Tarheel Slim

Biography

Allen Rathel Bunn, professionally known as Tarheel Slim, was born on September 24, 1923, in Bailey, North Carolina, and grew up working in tobacco fields while developing his musical talents by listening to his mother's collection of Blind Boy Fuller records. He began his musical career in the early 1940s singing with various gospel groups, including the Gospel Four and the Selah Jubilee Singers, where he served as baritone and second lead singer while providing guitar accompaniment. In 1949, Bunn and Thermon Ruth formed a secular singing group that eventually became known as The Larks, achieving significant commercial success with their 1951 hit "Eyesight to the Blind," which reached number 5 on the Billboard R&B chart, followed by "Little Side Car" at number 10 on the R&B chart.

After leaving The Larks in 1952, Bunn pursued a solo career, initially recording blues for Apollo Records accompanied by Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, then moving to Bobby Robinson's Red Robin label in 1953. In 1955, he married singer Anna Lee Sandford (known as Little Ann), and together they recorded duets under various names including The Lovers, achieving moderate success with "Darling It's Wonderful" in 1957. Bunn's most significant period came in 1958 when he adopted the stage name Tarheel Slim and began recording for Bobby Robinson's Fury label, producing rockabilly recordings that were praised as "pinnacles of New York rock'n'roll." Working with Little Ann on the Fire label, they released "It's Too Late" in 1959, which reached number 20 on the R&B chart, though subsequent recordings failed to achieve commercial success.

After disappearing from the music scene in the early 1960s, Tarheel Slim was rediscovered in the early 1970s by blues researcher Peter Lowry and emerged to perform at festivals and college venues, playing acoustic guitar in the folk blues style reminiscent of Brownie McGhee. He recorded the album "No Time At All" on Trix Records in 1975 and collaborated with pianist Big Chief Ellis and guitarist John Cephas before his death from pneumonia brought on by chemotherapy in 1977 at age 53, following a diagnosis of throat cancer.

Fun Facts

• In a single day in 1950, the group that would become The Larks recorded under four different names (Jubilators, 4 Barons, Southern Harmonaires, and The Larks) for four different record labels in New York, showcasing the chaotic nature of early 1950s record industry practices.
• Tarheel Slim's recordings have been described by music critics as ranging from 'rockabilly raveups' to 'pinnacles of New York rock'n'roll,' demonstrating his versatility across multiple genres including gospel, blues, doo-wop, R&B, pop, and rockabilly.
• After nearly a decade of obscurity following the early 1960s, Tarheel Slim was rediscovered by blues researcher Peter Lowry in the early 1970s, leading to a career resurgence where he performed at festivals and college venues with an acoustic guitar style reminiscent of Brownie McGhee.
• Tarheel Slim used multiple stage names and credits throughout his career, including Allen Bunn, Alden Bunn, and Allen Baum, reflecting the common practice of record labels crediting artists differently across various releases.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Thermon Ruth - Founder of the Selah Jubilee Singers and co-founder of The Larks; primary early musical mentor and collaborator (Selah Jubilee Singers recordings, The Larks recordings including 'Eyesight to the Blind' and 'Little Side Car') [1940s-1951]
• Blind Boy Fuller - Musical influence through mother's record collection; stylistic inspiration for blues guitar playing (78 rpm records in Bunn's mother's collection) [Childhood/1930s-1940s]
• Brownie McGhee - Collaborated as accompanist on early solo recordings; influenced Tarheel Slim's acoustic folk blues style in later career (Apollo Records sessions (1951-1952); influenced later acoustic performances) [1951-1952, 1970s]
• Bobby Robinson - Producer and record label owner who guided Tarheel Slim's most successful period and provided better distribution (Red Robin label recordings (1953), Fury label recordings (1958 onwards), Fire label recordings) [1953-1963]

Key Collaborators

• The Larks - Member as baritone, second lead singer, and guitarist; group formed from Selah Jubilee Singers ('Eyesight to the Blind' (#5 R&B, 1951), 'Little Side Car' (#10 R&B, 1951)) [1949-1952]
• Anna Lee Sandford (Little Ann) - Wife and primary musical partner; recorded duets and performed together as Tarheel Slim and Little Ann (The Lovers recordings, 'Darling It's Wonderful' (1957), Fire label recordings including 'It's Too Late' (1959)) [1955-1963]
• Sonny Terry - Accompanist on early solo Apollo Records sessions (Apollo Records sessions (1951-1952)) [1951-1952]
• Big Chief Ellis - Pianist and collaborator on later career recordings ('No Time At All' album (1975), Ellis' own 1977 album) [1975-1977]
• John Cephas - Guitarist and collaborator in later career performances (Ellis' 1977 album) [1977]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. Can't Stay Away From You (Can't Stay Away From You)
2. Number 9 Train (Tarheel's Essentials)
3. Wildcat Tamer (Wildcat Tamer / Number 9 Train)
4. Number Nine Train (An Introduction To New York Blues)
5. Wildcat Tamer (Tarheel's Essentials)
6. Let's Have a Ball (Tarheel's Essentials)
7. Security (Tarheel's Essentials)
8. Number 9 Train (Can't Stay Away From You)
9. Tell Me (Tarheel's Essentials)
10. No 9 Train (Rare, Raw, Rock & Roll, Vol. 3)

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #blues, #r&b