Maybe southerners are more verbal about how much they love their home ground, for whatever reasons. I think New Englanders (for example) are just as emotionally tied to their region but don't necessarily dwell on the sentiment of it in song. In fact, after spending many a jam doing songs like the Tennessee Waltz, Kentucky Waltz, Alabama Waltz, etc. I looked for one about Connecticut (where I live) and didn't find one. So I wrote one, feeling just as much affection for my home state as anyone in the south. Also, the music I happen to love had its origins in the south, so many of the songs are by and about things southern. That's probably changing, as the music spreads around the world.

Art, what a great school program that must have been!