Jim Nesbitt (December 1, 1931 – November 29, 2007) was an American South Carolina deejay who had a flair for tongue-in-cheek humor. This talent put his name on the Country charts thirteen times between 1964 and 1970. Many of his "songs" tended toward Talking Blues and recitations, but most displayed a clever wit--often directed to political satire-which delighted numerous radio audiences and those who attended many of the package shows in that era. He was known by some as the "The Old Syrup Sopper" and 'King of Country Comedy.'
James Thomas Nesbitt, Jr. was born in Bishopville, South Carolina. When he was 11 years old his family moved near Lake City where at the age of 12 his uncle gave him a guitar. He learned the chords from his mother and learning came naturally. In high school Jim won several talent contests and after graduating with honors in 1949 he got his own show on WFEG radio in Sumter, SC. Soon afterward he joined WJMX in Florence, SC. After about a year he became a disc jockey at WAGS in Bishopville, SC. There he made TV appearances with Slim Mims and his Dream Ranch Boys.
During his stay at WAGS he recorded his first hit, "Please Mr. Kennedy" in the spring of 1961. The song, based on The Ballad of Davy Crockett was initially released on the Country Jubilee and ACE labels. When it was released on DOT records it became a hit. It would reach #1 on the Billboard charts. He followed up with "New Frontier" (#11 Billboard) on the Rush label in 1962. From WAGS Jim moved up to WINX in Rockville, MD where he was named the second leading country & western disc jockey in the greater Washington, DC area. Quite an accomplishment!
Jim has also worked at WCKI in Greer, SC, WBLU in Salem, VA and WYMB in Manning, SC. In 1964 he approached Slim Williamson at WPEH Radio with a song he thought would be a sure-fire hit. His first release on Chart went straight up the charts! "Lookin' For More In '64" reached #11 on the Billboard charts and #8 on the Cash Box charts. Done in a Talking Blues style, the single satirized the level of rising expectations that resulted from the current presidential election. A North Carolina gubernatorial hopeful, Dan K. Moore, used it successfully for a campaign theme. It inspired a series of sequels: Still Alive in '65, Heck of a Fix in '66, Clear the State in '68 and Having Fun in '71, the first two of which also charted in the Top 40.
In between these singles, Jim had other humorous ditties like Mother-in-Law (Top 20, 1964), A Tiger in My Tank (Top 15) and The Friendly Undertaker (Top 25) (both 1965), You Better Watch Your Friends (Top 50, 1966) and Runnin' Bare (Top 20, 1970). As a country music singer, he only played once in the Grand Ole Opry, but sang with George Jones, Dolly Parton, Connie Smith and numerous other singers. Other songs by Jim poked gentle fun at the problem of Air Pollution, Spiro (Agnew) and Social Security.
Jim vanished from the charts after 1970, but in 1975 Slim Williamson formed Scorpion Records and what better way to kick off the new label than with the man that kicked off Chart! Jim released "Phone Call From The Devil" on that label in 1975. Unfortunately this would be his last LP. He recorded several singles on other labels but none ever made the Billboard or Cash Box charts. "The Lizard Man" was a regional smash for Jim in 1988 and was his last studio effort. After that, Nesbitt seemingly dropped from the national scene and was engaged in the mobile home business, but was inducted into the South Carolina Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2000.
Nesbitt died of congestive heart failure in his Florence, South Carolina home on November 29, 2007, at age 75.
(Edited from The Ultimate Enclyclopedia of Country Music & it's Performers, Wikipedia & Hillbilly Music)
