The Dancing Outlaw

With my readership recently plummeting I decided to appease one of my faithful followers with the topic of his choice.

Nestled deep within the heart of the mountains of Boone County, West Virginia reigns a King. The King - Jesco White, The Dancing Outlaw. Jesco is a mountain-style tap dancer, an ex-con, a hillbilly of the first degree, and a hideous channeler of Elvis Presley. The last of the Mountain Dancers, his style is unique to the mountain culture. Resembling tap dancing, it's a tradition passed down from father to son - as were his dancing shoes. His dance floor? An 8 by 4 piece of plywood or the roof of his canine companion Duke's doghouse.


His venue? The front yard, the den of his trailer, or any place the spirit moves.

But dancing isn't the only phenomenon that emanates from the cabin. On quiet nights, legend has it, you can hear the echoes of vintage Elvis tunes careening off the walls of Jesco's Elvis room and through the mountains of Boone county. Jesco belts out Elvis tunes as only a true King can. It's a beautiful thing. Jesco's unique mountain wisdom and talents (and tattoos) have not gone unnoticed. His jewels of wisdom are downright profound. His talents have made him the subject of two documentary films.


Here's Jesco's swingin' bachelor pad. The trailer featured in the documentary was burned. Jesco thinks someone who was jealous of his fame did it. He lost almost all of his Elvis stuff.



If you would like to contribute any new or gently used Elvis memorabilia please contact Jesco. He plays poker every fifth Friday at the Viceroy.

Text and pictures used without permission from: juliescoggins.com.