We first met Jimmy O in 1983. He was playing at Millers in downtown Charlottesville. This was before it was a downtown mall. It was just a bunch of streets and a downtown. My wife Nancy and I along another couple were enjoying the food and ambience at Millers while watching N.C. State play Hakeem Olajuwon and the highly touted Houston Cougars in the NCAA basketball championship game. As much as we enjoyed the food and the game – N.C. State upset Houston – we were captivated by the young man strumming his guitar and belting out tune after tune. He played for hours and never took a break, and he was playing our kind of music – great oldies from the 50s through the early 70’s. No hard rock, just great music.
Thirty-two years later, Jimmy O is still engaging and entertaining audiences across the Commonwealth. Today, he does oldies from the 80’s and 90’s, but he still brings back great memories from the golden years of music – when Johnny Cash sang Burning Ring of Fire, when Elvis swiveled and belted out I’m All Shook Up and when Neil Diamond wowed audiences with Sweet Caroline.
You can catch Jimmy O singing songs like Margaritaville at Corgan’s Publick House in Harrisonburg every Thursday night, as well as Massanutten Resort on most Sunday evenings. Jimmy performs at Charlottesville’s Lazy Parrot Grill on Tuesdays and the Lazy Parrot Backyard Barbeque on Wednesday evenings.
When a restaurant books an artist the same weeknight, year after year, you know they are happy, That’s because Jimmy O’s audiences are always happy to hear his great music and enjoy his grace and humor on-stage. If you get the opportunity, go hear some great music by Jimmy O.
For other performance dates, check out jimmyovirginia.com/