To conclude our Spring season of Music on the Porch, Bob Whyte and Laura Jones will lead a tribute to W.C. Handy and his legacy. The Whyte Laundry Company is a banjo, washboard, and gutbucket band which got its start in Connecticut many moons ago, and relocated to Chapel Hill when Whyte headed South to start up a new business. Shortly after he arrived, Bob had the good fortune to meet Laura, a classically trained vocalist whose first love was singing blues and jazz. Together they created a musical comedy show, affectionately titled “Southern Songs By Yankees.”
Performing with Laura and Bob for the first time in North Carolina are Steve Whyte (washboard) and Matt Whyte (gutbucket), who are flying down from NYC to help their Pop put on this show. Steve’s day job is editing video for television and films, but he spends his evenings as an improv performer at Magnet Theater, a storyteller for The Moth, and a professional drummer. Matt is a composer and album producer, who toured Europe and Asia with his previous indie band Earl Greyhound.
W.C. Handy needs no introduction. Early in his blues songwriting career, he was christened “Father of the Blues.” Come out and listen on April 12th, and you’ll understand why. This event is free and open to the public, and parking is free after 5:00 pm in the Park Place parking lot, approximately two blocks from the Center.