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www.watermelonslim.com Bandshell - June 8, 2008
Watermelon Slim garnered a record-tying six 2007 Blues Music Award nominations for “Artist”, “Entertainer”, “Album”, “Band”, “Song”, and “Traditional Album of the Year”. Only the likes of B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Robert Cray have ever landed six. His 2006 self-titled release was ranked #1 in MOJO Magazine's 2006 Top Blues CDs, won the 2006 Independent Music Award for Blues Album of the Year, hit #1 on the Living Blues Radio Charts, debuted at #13 on the Billboard's Blues Charts ahead of both Robert Cray and North Mississippi Allstars, and won the Blues Critic Award for 2006 Album of the Year. What did he do for a follow-up? In 2007 Watermelon Slim and The Workers released The Wheel Man, his second for NorthernBlues Music and his fourth album in five years. Jerry Wexler, a huge Watermelon Slim fan after hearing Slim's 2005 self-titled release, eagerly offered to write the liner notes upon listening to early tracks saying Slim "is a one-of-a-kind pickin' 'n'n singing Okie dynamo." The CD hit #1 on the Living Blues Radio Charts, #2 on the Roots Music Blues Charts and debuted in the Top 10 in Billboard's Blues Charts. And, The Wheel Man earned Slim another six (2008) Blues Music Award nominations for "Artist", "Entertainer", "Album", "Band", "Song", and "Contemporary Album of the Year"! But there were many detours in the journey towards this new found success for Boston born and North Carolina raised Slim. In the 30 years following a stint in Vietnam – where he developed his unique slide guitar style while convalescing in a Vietnam hospital bed – Slim tried his hand at a number of jobs. At various times Slim has been a truck driver, (a reoccurring passion), forklift operator, saw miller (where he lost part of his finger), firewood salesman, and collection agent among his many endeavours. He ended up farming watermelons in Oklahoma - hence his stage name and current home base. Somewhere along the line Slim completed a Masters degree history and journalism and became a member of Mensa, the social networking group reserved for members with certified genius IQs! A near fatal heart attack in 2002 gave him a new perspective on mortality, direction and life ambitions. He says, "Everything I do now has a sharper pleasure to it. I've lived a fuller life than most people could in two. If I go now, I've got a good education, I've lived on three continents, and I've played music with a bunch of immortal blues players. I've fought in a war and against a war. I've seen an awful lot and I've done an awful lot. If my plane went down tomorrow, I'd go out on top." If it's any indication from raving reviews and features in Guitar One, HARP, Blues Revue, Toronto Star, Chicago Sun-Times, NPR, House of Blues Radio Hour, BBC's World Service Programme, XM Satellite Radio and others, Watermelon Slim may have finally settled in on his chosen vocation.
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