Slim Whitman (January 20, 1924 in Tampa, Florida - June 19, 2013, Orange Park, Florida) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Self-taught on the guitar, Otis Whitman worked at a shipyard in Tampa while developing a musical career, eventually performing with a band known as the "Variety Rhythm Boys". Whitman's first big break came when agent Colonel Tom Parker heard him singing on the radio and offered to represent him. Signed with RCA Records