There is something ethereal about the moment you hear it. A clean, simple-chord progression carrying a gentle, country twang. “Almost heaven …”
Arms lift. Mountaineers-for-life beam with pride. Strangers link shoulders. Players sway in unison. In Morgantown, victory doesn’t end with a whistle. It ends with a homecoming.
For generations of Mountaineers, John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” has been more than a music anthem. It’s part of their identity, intertwined in their history — an undimmable, internal compass calling them home.
Now, West Virginia University has added a new chapter to that tradition, one penned by a son of Morgantown himself. Country music star Charles Wesley Godwin recently partnered with the university on a licensing agreement for his song “Cue Country Roads,” the 17th track on his 2023 album “Family Ties.” The track will be a central component of an upcoming university-led campaign honoring the postgame ritual and holds promise to become a Mountaineer soundtrack in its own right.
For Godwin, the deal is both personal and poetic. The stadiums and classrooms of WVU were once the backdrop of his own search for identity. Now, the music born of that journey will echo through the same hills and hollers he still calls home.
Finding His Voice at WVU
Godwin enrolled at WVU in 2010 as a finance major, a practical choice for a teenager who didn’t yet know his calling. Good grades earned him the Promise scholarship, and he was chasing the dream of wearing the old gold and blue as a linebacker on the football field.
“I tried out for the team three times and got cut all three times. I was too small and too slow,” he said with a chuckle, remembering attempts under both Bill Stewart and Dana Holgorsen.
What might have felt like rejection became redirection. In 2011, inspired after watching the Grammys and looking for a hobby to fill the hole football left behind, Godwin bought his first guitar. But it was the university’s study abroad program that gave him the courage to play it in public.
He landed in Tartu, Estonia, in 2013, where guitar practice in the evenings was anything but private since he shared space with five other roommates. His new friends encouraged him and made him realize that his chosen distraction could be more than a hobby. One night, friends dragged him onstage at a local club. Absolutely terrified, he played anyway — and loved it.
“That was the beginning of everything,” he said.
When he returned to Morgantown, he and his friends formed a bluegrass band, playing wherever they could. By graduation, finance was a fallback plan. Music was his future.
Today, Godwin tours internationally, performing songs steeped in Appalachian storytelling. No matter the venue, he knows he may be the first and only West Virginian some fans ever meet.
“I’m very proud of being from West Virginia,” he said. “Every day when I go out to play a show or make music, I’m trying to represent this place well. I think West Virginia can have its best days ahead of it.”
That pride is what makes the WVU partnership meaningful. “Cue Country Roads” isn’t just another track — it’s his love letter to the university traditions that shaped him.
A Band of Mountaineers
While Godwin is the face on stage, gold-and-blue blood also runs through the veins of his touring family members. Out of 12 people on the road, four — including Godwin — have direct WVU ties.
Ross Justice, front-of-house engineer and production manager, is a Morgantown native, WVU alumnus and current instructor teaching students the ropes of Music Business and Industry. He’s also Godwin’s longtime friend.
Chris Kuskey, monitor engineer, is a WVU Music Business and Industry graduate whose training ground was inside of Morgantown’s Metropolitan Theatre.
Nate Catanzarite, bass player, earned his master’s degree from WVU and joined the band full-time after an initial opportunity to play upright bass, his first love, for tracks on Godwin’s “Seneca” album.
Together, they’ve turned the road into a rolling extension of WVU campus spirit.
The Sound of Loyalty: Ross Justice
Justice and Godwin played together in their band Union Sound Treaty between 2014 and 2018. In 2023, Godwin invited him to run monitors at Nashville’s famed Ryman Auditorium. That call led to more gigs, then a full-time role in 2024 as monitor engineer, before taking on the roles of front-of-house engineer and production manager in 2025.
“My job is to translate Charles’s sound to the audience,” Justice explained. “The monitors have become my instrument these days.”
Justice also lectures at WVU, a dream job he balances with life on the road.
“I always wanted to be a teacher early on. Now those two worlds are colliding, and I’m living the dream.”
The touring family, he said, reflects Mountaineer values.
