This year’s Oxford American music issue just keeps on giving. Last night, I read a great profile of Elton and Betty White, an Arkansas couple that sang the quaintest, most affectionate songs about sex this side of—trust me, it’s in there—Carole King’s Tapestry. (Check their MySpace page for a sample of "Hard Deep Sex Explosion." Among other things.) The duo was something of a local secret, a pair whose legend might’ve spread as wide as the OA readership but whose influence didn’t really extend beyond Little Rock.
While our city’s musicians can’t claim to’ve penned a tune as perfectly titled as "A Jelly Behind Woman Blows My Mind," there are a few locals who I’d say add to the musical makeup of our city without necessarily contributing to the greater world of music. The rhythmless banjo player who used to lurk near Bank of America and Antics comes to mind, as does Harmonica Dave.
Who else am I missing? Tell me who belongs on the list of local legends who’ve stayed local. (The first person that so much as mentions a Matthews will suffer thusly.)
And, since we’re talking about local legends, Andrew Cedermark—former UVA student and current rocker in a band named for a play about cannibals—performs with Titus Andronicus and opening act Lucero at Outback Lodge tomorrow night. (Titus was in town not too long ago.) A preview:
