' on Saturday evenings, and kind of made 'things normal' after a week of hearing the world's troubles....
We've made several recent trips via sailboat from Kinsale to the Abacos, Bahamas. If we were at a place where WIFI was available and it was Saturday, we would listen to Page on WCVE Streaming Audio, to get our weekly 'fix' on 'back home Mongrel Music'. We once emailed Page from the Bahamas, and he got a kick that someone was listening to him on a sailboat in the Bahamas.
As Page always said, "The Best Is Yet To Come".....
Tom and Kaye in Kinsale (VA)
Thank you, Page, for playing Purebred American Mongrel music and making us smile. What fun! Saturday nights in the Swamp won’t be the same without you. Your music and spirit will live on in our hearts. We will be forever grateful for your generosity by inviting us into your kitchen (via the radio) every Saturday night. We will remember your boundless energy in organizing and supporting so many events in our community, and your unsurpassed support of musicians.
We miss you. Peace, you are at home in Virginia.
Several of us are planning a memorial concert for Page Wilson. If you would like to be added to an email list for announcements, email me at terrygblues@verizon.net.
RIP, Page.
please add my name to list for page wilson memorial service.
Rest in peace my dear brother and friend.
I was Page's voice teacher at University of Richmond. What a great guy! i'm writing a letter to the paper soon. What a shock to lose him.
Sorry to hear of the passing of Page Wilson But he still in the hills of Virginia Singing over them. He is going to be missed but when you sing he will be listing.
Your honest love of music and people will be missed by all who knew you. Your gracious spirit will be gone from among us, but I will have a smile on my face as I think of you.
When a friend told me the other day of Page’s passing it was like a punch in the gut. I knew Page had not been at his best of late but I did not expect this. I have had the great pleasure over the years of listening to Page from places around the world. My entire family knew that when the opening bars of “Virginia” spilled from the radio they had just lost Dad for 2 hours. I have been known to leave Christmas parties early in order to not miss the three weeks leading up to the holiday in order to hear the festival coming from my speakers. I was so taken in by OOTBR that my wife told me I could not go online to buy the albums while the show was still going on!. Page touched my life and my family’s life in so many different ways. I counted Page as true friend, a friendship carried on mostly through e-mail and the radio but a tremendously rewarding one none the less.
God Bless you, Virginia Blue.
So, Page, play on forever and “…Know The Best Is Yet To Come…”
PS: If anyone hears of a memorial service/concert/bonfire please e-mail me at 43nyvi@gmail.com
@Buck: not sure yet what, if anything, will happen with respect to a memorial - but if we can do it, we will post the announcement on our Facebook page and on this website. Ami Kim, social media mgr, Community Idea Stations
I shall miss hearing this wonderful musician on WCVE come Saturday evenings. He is irreplaceable. He wrote his own epitaph with his "my home will always be Virginia" song. Rest in peace.
Saturday nights; a fire my dog and the radio on 88.9.It will never be the same.You will truley be missed.
Duke, Prince George
What a really nice guy Paige was. I am surely going to miss him and certainly miss his music. He was always so kind to me. I remember when we did the photo shoot together when we were in "Boomer" magazine with other Richmond local musicians..Robin Thompson and Steve Bassett. It was a lot of fun catching up. He also was very supportive of me and Janet when we were "The Rare" back in the 80's.
He was such a dedicated musician and he loved music and it showed when he did his radio show. We are going to miss you, Paige. I'm sure you are singing with the angels now and they are, as you know, at the top of all the charts in the whole universe. God bless you and God bless your family.
Love,
Betsy Q
Thank you, Page, for wonderful times. Thank you, WCVE, for bringing Page's musical gift and his excellent ear for music to so many.
Our corner of the swamp is a lonelier place without him.
From the days of the Studley Stomps to the setting sun at Pochahontis, we have grown, lived and loved with the music and happiness Page shared with all. No matter how the work week went, you could always count on finding a comfortable spot in the swamps of the Chickahominy come Saturday night. It is appropriate the Church Hill Irish festival is near and so that we may gather to share some fond memories, tears and beers. Hopefully he is breaking some strings before the Lord and making him smile at this very moment. Godspeed brother.
The Irish Festival will be in dedication to Page this year. He would like that. It is a most sad time....... hold onto the memories.
Nita Collins
Member - St. Patricks Church
We will miss Page Wilson's "purebred American mongrel music." My condolences to his family and friends. And thanks to Bobbie Barajas for playing his theme song at the end of her program yesterday. His song will stay with me forever.
There are damn few musicians that haven't sold out to the commercial dribble played on most stations. Page was one of those few.
What I'll miss most is the voice, the music, and the fun. Seeing Page live was always a real treat; memories that will be everlasting.
RIP to a true original.
...without Page Wilson.
Hearing our true State Song and Page's voice at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday nights made me feel at home. I thought I had years yet ahead to contract with Page and the Boys to play "Virginia" at my funeral some day... as the last number with the congregation joining in. We hit half-past 13 Chickahominy time suddenly, far too soon -- and I am so so sad.
I hope many can gather and do a truly rousing rendition of "Virginia" that he will be able to hear?
Please WCVE -- post any news about a memorial gathering!
I will miss The Out of the Blue forever. Linda Steward
Page-
You set the bar for authentic life. compassion for the arts and the artist and others in need. i smile in remembrance. may we all carry in our hearts your blend of earthy and heavenly magic. fly on, my friend.
dwight
I cried on the way to work this morning when I heard the news. I've lived in Virginia less than 3 years, but Page and his show made my Saturday nights. He felt like a friend, a funny, wise friend with great taste in music. I wish I'd been able to meet him and sing with him. I can't believe I won't hear him anymore. I hope WCVE continues to play his old shows for a long, long time.
