Humorist, Poet, Songwriter, Activist. Matti Valentin Huhta, better known by his pen name T-Bone Slim, was an American humorist, poet, songwriter, hobo, and labor activist, who played a prominent role in the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). Huhta worked briefly as a reporter for the daily News-Tribune in Duluth, Minnesota but resigned after an editor "misquoted him and balled up his article" about an Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) mass meeting. According to one account, this was when he joined the IWW or "Wobblies," as they are sometimes called. Huhta contributed numerous articles and songs to IWW publications over a period of twenty years and was widely regarded as one of the union's finest writers. He was a regular columnist for Industrial Solidarity and later wrote for the Industrial Worker and Industrialisti. In addition to his writing, Huhta supported himself in various ways. His experience working on docks and barges around the country had by the mid-1930s garnered him a position as barge captain in New York City. On May 15, 1942 Huhta's body was found floating in the Hudson River, where it appeared to have been for several days. The death was ruled an accidental drowning although the exact circumstances were unclear. There was no funeral, and in the end Huhta was buried in a potter's field on Hart Island. Following his death, T-Bone Slim became a source of inspiration for the emerging American surrealist movement, and during the 1960s there was renewed interest in his songs when they were sung by activists during the Civil Rights Movement.
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Birth name: Matti Valentininpoika Huhta
His parents: Matti Huhta and Johanna Huhtaketo were Finnish immigrants from Kälviä, Ostrobothnia.
His four siblings: Ida, Alfred, John, and Sofie.
His wife: Rosa Kotila, an immigrant from Ostrobothnia.
His four children: Paul, Edna, Anna, and Florence.