Starday 297 In one source, we saw his name as James Robert Eanes while another said his name was Homer Robert Eanes. He was a native of Danville, Virginia. His father was known as "Uncle Bob" Eanes in the Mountain Valley tobacco belt of Virginia. He was the third of seven children, having four brothers and two sisters. When he was very young, six months as a matter of fact, he had an accident. It seems he fell from his high chair and into the fireplace. That fall injured his left hand so badly they thought he wouldn't be able to use it again. But sometimes determination wins out. That accident and the resulting scars on his hand were the butt of kids jokes in their teasing. But it only seemed to give Jim more resolve through the tears. He wanted to be as good as his dad playing the banjo. He got his first guitar when he was nine years old and in a couple of years, he was playing at square dances and social events, sometimes even getting paid for his performances. When he was fourteen, he had an operation to remove the scar tissue on his hand. It didn't slow him though as he was beginning to sing and discovered he had a 'style'. When 1951 came, Jim formed his band, the Shenandoah Valley Boys and also got a recording contract with the Blue Ridge Recording Company for six records. His first hit with them was the war classic, "Missing In Action". Next, he signed with Capitol Records and had a hit with "Baby Blue Eyes", a song that showed he could not only sing, but write a ...
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