| Jim Garver | |
| Birth Date: | 8 September 1957 |
| Birth Place: | Concordia, Kansas, U.S. |
| Origin: | Concordia, Kansas |
| Instrument: | Guitars, banjo, fiddle, piano, percussion, vocals |
| Genre: | Country |
| Occupation: | Musician |
| Years Active: | 1988 - present |
| Associated Acts: | Garth Brooks |
James Garver (born September 8, 1957) is a country music guitarist. Garver is credited with referencing the bar "The Oasis" (after a closed establishment in his hometown of Concordia, Kansas) in the song Friends in Low Places made famous by Garth Brooks.[1] Garver toured extensively with Brooks[2] and as of 2012, Garver has been credited with 25 different albums with roles ranging from musician to composer.[3]
Garver grew up in Concordia, Kansas, with his parents, Don and Donna. Garver played in several bands, including the KFDI Ranchhouse Swing Band for about a year, before moving to Nashville, Tennessee. He was working full-time as a bricklayer, and playing in a local band, in 1988 when he attended a writers' showcase one night at the Bluebird Cafe and met Garth Brooks. That same week, after learning that Brooks worked at a boot store, Garver went to the store and the two talked music again. Brooks invited Garver to join his band in May.[4] Shortly afterwards, Garver introduced Brooks to steel guitarist Steve McClure, a fellow Kansan, who also joined Brooks' band, now named Stillwater. Within two months, Brooks signed with Capitol Records.Garver recalled, "I originally started out as a fiddle player for him and he ended up liking my guitar playing better, so that's where I ended up." He added, "I was just happy to have a job."[5] In subsequent years, Garver provided backing vocals and played lead electric guitar, acoustic guitar, banjo, piano, and percussion.[6]
Mr. Garver has not performed as a musician since 2000. He and his wife Lana now own and operate Garver Builders, LLC, a commercial and industrial building contractor and developer, in Gallatin, Tennessee.[7]