James "Slim"[1] Hand (July 7, 1952 – June 8, 2020) was an American country music singer and songwriter.

Early life

James Edward Hand was born on July 7, 1952 in Waco, Texas.[2][3] He was raised in the community of Tokio in McLennan County, Texas,[3] and took to guitar playing and singing when approximately twelve years old. He worked in various jobs, including horse training and driving a truck. About his work with animals, Hand said, “People act like it’s some big deal, like this whole horse whispering 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."[4]

Career

As a teenager, Hand joined a small band and began performing in honky-tonks and roadhouses across Central Texas. At some point he started to write and perform his own songs.[5] After many years of live performances, he released his first album in 1999, when he was 47 years old.[6]

In 2014, Hand played a fictional version of himself in the independent film Thank You a Lot. The Austin Film Society's website noted that Hand and co-protagonist Blake DeLong, playing his son, had a chemistry that was "hilariously realistic".[7]

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."[8]

Critical appraisal

Reviewers have generally emphasized the "authenticity" of Hand's songs.[9] 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."[10] On the release of his first album, one reviewer wrote that Hand "sings the songs as if he has lived every minute of them,"[11] while The Washington Post's reviewer called him "the real deal,"[12] a view shared also by Willie Nelson.[13]

Death

On June 8, 2020, Hand died from complications of heart failure at the Providence Healthcare Center in Waco, Texas.[3][14]

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

• James Hand at IMDb
• Official website
• James Hand discography at Discogs