You are missed already, Page. Thank you for the music, and for your companionship. May your heart find peace here always.
You who choose to lead must follow
But if you fall, you fall alone
If you should stand, then who's to guide you?
If I knew the way, I would take you home.
We will miss you and your music.
Niel
emails from a good friends...
I read with much sadness this morning the passing of Page Wilson yesterday. Among other things, it made me think of the times I shared with you two sitting on the deck on Old River Trail, often with a fire going in the bar-be-cue pit, listening to the Out-of-the-Blue Radio Review and sipping on some adult bevs. Here's to Page and to the happiness he brought to many through his music and through the pure-bred mongrel music of others, and to good friends with whom I was lucky enough share that music. Love you guys,Lonnie
Hey buddy, How ironic or coincidental, I was going to send you the same message, you beat me to it, well said amigo. I, as well as thousands more, have enjoyed Page for so many years, God bless his soul. Out-of-the-view was one of my favorites and nobody could do it as well as Page, we will miss the good old boy. Pure bred mongrel music is what Page was all about, home on the Chickahominy River was his stage and he touched many along the way. RO
I remember the day that I walked up on stage behind you, I didn't know who you were, but I recognized that voice from listening to you so many Saturday evenings on the radio. You turned and looked at me and I said to you, "are you Page Wilson?" and you responded "do I owe you money?". I'll never forget that moment. The humor and music you blessed us with all those years. All of your loyal followers in Richmond will truely miss you. I will be looking and listening for you when I get to Heaven.
I remember when I was planning our wedding, my future husband told me the only thing he really wanted to handle was the music and he wanted his childhood friend Page to play...when we approached Page, he was so excited for us and Page along with Reckless Abanden made that day even more special...Page was a special man, friend, community activist and down home country boy---there will never be another one like him...Page, God speed - know that we cry tears of your loss here on Earth, but we know you are in Heaven playing up a storm....you will never be forgotten.....
Page, you truly lifted all of us up as we "bent our ears" to hear the tunes that you offered up for our enjoyment on Saturday nights. You will be sorely missed. May everyone remember that we only get one trip on this planet and to make the best of what we've got. Rest in peace Page.
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young
Thank you, Page, for the many years of your wit, humor and contributions to the Richmond music scene. From your days on the old WVTR-FM ("Stereo Country") to the current run on WCVE, you have been a part of my Saturday nights for as long as I can remember. Hearing you at play at the old Texas-Wisconsin Border Cafe, and so many other venues, brings such fond memories. I hope and pray that Virginia Blue and your brothers and sister will find comfort and solace in the memories you have given to so many in the Richmond community through your music and kind acts. Rest well.
As his lyrics to the Rider song said " you know you riders are going to miss me when I am gone" couldn't ring truer! Thanks for all of the great memories Page! You made the world a better place!
I shall truly miss the saturday evenings tuning in to the Chickahominy Swamp kitchen table of Paige and his friends. It has been a pleasure listening to his voice and the rest of Reckless Abandon as they performed. His distintive voice is embedded in my memory. Thanks for all of the American Mongrel music my friend.
May God greet you at Heavens' door with a Vintage Martin and invite you to join in the singing!
Heaven done called another bluegrass singer back home...RIP Page...Virginia's presence above grows again...play on...
Much too soon to be thinking of you moving on. That smile and that voice. I'm remebering you singing Amazing Grace for Eric "Ric" E. Stanley and John Cephas. We will all have to sing for you. And will never be able to do you justice.
home in my heart, always.
God loves good music, too. Guess that's why. Play on, Page, we'll still hear you.
God loves good music, too. Guess that's why. Play on, Page, we'll still hear you.
Thanks so much for pouring your heart and soul into the music that shaped our state and our country. I know how proud you were to be Virginian but now, you are a citizen of Heaven. While the Earth mourns, the angels rejoice as you too go out of the blue....goodbye Page......
Page created music and more, he was an outstanding musician who has broke his last string, I will miss him and his show.
We sure will miss that mellow voice and sweet music floating up from out of the Chickahominy Swamp each week.
Not tonight, buddy, tonight's for cryin'. I am really going to miss you and the show. God speed, Page, the pain is over.
I was truly saddened to learn of Page's passing. He was a gift to us here in Central Virginia. In bringing us wonderful music and stories, he helped carry us away from all the stress and madness in the world every Saturday night. The variety of entertainment that he shared brought a few hours of joy and sometimes dancing to my living room. I could not help but smile at the sound of that familiar voice coming through the radio. To say he will be missed does not do justice to the sadness in my heart.
God bless him and his family, my thoughts and prayers are with you.
I've known you for years. We talked little. You are and were a tremendous force of local music and had an incredible talent to share. I remember your song you entered to become VA state's song. You had the coolest show on radio, listening to it helped me escape my surroundings. You will be missed. Condolences to your family..I know you know this Virginia Blue, your dad was awesome.
I truly cannot count the number of great musicians I have been turned on to or reintroduced to because of Page and his show.
Play on, Page, and God Bless.
"...And when this earthly ramble is over, I know I'll find peace there always."
See you there, Page, and we'll play some tunes.
I will certainly miss hearing Page Wilson and the Out of Blue Radio Revue on Saturday nights. Friends in Chase City, VA
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