Slim Lehart Recalled as Consummate Entertainer
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WHEELING -- Wherever you may have been -- in the audience of Jamboree USA, in the Marshall County Commission offices, or even just shooting the breeze sitting in his living room -- if you were with Slim Lehart, you were in for a good time.
"He would always say, 'I'm not a singer, I'm an entertainer,'" said Bob Haglock, Lehart's friend and steel guitar player.
Those who knew Lehart, who died Aug. 5 at Liza's Place at age 88, said entertaining was his life. It could have been with a guitar and a song, or from a great story from his decades in country music, performing along the likes of Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard and Loretta Lynn. They'll miss the songs and the stories, but most of all, they said they'll miss the man who cared deeply and loved his community.
Lehart was born Richard Hartley on June 25, 1935, in Calis, a small community in rural Marshall County. At 15, he moved to Wheeling. At 17, he joined the United States Navy and served in the Korean War on the USS Randolph. It was after he returned from service that the transformation into Slim Lehart began.
Lehart got his start with the Wheeling Jamboree in 1965 and became a regular cast member in 1970.
He continued growing in popularity through a voice friends described as raw and authentic, with a performing style that was genuine.
"I think when you get into this kind of business, there's a persona about a stage person and then the real person that's offstage," said friend and Jamboree regular Joann Davis. "He was the real person both onstage and offstage, and I think that's what was captivating about him."
That real person was someone who lived to entertain. Lehart was an energetic performer throughout his career, cinching his guitar strap until his guitar sat high on his chest. Those who played with him said he could command a crowd and surprise even his band at a moment's notice. Haglock said that, when they would perform and an idea would strike Lehart, he'd step to the mic with a comment or a quip.
"It kept you on your toes," Haglock said. "You never really knew what was coming."
Roger Hoard, the former musical director for Jamboree USA and popular guitar player, remembered a performance with Lehart that was a perfect example of the Lehart's playful, impromptu nature. That night, the crowd was really into the show, Hoard said, so Lehart removed his guitar strap and threw it into the audience.
"And the crowd went crazy," Hoard said. "And then seeing how that went, he took off his shoes and threw his shoes into the crowd. I think the strap thing went so well, he thought, 'Y'know, what else can I throw into the crowd?'"
He grew to be one of the most popular country music artists in the area, opening nearly every Saturday concert for the Wheeling Jamboree and Jamboree USA. His signature song, "The Wheeling Cat," became the nickname he was known by for the rest of his life. Other popular tunes included "Love Loses Power," "Gotta Put A Little Sunshine," "Sunshine In My Soul" and "Just Before Goodbye."
The Jamboree wasn't the only stage on which he dazzled audiences. He traveled across the country and into Canada performing for crowds. But he always returned to the Ohio Valley, where he could be seen at the Slim Lehart Lounge in the old Madrid Club in Wheeling, or at his own club, The Tradewinds, near Viola.
Lehart's love for home led to a stint in politics, serving as a Marshall County Commissioner from 1995-2000. He was a part of the county commission that hired current County Administrator Betsy Frohnapfel in 1998. She remembers the soft spot Lehart always had for the rural edges of Marshall County, and his work to make sure residents of corners like Dunkard Fork and Wolf Run had parks and recreational areas they could enjoy close to their homes.
"Slim loved everything and everybody Marshall County," Frohnapfel said.
She saw how comfortably he could walk into the room at National Association of Counties and chat up the association president as easily as he could a Marshall County resident - even if Lehart's public persona wasn't as well known.
"At the National Association, he was Marshall County Commissioner Richard Hartley," Frohnapfel said. "Around the office, he was just Slim."
Lehart also lent his voice to other causes close to his heart, like reopening the Capitol Theatre after it had closed down. It had been the site for so many of his favorite memories, and he wanted his neighbors to have experiences they could cherish as well.
"He was inspirational," said Frank O'Brien, executive director of the Wheeling-Ohio County Convention and Visitors Bureau. "He motivated us. He constantly let us know that we were doing the right thing in bringing the theater back to life."
When the Capitol Theatre opened its doors again in 2009, Lehart was invited to perform. And when he walked in front of the audience, he knelt down and kissed the stage.
"That was a surprise to everyone in attendance, and us too," O'Brien said.
When the Capitol Theatre paid off its mortgage, O'Brien had Lehart light that mortgage on fire to celebrate.
In his later years, Lehart earned many accolades in Wheeling and around the state. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin named him "Distinguished Mountaineer" in 2012, and the West Virginia Senate followed by naming him a "Distinguished Citizen." He was awarded a star on the Capitol Theatre's Walkway of Stars, and the City of Wheeling celebrated "Slim Lehart Day" in 2021.
Even with all those honors, those who knew Lehart said he never lost his humility or his passion for the things he loved.
"Anything he got involved in, he gave it his all," Frohnapfel said, "whether it was his music, his commission work, his family. He just put his heart and soul into everything he did.
"He was just a really good man."