Arcade Building Moan

Knoxville, Tennessee, was home to Vernam for quite a spell back in the 90s. As in a lot of towns, there's sometimes a lack of regard for the very things that make the place special -- its old downtown and Market Square, the Tennessee river, James Agee, and local culture in general. Having grown up in Chicago, I was used to snobbism toward the South. But it was a shock to learn, after moving there, that a lot of native Southerners are equally disdainful about what, to me, makes that region America's musical treasure chest. I once attended the Governor's economic conference, an annual gathering of well-heeled good ol' boys. Del McCoury provided post-banquet entertainment, which as you'd imagine, thrilled Vernam no end. I was seated next to an otherwise kindly middle-aged couple who did their best to ruin the evening by complaining about how Del "sings through his nose," which is like complaining that the Sistine Chapel's ceiling is too far off the ground.

But fortunately for Knoxville, it has a writer named Jack Neely who single-handedly unearths gems like the story of singer-songwriter Leola Manning and an awful event that prompted her to compose and record the song "Arcade Building Moan." Thanks to Internet file-sharing, her all-but-lost performance has become legendary in certain circles, as Neely explains. I won't spoil the surprises in his long article for Metro Pulse, a free weekly. But for those who read on, your patience and curiosity will be rewarded. Here's a sample of the song, which should be enough to convince you to buy the album.