James Hand

James Hand built a reputation across West Texas as a steadfast performer of unvarnished honky-tonk, yet four decades passed before listeners beyond Texas took notice, prompted by Rounder Records issuing his debut wide-release project, The Truth Will Set You Free, in 2006. Born in Waco, Texas, in 1952, he embraced country music while still a child and was already performing with a band in neighborhood roadhouses by age twelve. Although the work stirred deep passion, the modest earnings of fifteen dollars nightly plus complimentary beer proved insufficient for steady living, so he turned to training horses for income. Hand later reflected on that profession by noting, "People act like it's some big deal, like this whole horse whispering thing. But I'll tell you something -- you can whisper to 'em, you can get down on your knees and act like 'em, but the horse knows you ain't a horse." Throughout those years he continued composing material and delivering it at Texas dance halls, gradually attracting dedicated listeners such as Willie Nelson, Ray Price, Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel, and University of Texas football coach Darrell K. Royal. His initial recording, Shadows Where the Magic Was, appeared on a modest regional imprint in 1996 and drew favorable notices; the follow-up, Evil Things, issued in 2000, received still stronger responses. Interest from outside the state finally surfaced in 2005, leading venerable roots label Rounder Records to offer a contract. Produced by Lloyd Maines, Hand's Rounder debut The Truth Will Set You Free reached stores in spring 2006, with a second effort, Shadow on the Ground, arriving in 2009.