Tarheel Slim
| Tarheel Slim | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Allen Rathel Bunn |
| Also known as | Allen Bunn Alden Bunn Allen Baum |
| Born |
September 24, 1923 Bailey, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | August 21, 1977 (aged 53) New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | Gospel, blues, doowop, R&B, pop, rockabilly |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, guitarist, songwriter |
| Years active | c.1940–1963, c.1970–1977 |
| Associated acts | The Selah Jubilee Singers The Larks The Lovers Tarheel Slim and Little Ann Slim and Ann |
Allen Rathel Bunn (September 24, 1923 – August 21, 1977), who was sometimes credited as Alden Bunn and who performed as Tarheel Slim, was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter whose work spanned gospel, blues, doowop, R&B, pop, and rockabilly. After singing in various gospel groups he became a member of The Larks before recording with his wife Anna Lee "Little Ann" Sandford, and then as a solo performer.
Bunn was born in Bailey, North Carolina. He seems to have used both "Alden" and "Allen" as his forename at different times; researchers Bob Eagle and Eric LeBlanc state that his birth records read "Allen". Initially he worked in local tobacco fields, but by the early 1940s he had started singing with various gospel groups, including the Gospel Four and the Selah Jubilee Singers, where he joined the latter group's founder, Thermon Ruth. Bunn was the group's baritone and second lead singer, and provided guitar accompaniment.
In 1949, Ruth and Bunn decided to form a secular singing group as a spin-off from the Selah Jubilee Singers. Initially called the Jubilators, the group recorded for four different record labels in New York under four different names on one day in 1950. Eventually settling on the name The Larks, the group's recording of "Eyesight to the Blind" on the Apollo label, with lead vocals and guitar by Bunn, reached number 5 on the Billboard R&B chart in July 1951; and the follow-up, "Little Side Car", also sung by Bunn, reached number 10 on the R&B chart later the same year. The Larks then toured with Percy Mayfield and Mahalia Jackson. Bunn lived in New York from 1950 for the rest of his life.
...
Wikipedia