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James "Slim" Hand

Everyone talks about the “overnight sensation” who really had to work years before receiving the acclaim he was due. Texas songwriter James “Slim” Hand seems to have taken that adage to an extreme with the release of The Truth Will Set You Free (Rounder), his first international release, arriving four decades after he began singing in honky tonks around his home near Waco, Texas. “I started playing this kind of music when I was 12,” Hand reflects. “When I was 13, we’d play for $15 a person and free beer. I’m 53 and I’m still playing for $15 a person and free beer.” Listening to his record is a lot like going through a time machine. Blessed with a unique voice and an equally original songwriting slant, his songs communicate with the authority of a man who’s lived the country troubadour life, sprinkled with gigs as a rodeo rider, truck driver and horse trainer. But don’t mistake Hand for some run-of-the-mill revivalist. Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel and Texas music legend Lloyd Maines (Dixie Chick Natalie’s Dad) produced the record. And as Willie Nelson says: “James Hand is the real deal!” The show is a continuation of the Sportsmen’s private party series, which most recently brought the original honky tonk hero Billy Joe Shaver to town for an intimate, sold out performance.

Tuesday, July 31 at 7:30pm. Sportsmen’s Tavern, 326 Amherst Street (874-7734, sportsmenstavern.com) $10.