James Garver (born September 8, 1957) is a
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, ...
guitarist. Garver is credited with referencing the bar "The Oasis" (after a closed establishment in his hometown of
Concordia, Kansas
Concordia is a city in and the county seat of Cloud County, Kansas, United States. It is located along the Republican River in the Smoky Hills region of the Great Plains in North Central Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the ...
) in the song ''
Friends in Low Places'' made famous by
Garth Brooks. Garver toured extensively with Brooks and as of 2012, Garver has been credited with 25 different albums with roles ranging from musician to composer.
Biography
Garver grew up in
Concordia, Kansas
Concordia is a city in and the county seat of Cloud County, Kansas, United States. It is located along the Republican River in the Smoky Hills region of the Great Plains in North Central Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the ...
, with his parents, Don and Donna. Garver played in several bands, including the KFDI Ranchhouse Swing Band for about a year, before moving to
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...
. He was working full-time as a bricklayer, and playing in a local band, in 1988 when he attended a writers' showcase one night at the Bluebird Cafe and met
Garth Brooks. That same week, after learning that Brooks worked at a boot store, Garver went to the store and the two talked music again. Brooks invited Garver to join his band in May.
Shortly afterwards, Garver introduced Brooks to
steel guitarist Steve McClure, a fellow Kansan, who also joined Brooks' band, now named Stillwater.
Within two months, Brooks signed with Capitol Records.
Garver recalled, "I originally started out as a fiddle player for him and he ended up liking my guitar playing better, so that's where I ended up." He added, "I was just happy to have a job."
In subsequent years, Garver provided backing vocals and played lead electric guitar, acoustic guitar, banjo, piano, and percussion.
[
]
Mr. Garver has not performed as a musician since 2000. He and his wife Lana now own and operate Garver Builders, LLC, a commercial and industrial building contractor and developer, in
Gallatin, Tennessee
Gallatin is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Tennessee. The population was 30,278 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census and 44,431 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Named for United States Secretary of the Tr ...
.
Discography
References
External links
Jim Garver guitar solo tributeYouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garver, Jim
American country guitarists
American male guitarists
Living people
Guitarists from Kansas
People from Concordia, Kansas
1957 births