The songs of Watermelon Slim (Bill Homans), a Vietnam veteran and member of MENSA, feature subtle, intelligent twists while remaining undeniably in the blues tradition. He independently released the furiously antiwar album Merry Airbrakes in 1973. Although he spent most of his adult life as a blue-collar laborer, Homans founded a blues band, Fried Okra Jones, and fronted it with his raw singing, harp playing, and impressive National Steel guitar style. Following a heart attack, Homans turned his attention full-time to music, releasing Big Shoes to Fill (2003), Up Close & Personal (2004), Watermelon Slim & the Workers (2006), The Wheel Man (2007), and No Paid Holidays (2008). An album of truck driving songs, Escape from the Chicken Coop, came in 2009. ~ Steve Leggett