I just knew there were other people that knew
them and sure enough, Linda pointed me to their Facebook
fan page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Elton-and-Betty-White/142848445143?ref=ts&v=wall)
. Betty passed away back in 2004.
This is the biography that is floating around on
the internet (author unknown):
Elton and Betty White were a musical duo from
Little Rock, Arkansas who charmed the hearts of all who would
listen with their disarmingly honest and hilarious songs. Not
only were they and their music extremely weird, but they also
lived (and chronicled in their music) one of the greatest, most
touching love stories in the annals of history (or at least
Arkansas). Much of what is known about the two at this point is
conjecture or rumor, but a rough outline of their legend goes as
follows:
In the early 1980's, Betty was a more or less normal, married
secretary in her late 50's/early 60's at the same Little Rock
law firm where Bill Clinton worked. She had a slight psychiatric
problem for which she took medication, but at some point she
stopped taking her medication and experienced a psychic and
sexual renaissance of grandiose proportions: out with the
husband and respectable job, in with the matching hot pink
hair-do and spandex pants.
Elton, meanwhile, was a much younger (30 years younger, to be
exact!) man renowned in Little Rock for his phenomenal
basketball skills until the day he claims someone "put something
in his drink." Elton met Betty in a homeless shelter, and it was
love at first sight. The two were married and became notable
Little Rock eccentrics, playing music all around town while
sometimes delivering newspapers on the side. Elton ran for a
seat in Congress, while Betty challenged Bill Clinton, her
former co-worker, in an Arkansas gubernatorial race with the
sole platform of lowering the age of consent to 14.
During this time they recorded at least three albums: "The Best
of Elton and Betty" (which is not a compilation), "Sex Beyond
the Door," and the mysterious, elusive "Hard Deep Sex
Explosion." Each album - but "Sex Beyond the Door" in particular
- is a searingly honest, bizarre gem in which the two expound on
aspects of their daily lives and sexual inclinations while
playing dubiously-tuned ukuleles and tiny guitars. "I Am the
Master of Love," "I'm In Love With Your Behind," "I Don't Really
Like Oral Sex Much at All," "The Little Dicks Fit Me Best," "My
Three Feet Red Hot Tongue Is Sweet as Sugar," "Your Breast, I'd
Love to Carresst [sic]" - it is through songs such as these that
the true depth of their love for each other is revealed, in the
process making their oeuvre arguably the most listenable and
entertaining in the entire genre of Outsider Music.
Having had their fill of Little Rock and frustrated by the
sometimes provincial nature of its entertainment industry, the
pair moved to California's Venice Beach sometime in the early
1990's, where they delighted tourists on the famous boardwalk
and even got their own public access TV show, which ended up
winning several awards. They were featured on shows such as
"Sally Jesse Raphael," "The Arsenio Hall Show," "Maury Povich,"
radio programs like "The Dr. Demento Show," and were even voted
Sexiest Couple in LA.
Betty died in 2004, never having known the level of respect or
success she deserved. Her legacy of brilliant, hilarious music,
though, lives on, and plans to revitalize Elton's career are in
the works. Look for "Sex Beyond the Door" coming soon to a store
near you!
Elton and
Betty on Venice Beach (YouTube)
(At that time she
was 73 and he was 43).
Katie Callan has some wonderful portraits of the couple
capturing their one-of-a-kind love story.
