RIP- James Hand

Craig Stock · Post by **Craig Stock** » 8 Jun 2020 2:51 pm

James Hand has passed away sadly, loved his music!

https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/jame ... icity-rip/

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 8 Jun 2020 2:55 pm

Oh man - that's terrible. Only 68. I have a couple of his CDS. I saw him play live once here in the Bay Area.

Larry Dering · Post by **Larry Dering** » 8 Jun 2020 5:34 pm

Sad. He was a hard core traditional country singer with a Hank Williams heart.

Olaf van Roggen · Post by **Olaf van Roggen** » 9 Jun 2020 12:43 am

Ah, James Hand sad to hear he passed away. I saw him several times in Austin TX. I really loved to see him perform,
Great memories, may he rest in peace.
Olaf

Dean Smith · Post by **Dean Smith** » 9 Jun 2020 9:36 am

I played with James from time to time in his early days. This is from Hermann Hall in Clifton, Texas probably around 2001 or so. He was quite the storyteller and had that charisma which drew you in.

We will miss you, Slim...Rest in Peace

Chance Wilson · Post by **Chance Wilson** » 10 Jun 2020 7:57 am

RIP. James was so nice & a great entertainer. My wife and I were playing pool through his set once & she played air guitar during my shots. He came up to her afterwards and told her she was great on acuestick guitar.

Ricky Davis · Post by **Ricky Davis** » 10 Jun 2020 2:12 pm

RIP James.
Ok long story short. in mid 90's I was playing a gig just outside of Tokio, Tx where I knew this singer I had a cassette tape lived.
HIs name was James Hand and I wanted to meet him. We drove over to his house and I showed him the tape and asked if he would
come sing a song with us; he asked: "Ricky; what is your favorite song on that?" I said:"Why didn't you Hold me".
Well he came and sang and I kept trying to get him to come out of his hole and sing again and he did. In year 1999 he asked me and Dave Biller
to play on his album called "Evil Things" Dave produced it and played guitar and I played pedal steel and no-pedal steel and guess what the
first song was I cut on?? Yes !!! "Why Didn't You Hold Me"....and here it is with me playing steel on the first song he cut coming out of his hole.
This album never got picked up to distribute....so you can't find it...and only some have it....so here is that song by James Hand and us.
I'll miss you James; I was so Proud of you and you were only 10 years older than me; I loved you like a Brother; Now go rest high on that Mountain.

https://youtu.be/winMH2xZq0M

Your first Steel player,
Ricky Davis

Craig Stock · Post by **Craig Stock** » 10 Jun 2020 3:06 pm

Great story, Thanks Ricky, Good to know you were a friend of his.

Frank Freniere · Post by **Frank Freniere** » 11 Jun 2020 5:08 am

Craig Stock wrote:Great story, Thanks Ricky, Good to know you were a friend of his.

Great story, great song, great performance, Ricky.

My own fave, with Lloyd Maines on steel: "I've Got A Lot Of Hiding Left To Do."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL38jX9jmYc

Godfrey Arthur · Post by **Godfrey Arthur** » 11 Jun 2020 12:54 pm

Ricky Davis wrote:RIP James.

Godspeed James.

Feeling the music the way you did was your gift.

Not so important that you were "everywhere" if not more that you "were."

Thanks for the personal story Ricky!

Similar story with Willie, James didn't get underway until later in life.

Leo Grassl · Post by **Leo Grassl** » 11 Jun 2020 7:48 pm

Thanks for sharing that story Ricky. And that track is lovely. One of the first records I delved into when I started playing steel and listening to country music was “The Truth Will Set You Free”. I must have listened to it 1000 times. RIP James.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 14 Jun 2020 12:45 pm

I did work with James Hand for 2 years, from 2003 through 2005, so I got to know the man well. He was an incredible songwriter, with the ability to tell a story so believable you actually feel like you were "there." He could take a cliche'ed country lyric and sing it with the depth of experience, and make it his own. Because he lived it in real life. He had his share of troubles, most all of them self-induced. He actually revealed so much of his true life in his songs.

I don't think it's any secret that James was an incredibly complex creature, with many sides to his personality, and many of those personalities were 180 degrees in behavior. So that made working for him, for me at least, one of the more challenging gigs I've had. He was a problematic man. But I always truly believed in his songs. The man was brilliant that way.