- Watermelon Slim
Infobox Musical artist
Name = Watermelon Slim
Img_capt = Watermelon Slim at Silver Dollar Room, Toronto, ON
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Birth_name = Bill Homans
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Instrument =Harmonica ,Guitar
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Genre =Blues
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Label =NorthernBlues Music
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Notable_instruments =Bill Homans, professionally known as "Watermelon Slim", is an American
blues musician. He plays bothguitar andharmonica . He is currently signed toNorthernBlues Music , based out of Toronto, Ontario.Homans has been performing since the 1970s and has been linked to several notable blues musicians, including
John Lee Hooker ,Robert Cray ,Champion Jack Dupree ,Bonnie Raitt , "Country" Joe McDonald, and Henry Vestine ofCanned Heat .His music is rooted in the Mississippi Delta style, playing his
dobro guitar lap-style with a slide. While typically an acoustic performer, he has been known to occasionally play electric. Recently, he has toured with a supporting band dubbed "the Workers". In 2005, Homans was nominated for the prestigiousW. C. Handy Award for "Best New Artist Debut". He and his band have also been nominated for six more Handy Awards for 2006, in a variety of categories, and for a Maple Blues Award from theToronto Blues Society for the 2006 album "Watermelon Slim and the Workers".Homans is a graduate of Lenox School for boys, a boarding school in Lenox, MA. Homans has a
bachelor's degree in journalism and history from theUniversity of Oregon , and amaster's degree in history fromOklahoma State University . He has also served as a member ofMensa International .He is a veteran of the
Vietnam War and at first had attendedMiddlebury College before dropping out to enlist. He came back home a fervent anti-war activist. He has been a longtime member ofVietnam Veterans Against the War .Discography
Albums
*"Big Shoes to Fill" (2003)
*"Up Close & Personal" (2004)
*"Watermelon Slim & the Workers" (2006)
*"The Wheel Man" (2007)
*"No Paid Holidays" (2008)DVDs
*"Ripe For the Picking" (live) (2006)
External links
* [http://www.watermelonslim.com/ Official site]
* [http://www.northernblues.com| NorthernBlues Music Official Site]
* [http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=watermelon+slim/ Video of Watermelon Slim playing]
* [http://www.oraclesmusic.com/Review_16_Watermelon_Slim.php Review of Watermelon Slim and The Workers]
* [http://www.oraclesmusic.com/Review_22_Watermelon_Slim.php Review of The Wheel Man]
* [http://www.oraclesmusic.com/Review_24_Watermelon_Slim.php Concert Review]
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