My favorite things North Carolina
1. Jazz musician: Umm…should it be John Coltrane or Thelonious Monk?
2. Bluesman: Reverend Gary Davis remains underrated. Try "Maple Leaf Rag" or "Sally Where’d You Get Your Liquor From?" For country music — really just another form of blues — you have Earl Scruggs and Merle and Doc Watson. George Clinton did funk.
3. Female singer-songwriter: Tori Amos, favorite album Little Earthquakes. Her most underrated album is Strange Little Girls. Nina Simone is another good candidate, although she did mostly covers.
4. Movie, set in: I hate Bull Durham, so you will have to help me out here…Is part of Sherman’s March set in the state?
5. Writer: Thomas Wolfe, Look Homeward, Angel.
6. Basketball player. You-know-who was actually born in Brooklyn, so I say Meadowlark Lemon.
The bottom line: The state is strong on music, sports, and barbecue.