Country music fans throughout the Pine Tree State are mourning the death of Maine Country Music Hall of Fame Founder “Slim” Andrews, who died on Jan. 15 at age 90, after a long battle with cancer.

“I cherish sweet memories of Slim — a kind, warm, gentle man with a sharp wit and bright sense of humor.  He had a way of making those he met feel like an old friend,” said Maria Holloway, the hall of fame’s community outreach and development coordinator.

Andrews spent his life dedicated to his passion for country music, and has been promoting and spotlighting the genre in Maine since the 1970s. Longtime Lewiston-based country musician Jim Flynn wrote of Andrews in a 2018 tribute, “Slim Andrews will be remembered by the Maine country music community as a dedicated country music artist and as a leader and catalyst for growth in Maine country music during the 70s and 80s and in the first two decades of the 21st century. Slim Andrews' influence on Maine country music has made it one of the most popular of the performing arts in the state of Maine.” 

Born Leonard Andrews Huntington Jr. in Boston on June 14, 1931, Andrews moved with his family to Auburn as an infant. He stayed there until the death of his mother, Daisy Huntington in 1944. He moved to Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood in 1946. 

Andrews first played music for an audience in 1942, at age 11, as part of a talent contest at a community theater in New Auburn. He had also played for his fellow servicemen in World War II, and in 1952 his career as a country music singer began in earnest with his playing in small church venues. In 1958, he formed  the Berkshire Mountain Boys, which he played with until moving back to the Auburn area in 1971.

Upon returning to Maine, Andrews continued to support country music by establishing the Silver Spur in Windham, which offered live music and dancing. From there, he and his then wife, Gini Eaton, formed the Slim Andrews Enterprises Booking Agency, which he used to bring Nashville-based musicians to Maine, New England and upstate New York.

Andrews and Eaton went on to establish the first State of Maine Country Music All Star-Review of Top Maine Talent, which showcased local and New England-based country music acts. They also collaborated with Barry Deane in 1977 to found the Maine Country Music Association. Andrews founded the Maine Country Music Hall of Fame in 1978 (an associated museum would be added in 2008) in Mechanic Falls.

According to Flynn’s tribute, Andrews earned attention in 1980 from the Maine Sunday Telegram, which took note of Andrews’ influence in country music. Along with his leadership roles, Andrews continued to perform his own music, at one point doing as many as 70 live appearances a year. He even recorded a new song, “In My Old Pickup Truck,” a tribute to Johnny Cash, in 2018, despite battling throat cancer. Flynn’s tribute notes Andrews recited the lyrics to the song instead of singing them.

Andrews was inducted into the hall of fame himself in 2002. He is survived by his children, Daniel, Tracy McCrillis, Jamie Huntington and Harold Baily; his step-children, Scott MacDonald, Shawn MacDonald, Joan Austin, Eliza Fulton, Susan Fraser and Robert Eaton; and grandchildren.

Holloway said Andrews’ family will be announcing a celebration of life ceremony this spring. Donations in Andrews’ memory may be made to the Maine Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, PO Box 62, Athens, ME  04912.