Slim Bryant
(December 7, 1908 - May 28,
2010)
Slim Bryant, Country Music
Legend and Local TV Pioneer
Slim Bryant was a country guitarist and songwriter
with a performance career stretching back over 75 years. He was known by many
Pittsburghers for having performed on the first television program to air in
this city, a musical variety show broadcast live on WDTV (later to
become KDKA TV) from the Syria Mosque in Oakland in 1949.
Thomas Hoyt "Slim" Bryant was born in Atlanta,
Georgia, on December 7, 1908. His father was an electrician who played old-time
fiddle, and his mother was an amateur poet who sang, played guitar and piano.
Slim's music career took off in 1931 when he joined up with Clayton McMichen
and the band that would soon become The Georgia Wildcats. Bryant and his
band came to Pittsburgh's KDKA radio in August, 1940 and played on "The
Farm Show'' every morning until 1959. The group harmonized, sometimes crooned
and could play styles from ballads to polkas to novelties. "We played,
gave news and market reports for the farmers,'' he explained. It was a time
when the radio and record industry were young, and automobiles were making it
possible for itinerant musicians to tour like never before. They were part of
the first generation of country music "professionals" who could earn
a living in the recording and performing business.
Bryant was also best known
for his recording days with the legendary country singer Jimmie Rodgers,
who died in 1933. Rodgers recorded Bryant's song "Mother, the Queen of My
Heart," on Oct. 21, 1932 with Bryant accompanying him on guitar. The song
has since been done by singers ranging from George Gobel to Merle Haggard. In
addition to the Georgia Wildcats and Jimmie Rodgers, Bryant had performed with
The Skillet Lickers, Gene Autry, Eddy Arnold, Tex Ritter, Les Paul, Joe Negri,
Burl Ives, Rosemary Clooney and Snooky Lanson, many of them he still counts as
friends.
Slim Bryant had written
about 200 songs, including country western standards, as well as jingles for ad
agencies. With his Wildcats he recorded hundreds of songs for a variety of
labels, more than 180 of them at NBC in New York. A CD recording featuring
Slim's music was released in the Spring of
2007. The CD contains 31 songs that were recorded more than a half-century
ago. Slim wrote music and or words for a number of them, among the tunes are
these titles: "Thunderstorm" "Penny Ante Polka" and
"My Saddle, My Bronco and You.''
When the music business slowed in the early 1960's
Slim and his wife Mary Jane opened a card shop and a basement studio on Potomac
Avenue in Dormont. Mrs. Bryant died of a neurological disease in 1987.
On his 100th birthday in 2008, Slim was honored at
an open celebration at his church.
Follow these links for more about the life of Hoyt "Slim" Bryant:
Pittsburgh
Tribune-Review, May 19, 2007 Vintage country recordings released on CD
Pittsburgh Post
Gazette, May 10, 2007 Slim Bryant, 98,
returning to country music with CD
Pittsburgh
Post Gazette, August 11, 2002 A Life
in tune The real Slim's heyday
(This site has some audio clips of Slim's songs, and
interview
The
Old Time Herald Vol. 8, No. 5 The
Varied Musical Career of Slim Bryant—93 Years Young
Thomas Hoyt Slim Bryant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clayton McMichen and his
Georgia Wildcats on their first visit to KDKA in 1931.
From left: Pat Berryman,
Clayton McMichen, Johnny Barfield and Slim Bryant.
Read
more about Clayton McMichen
Listen to the Georgia
Wildcats: