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Like his previous release, interest was minimal, but then he met Johnny Vincent, who
was scouting for Specialty. Vincent said “this was one artist I just had to get. He was

fantastic. Slim wouldn’t let anyone out-perform him. I wouldn’t let him out of my sight
until he signed with Specialty”.

However, Vincent had not realised how difficult Slim was to record - what with having

little regard for the construction of a song, and also scant regard for the recording
process itself. Producer Cosimo Matassa recalled the frustration of trying to record
‘The Things That I Used To Do’ - “we had a really good take of the song going. Slim
played a particularly hot solo and then just

stopped. He turned round to the band and
said “gentlemen, did you hear that”? Of
course, these were the days of cutting direct

Cosimo Matassa to disc, so no wonder Matassa was so
exasperated (indeed, I recall him mentioning
that Fats Domino had a habit of stopping

midway through a great take and saying “how
am I sounding?”)!

After much frustration a complete song was

laid down, but label boss Art Rupe was not
impressed, calling it “the worst piece of shit
I ever heard “! He rather put Vincent on the

spot by stating that his job depended on the
success of this “piece of shit”! However, to his
surprise, it took off like a rocket, spending 6
weeks at the top of the R&B charts. The

record was followed by more fine efforts,
such as ‘Sufferin’ Mind’, ‘Reap What You Sow’,
‘You’re Gonna Miss Me’ and ‘Letter To My

Girlfriend’, but none surpassed the success
of ‘The Things That I Used To Do’.

There is no doubt that Guitar Slim wrote
some very fine songs, containing thoughtful lyrics, but to him the show was everything,
so sometimes his songwriting ability was underestimated. His band leader, Lloyd
Lambert, confirmed that “Slim was a showman and a musician. He’d make motions

and faces that would drive people berserk”.

After a few years with Specialty, without any further hits, Slim signed for the Atlantic
subsidiary, Atco, who attempted to steer him towards the teenage market, much like

the success of Chuck Berry at Chess, but that was never going to work. Additionally,
Slim’s chaotic lifestyle had begun to catch up with him, and his health was
deteriorating. Years of wild partying, hard drinking and hard living had taken their

toll.