T-Bone Slim
Encyclopedia
Matti Valentinpoika Huhta (1880 - 1940), better known by his pen name T-Bone Slim, was a humourist, poet
, songwriter
, hobo
and labor activist in the Industrial Workers of the World
.
He was born in Ashtabula, Ohio
to Matti and Johanna Huhta, Finnish immigrants from Ilmajoki, Finland. Matti Huhta grew up in his parent's boarding house in Erie, Pa. He no doubt learned of the labor struggle at dinner everyday. Huhta married Rosa Kotila and left Ohio and his family around 1910, travelling the northern tier of the United States as a migrant worker
, at which point he became a member of the I.W.W.
Huhta had one surviving child at the time of his death, Edna Huhta. Huhta was buried in potter's field NYC.
IWW lore likes to picture his death in 1940 in NYC as mysterious, but the coroner's office firmly states that they found nothing irregular in the manner of death. Huhta slipped off the docks in NYC where he lived at the Seaman's Boarding House and worked as a barge captain.
Huhta was employed for a period as a reporter for the daily News-Telegram in Duluth
, Minnesota
, and the Finnish radical newspaper the "Industrialisti", but quit after an editor "misquoted him and balled up his article" about an I.W.W. mass meeting. He later contributed numerous articles and songs to the I.W.W. press and is widely regarded as one of the union's finest columnists and songwriters.
He was a regular columnist for Industrial Solidarity and, later, for the Industrial Worker
and Industrialisti
until his death in 1940 in ew York City].
T-Bone Slim's best known works include "The Popular Wobbly", "The Mysteries of a Hobo's Life", and "The Lumberjack's Prayer". Later, his work would become a source of inspiration for the emerging American surrealist movement and many of his songs were revived during the American Civil Rights Movement.
In an interview with David Barsamian
, Noam Chomsky
cites T-Bone Slim as one of his favourite "Wobbly Singers".
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, hobo
Hobo
A hobo is a term which is often applied to a migratory worker or homeless vagabond, often penniless. The term originated in the Western—probably Northwestern—United States during the last decade of the 19th century. Unlike 'tramps', who work only when they are forced to, and 'bums', who do not...
and labor activist in the Industrial Workers of the World
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
.
He was born in Ashtabula, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
to Matti and Johanna Huhta, Finnish immigrants from Ilmajoki, Finland. Matti Huhta grew up in his parent's boarding house in Erie, Pa. He no doubt learned of the labor struggle at dinner everyday. Huhta married Rosa Kotila and left Ohio and his family around 1910, travelling the northern tier of the United States as a migrant worker
Migrant worker
The term migrant worker has different official meanings and connotations in different parts of the world. The United Nations' definition is broad, including any people working outside of their home country...
, at which point he became a member of the I.W.W.
Huhta had one surviving child at the time of his death, Edna Huhta. Huhta was buried in potter's field NYC.
IWW lore likes to picture his death in 1940 in NYC as mysterious, but the coroner's office firmly states that they found nothing irregular in the manner of death. Huhta slipped off the docks in NYC where he lived at the Seaman's Boarding House and worked as a barge captain.
Huhta was employed for a period as a reporter for the daily News-Telegram in Duluth
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, and the Finnish radical newspaper the "Industrialisti", but quit after an editor "misquoted him and balled up his article" about an I.W.W. mass meeting. He later contributed numerous articles and songs to the I.W.W. press and is widely regarded as one of the union's finest columnists and songwriters.
He was a regular columnist for Industrial Solidarity and, later, for the Industrial Worker
Industrial Worker
The Industrial Worker, "the voice of revolutionary industrial unionism," is the newspaper of the Industrial Workers of the World . It is currently released ten times a year, printed and edited by union labor, and is frequently distributed at radical bookstores, demonstrations, strikes and labor...
and Industrialisti
Industrialisti
Industrialisti was a Finnish-language newspaper published from Duluth, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1914 under the same Sosialisti, the newspaper was politically linked to the Industrial Workers of the World. It was published daily, but was converted into a fortnigthly in its later...
until his death in 1940 in ew York City].
T-Bone Slim's best known works include "The Popular Wobbly", "The Mysteries of a Hobo's Life", and "The Lumberjack's Prayer". Later, his work would become a source of inspiration for the emerging American surrealist movement and many of his songs were revived during the American Civil Rights Movement.
In an interview with David Barsamian
David Barsamian
David Barsamian is an Armenian-American radio broadcaster, writer, and the founder and director of Alternative Radio, the Boulder, Colorado-based syndicated weekly talk program heard on some 125 radio stations in various countries....
, Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
cites T-Bone Slim as one of his favourite "Wobbly Singers".
Quotes
- "Wherever you find injustice, the proper form of politeness is attack."
- "Always keep yourself fit to serve mankind. Watch yourself, do not watch the boss. Never exhaust yourself—there is nothing more disgusting than a man staggering home from work 'dog-tired,' helplessly falling into a chair to have his child remove his shoes; then grabbing a hasty feverish supper; saying good-night to his family and rolling into bed half-washed, to repeat the same thing three hundred and twelve times per-year, or until sickness puts a stop to his mad career." (From "Recipes for Health" in "Starving Amidst Too Much")
- "Tear Gas: The most effective agent used by employers to persuade their employees that the interests of capital and labour are identical." (From "Dancin' in the Streets: Anarchists, IWWs, Surrealists, Situationists & Provos in the 1960s)
See also
- Little Red SongbookLittle Red Songbookthumb|180px|right|The Little Red SongbookSince the founding of the Industrial Workers of the World, also known as the IWW, songs have played a big part in spreading the message of the One Big Union...
- Wesley EverestWesley EverestWesley Everest was a member of the Industrial Workers of the World and a World War I veteran...
- Joe HillJoe HillJoe Hill, born Joel Emmanuel Hägglund in Gävle , and also known as Joseph Hillström was a Swedish-American labor activist, songwriter, and member of the Industrial Workers of the World...
- Frank LittleFrank Little (U.S. Trade Unionist)Frank Little was an American labor leader who was lynched in Butte, Montana in 1917 for his union and anti-war activities. He joined the Industrial Workers of the World in 1906, organizing miners, lumberjacks, and oil field workers. He was a member of the union's Executive Board at the time of...
- Utah PhillipsUtah PhillipsBruce Duncan "Utah" Phillips was a labor organizer, folk singer, storyteller, poet and the "Golden Voice of the Great Southwest". He described the struggles of labor unions and the power of direct action, self-identifying as an anarchist...