James "Slim"
Hand (July 7, 1952 – June 8, 2020) was an American
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
singer and songwriter.
Early life
James Edward Hand was born on July 7, 1952 in
Waco, Texas
Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the ...
.
He was raised in the community of Tokio in
McLennan County, Texas
McLennan County is a County (United States), county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, its population was 260,579 . Its county seat and largest city is Waco, Texas, Waco. The U.S. c ...
,
[ and took to guitar playing and singing when approximately twelve years old. He worked in various jobs, including ]horse training
Horse training refers to a variety of practices that teach horses to perform certain behaviors when commanded to do so by humans. Horses are trained to be manageable by humans for everyday care as well as for equestrian activities from horse ra ...
and driving a truck. About his work with animals, Hand said, “People act like it’s some big deal, like this whole horse whispering
Natural horsemanship is a collective term for a variety of horse training techniques which have seen rapid growth in popularity since the 1980s. The techniques vary in their precise tenets but generally share principles of "a kinder and gentler ...
thing. But I’ll tell you something – you can whisper to ’em, you can get down on your knees and act like ’em, but the horse knows you ain't a horse."
Career
As a teenager, Hand joined a small band and began performing in honky-tonk
A honky-tonk (also called honkatonk, honkey-tonk, or tonk) is both a bar that provides country music for the entertainment of its patrons and the style of music played in such establishments. It can also refer to the type of piano (tack piano) ...
s and roadhouses across Central Texas. At some point he started to write and perform his own songs. After many years of live performances, he released his first album in 1999, when he was 47 years old.
In 2014, Hand played a fictional version of himself in the independent film
An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...
'' Thank You a Lot''. The Austin Film Society The Austin Film Society (AFS) is a non-profit film society based in Austin, Texas. Founded in 1985 to exhibit independent, experimental, foreign and various other non-mainstream art films, the film society has grown from just film exhibition to fos ...
's website noted that Hand and co-protagonist Blake DeLong, playing his son, had a chemistry that was "hilariously realistic".
About the life he sings about, Hand once remarked: "I don't know if I've been more blessed or cursed. But I've been diversified."
Critical appraisal
Reviewers have generally emphasized the "authenticity" of Hand's songs. His music reportedly can match the "rigor" of historical performers of country music, "with the slightest touch of outlaw bluster," while his voice can be "uncertain in moments." On the release of his first album, one reviewer wrote that Hand "sings the songs as if he has lived every minute of them," while ''The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
s reviewer called him "the real deal," a view shared also by Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...
.
Death and legacy
On June 8, 2020, Hand died from complications of heart failure
Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...
at the Providence Healthcare Center in Waco, Texas
Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the ...
.[
On February 26, 2021, ]Charley Crockett
Charley Crockett (born March 24, 1984) is an American blues, country, and Americana singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He has released ten albums since 2015, with ''Lil G.L.'s Blue Bonanza'' peaking at number 11 on the US ''Billboard'' Blues Al ...
released a tribute album to Hand titled ''10 For Slim: Charley Crockett Sings James Hand''. It was met with critical acclaim from ''Rolling Stone'', ''The Boot'', ''Austin American-Statesman'', ''Forbes'', ''Saving Country Music'', and ''American Songwriter'' among others.
Discography
*''Shadows Where the Magic Was'' (1997)
*''Evil Things'', on Cold Spring Records (1999)
*''Live From The Saxon Pub Austin TX'', on Knight Klub Records (2003)
*''The Truth Will Set You Free'', on Rounder Records (2006)
*''Shadow on the Ground'', on Rounder Records (2009)
*''Mighty Lonesome Man'', on Hillgrass Bluebilly Records (2012)
*''Stormclouds in Heaven'', on Slim Hand Music (2014)
References
External links
*
Official website
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hand, James
1952 births
2020 deaths
20th-century American guitarists
20th-century American singers
20th-century American male singers
21st-century American singers
21st-century American male singers
American acoustic guitarists
American country guitarists
American country singer-songwriters
American male film actors
American male guitarists
American male singer-songwriters
Country musicians from Texas
Guitarists from Texas
Male actors from Texas
People from McLennan County, Texas
People from Waco, Texas
Rounder Records artists
Singer-songwriters from Texas