James "Slim" Hand (born in Born in Waco, TX, in 1952; died 8 June 2020) was… Read Full Bio ↴James "Slim" Hand (born in Born in Waco, TX, in 1952; died 8 June 2020) was an American country music singer and songwriter.

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

Willie Nelson is said to have commented “Folks, like I said before and it’s STILL true, James Hand is the real deal!”

For much of his life, Hand remained a local legend in Texas, modestly plying his craft in countless smoky dives and dancehalls to a slowly widening circle of admirers. At the age of 55, Hand released his first nationally distributed album in 2006, The Truth Will Set You Free, produced by Asleep at the Wheel frontman Ray Benson and legendary Texas producer and multi-instrumentalist Lloyd Maines. The album features confident, definitive versions of twelve of Hand's original compositions.

“In over 30 years of playing country music, I have never, absolutely never seen anyone as unique as James Hand. There is no one like this artist – complex, yet simple. Simply, James Hand is country music, and he has no equivalent.”
– Bob Cole, Country Music Hall Of Fame ’03, Hill’s Café, South Austin, Texas

“James Hand music uses no smoke or mirrors. There is definitely no glossing over of any aspect of this CD… James writes lyrics that haven’t been written before and I suspect that he’s lived every word in these songs.”
– Lloyd Maines

“You probably won’t hear James on your country music station these days, but if you’re one of the folks out there who loves true, honest, down-to-earth country music songs, based on hard life lessons and affairs of the heart, then James Hand is your man.”
– Ray Benson

“The first time I saw James Hand I was shocked. He looked and sounded so much like Hank that I was frozen in my chair as I listened. His songwriting and performance style are real throwbacks to the sounds and times I truly love. He’s a perfect gentleman and true Texas troubadour.”
– Darrell K. Royal

James Hand Lyrics