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

. 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