“We’re respectful, we’re coffee drinkers, we’re morning people,” he laughed. “We’re not the rock ‘n’ roll stereotype. We’re on a mission together, with that Mountaineer mentality — we’re out to outwork everyone and show them exactly what we’re made of.”
Behind the Monitors: Chris Kuskey
As Justice mixes the sound for the crowd, Chris Kuskey ensures the band hears what they need on stage.
“All the mics split two ways — one to Ross, one to me,” he said. “Each member gets a custom mix in their monitors. It’s complicated, but I love being part of the band without being on stage.”
Kuskey grew up in Moundsville and was among the first to enroll in the WVU Music Business and Industry program. He learned live sound at the Met Theatre, then returned to complete his master’s in 2021. When Justice recommended him for Godwin’s crew in 2025, the timing was perfect.
“Part of what made me feel comfortable so quickly was our West Virginia roots and all the friends we had in common,” Kuskey said. “We all share a regional understanding that makes it easier to gel, grow a rapport. I could see myself on the road for years to come with this group, for sure.”
Kuskey sees Godwin’s career as a model.
“I have tremendous respect for the way that he’s gone about building his career,” Kuskey said. “He’s proof you can succeed without compromising on the kind of music he makes or who he’s making it with, and I really respect him for staying true to his compass. That loyalty is rare, and I think fans feel it.”
Holding Down the Low End: Nate Catanzarite
Nate Catanzarite grew up in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, where his love for music started in school orchestras. He picked up the upright bass as a teenager, a decision that opened the door to professional opportunities. After completing his undergraduate degree at Duquesne, he came to WVU for a master’s in Music Education.
“When I got here, I finally had the chance to figure out my identity as a musician,” he said. “The teachers were supportive of every avenue I wanted to explore — bluegrass, performing and even taking time off to tour with Charles. They held a place for me. They didn’t have to do that and that meant everything.”
His first connection to Godwin came in an unexpected way. During Christmas break of his senior year at Duquesne, guitarist Al Torrence called him to play upright bass for a studio session. Those recordings became part of the “Seneca” album. Months later, he was back in Morgantown for grad school and was invited to the album’s release party at Gene’s Beer Garden.
“I walked up on stage and introduced myself to Charles as his bass player,” Catanzarite laughed. Six years later, he’s still holding down the low end.
On tour, he switches between bass guitar and upright bass, providing the backbone of Godwin’s sound. But his WVU connection goes beyond academics.
“I identify my college experience more with WVU than Duquesne,” he said. “That’s where I figured out who I was.”
Catanzarite still calls Beaver County home, where his wife teaches second grade.
“I have friends who did the Nashville thing, but it never ends there — you never stop. Coming home feels different. It’s not just dropping your bags until the next run. It’s actually home.”
And whether it’s in Morgantown or overseas, the Flying WV is never far away.
“We’ve seen people wearing it in London, Germany, even Texas. It’s amazing how far it reaches. Every show with Charles ends with ‘Country Roads.’ Deep into a run, that moment still gives me goosebumps. Hearing a crowd in Oslo sing it back in their accents — that’s something I’ll never forget. They might not understand what Charles is saying on stage, but they knew every word of that song.”
Carrying Home on the Road
For Godwin and his crew, WVU isn’t just a past chapter — it’s an active presence. They watch games backstage and on the bus, celebrate big wins and carry Mountaineer identity with them across the world.
“Family is the word I’d use,” Justice said. “We’re Mountaineers — here to prove what we can do.”
For WVU students chasing their own dreams, Godwin offers perspective born of winding roads.
“There is no interstate in the music business — it’s just a series of windy highways,” he said. “The first years might look abysmal, but that’s normal. Don’t be discouraged.”
Kuskey said it’s important to trust your intuition, and that opportunities will come beyond your wildest dreams. “It’s most important to grab hold of the ones that feel right,” he added.
Coming Full Circle
From a finance major strumming in a study-abroad flat to a recording artist whose song now takes its place in WVU lore, Godwin’s story is a Mountaineer story. And when “Cue Country Roads” plays, it will carry more than celebration. It will carry the fingerprints of a Morgantown son, the craft of his WVU crew members and the reminder that sometimes, the winding highways of life still lead you home.
Story by Holly Leleux-Thubron. Photos by David Malecki, David Ryan and Matt Sunday.
