Angry yodelling banjo player at Musicport
Published Date:
27 August 2008
By Dave Barry
CURTIS Eller, New York's angriest yodelling banjo player, is playing at the Musicport world-music festival at Bridlington Spa this autumn.
He sings about pigeon racing, performing elephants and Jesus, all of which he claims to have seen.
Curtis started his showbusiness career at the age of seven as a juggler and acrobat in a Detroit circus, but later turned to the banjo because that's where the money is (or so he says).
His biggest musical influences are Buster Keaton, Elvis Presley and Abraham Lincoln.
Haunted by the ghosts of silent film and wearing a dead man's clothes, Eller has performed at funerals, horse races, burlesque revues and punk-rock dumps.
His work has an old-time feel, drawing on an abundance of influences from the first half of the 20th century, including country singer Jimmie Rodgers, cowboy icon Gene Autry and Mississippi delta bluesman Robert Johnson.
This combines with a modern perspective and a healthy dose of rock 'n' roll energy.
Musicport runs from October 17-19.
The full article contains 174 words and appears in Scarborough Evening News newspaper.
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Last Updated:
27 August 2008 10:20 AM
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Source:
Scarborough Evening News
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Location:
Scarborough
