HoboKen
Member
In the late 1920s Atlanta a young long tall drink of water named Thomas Hoyt "Slim" Bryant took guitar lessons and wrote a song "Mother, Queen of My Heart." A few years later he bought a 1932 top-of-the-line Gibson L-5 Archtop Guitar so that he could play back-up guitar for Jimmy Rodgers, The Singing Brakeman, in a studio as Jimmy recorded Slim's song. It was the last recording session Jimmy ever did before he died. Later Slim played with Clayton McMichen & His Georga Wildcats. He and Clayton wrote and recorded the most famous version of the song "In the Pines." Later, the likes of George Gobel and Merle Haggard recorded Slims songs. All the time the L-5 Archtop traveled with Slim.
I was born in '47 and as long as I remember, Slim had been like an uncle to me. He was an elder in our church and my neighbor in Dormont, PA. By then Slim had left the road for a steady life in our Pittsburgh suburb of Dormont. I recall sitting at Slim's table with my Stella plywood guitar trying to make me and it sound like Slim and that L-5. Slim would only say, "Someday it may just happen." Slim was known by most professionals in the music industry, even though he chose to stay local to Western PA. When asked who his guitar playing hero was, Les Paul said "Slim Bryant." 12 years ago I went back to Pittsburgh and I played my Guild JF-55-12 at a Service at that old Church in Dormont and it made my day to see Slim standing in the back of the Church with both hands up in the air with his fingers in the "OK" position. My "Someday it may just happen" day had just happened for me! When I'm in Pittsburgh, I stop by and see Slim. The '32 L-5 still sits in the corner of the room. "Some times we sits and plays and sometimes we just sits and talks." When we play, Slim lets me play the L-5 and he plays my Guild DV-72.
Last May Slim released his Hoyt "Slim" Bryant & His Wildcats CD at age 98. I can only hope I can get to do a two-hour autograph session at Borders to celebrate the release of some of my greatest hits CD at age 98!
("My heros have always been cowboys.")
http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/20020811 ... 11fnp4.asp
http://www.singingbrakeman.com/singingb ... aggard.htm
http://www.wqed.org/mag/columns/sebak/2 ... slim.shtml
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07130/784640-55.stm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hoy ... %22_Bryant
HoboKen
I was born in '47 and as long as I remember, Slim had been like an uncle to me. He was an elder in our church and my neighbor in Dormont, PA. By then Slim had left the road for a steady life in our Pittsburgh suburb of Dormont. I recall sitting at Slim's table with my Stella plywood guitar trying to make me and it sound like Slim and that L-5. Slim would only say, "Someday it may just happen." Slim was known by most professionals in the music industry, even though he chose to stay local to Western PA. When asked who his guitar playing hero was, Les Paul said "Slim Bryant." 12 years ago I went back to Pittsburgh and I played my Guild JF-55-12 at a Service at that old Church in Dormont and it made my day to see Slim standing in the back of the Church with both hands up in the air with his fingers in the "OK" position. My "Someday it may just happen" day had just happened for me! When I'm in Pittsburgh, I stop by and see Slim. The '32 L-5 still sits in the corner of the room. "Some times we sits and plays and sometimes we just sits and talks." When we play, Slim lets me play the L-5 and he plays my Guild DV-72.
Last May Slim released his Hoyt "Slim" Bryant & His Wildcats CD at age 98. I can only hope I can get to do a two-hour autograph session at Borders to celebrate the release of some of my greatest hits CD at age 98!
("My heros have always been cowboys.")
http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/20020811 ... 11fnp4.asp
http://www.singingbrakeman.com/singingb ... aggard.htm
http://www.wqed.org/mag/columns/sebak/2 ... slim.shtml
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07130/784640-55.stm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hoy ... %22_Bryant
HoboKen