Hobo Jim: Difference between revisions
PhillyHarold (talk | contribs) Changed date of death; all sources say Tuesday, Oct 5th |
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== Early life and career == |
== Early life and career == |
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Varsos was born in Indiana in 1952.<ref>Alden, Grant. "Hobo Jim". In [https://books.google.com/books?ei=USesUM-MEIPmiwLF1IBQ&id=qznaAAAAMAAJ&dq=isbn%3A9781578590377&q=hobo+jim ''MusicHound folk: the essential album guide'']. [[Visible Ink]] (1998). {{ISBN|9781578590377}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Copyright registration: The Iditarod Trail Song|url=http://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v1=5&ti=1,5&SC=Author&SA=Varsos%2C%20Jim&PID=KUPQWHaZq6REPU7rOTtLbVdNC8oCy&SEQ=20121120201455&SID=2|publisher=[[United States Copyright Office]]|accessdate=November 20, 2012}}</ref> Varsos was raised in [[Madison, Wisconsin|Madison]], Wisconsin, where he began playing the guitar at the age of 12.<ref name="as">{{cite news|last=Delaney|first=Kelly|title=Hobo Jim Honors Loggers With Song|url=http://www.americansongwriter.com/1989/09/hobo-jim-honors-loggers-with-song/|newspaper=[[American Songwriter]]|date=September 1, 1989}}</ref> He hitchhiked to Nashville after some time in college, hoping to make it as a country musician.<ref name="as" /> After spending time hitchhiking and freight riding around the United States, he moved to Alaska in 1972.<ref name="as" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Hughes|first=Zachariah|date=September 21, 2021|title=Alaska balladeer Hobo Jim shares diagnosis of terminal cancer|url=https://www.adn.com/arts/2021/09/20/alaska-balladeer-hobo-jim-shares-terminal-cancer-diagnosis/|url-status=live|website=[[Anchorage Daily News]]}}</ref> He settled in the state, making his home in Soldotna.<ref name=":1" /> |
Varsos was born in Indiana in 1952. His father was Greek.<ref>Alden, Grant. "Hobo Jim". In [https://books.google.com/books?ei=USesUM-MEIPmiwLF1IBQ&id=qznaAAAAMAAJ&dq=isbn%3A9781578590377&q=hobo+jim ''MusicHound folk: the essential album guide'']. [[Visible Ink]] (1998). {{ISBN|9781578590377}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Copyright registration: The Iditarod Trail Song|url=http://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v1=5&ti=1,5&SC=Author&SA=Varsos%2C%20Jim&PID=KUPQWHaZq6REPU7rOTtLbVdNC8oCy&SEQ=20121120201455&SID=2|publisher=[[United States Copyright Office]]|accessdate=November 20, 2012}}</ref> Varsos was raised in [[Madison, Wisconsin|Madison]], Wisconsin, where he began playing the guitar at the age of 12.<ref name="as">{{cite news|last=Delaney|first=Kelly|title=Hobo Jim Honors Loggers With Song|url=http://www.americansongwriter.com/1989/09/hobo-jim-honors-loggers-with-song/|newspaper=[[American Songwriter]]|date=September 1, 1989}}</ref> He hitchhiked to Nashville after some time in college, hoping to make it as a country musician.<ref name="as" /> After spending time hitchhiking and freight riding around the United States, he moved to Alaska in 1972.<ref name="as" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Hughes|first=Zachariah|date=September 21, 2021|title=Alaska balladeer Hobo Jim shares diagnosis of terminal cancer|url=https://www.adn.com/arts/2021/09/20/alaska-balladeer-hobo-jim-shares-terminal-cancer-diagnosis/|url-status=live|website=[[Anchorage Daily News]]}}</ref> He settled in the state, making his home in Soldotna.<ref name=":1" /> |
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Varsos's songs are primarily regional and occupational songs, focusing on Alaska's commercial fishermen, loggers, and miners.<ref name="as" /> Perhaps the best known of these songs, "Iditarod Trail Song", commemorates the [[Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race]].<ref name=":0" /> |
Varsos's songs are primarily regional and occupational songs, focusing on Alaska's commercial fishermen, loggers, and miners.<ref name="as" /> Perhaps the best known of these songs, "Iditarod Trail Song", commemorates the [[Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race]].<ref name=":0" /> |
Revision as of 17:31, 7 October 2021
Hobo Jim | |
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![]() Hobo Jim performing at the 2020 Iditarod mushers banquet in Anchorage, Alaska | |
Born | 1952 |
Died | October 5, 2021 (age 68 or 69) |
Other names | Jim Varsos |
Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
Jim Varsos (1952 – October 5, 2021), better known as Hobo Jim, was an American folk singer-songwriter. He was one of the most popular guitar players in Alaska,[1] playing frequently at small venues across the state.[2] In 1994, Hobo Jim was named Alaska's official balladeer.[3][4][5]
Early life and career
Varsos was born in Indiana in 1952. His father was Greek.[6][7] Varsos was raised in Madison, Wisconsin, where he began playing the guitar at the age of 12.[8] He hitchhiked to Nashville after some time in college, hoping to make it as a country musician.[8] After spending time hitchhiking and freight riding around the United States, he moved to Alaska in 1972.[8][9] He settled in the state, making his home in Soldotna.[10]
Varsos's songs are primarily regional and occupational songs, focusing on Alaska's commercial fishermen, loggers, and miners.[8] Perhaps the best known of these songs, "Iditarod Trail Song", commemorates the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.[9]
As of 1989, Varsos lived part-time in Nashville, where he worked with publisher Pat Higdon, singer Russell Smith, and writer Rory Bourke, among others.[8] His song "The Rock", which he co-wrote with Smith, has been recorded by Etta James and George Jones;[11][12] he also co-wrote the Janis Ian song "Empty".[13]
Personal life and death
Varsos was a collector of Alaska Native artifacts.[14]
In 2018, Varsos received an Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.[15]
On September 18, 2021, Varsos announced that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.[9][16] He died in Nashville, Tennessee, on October 5, 2021.[17][10]
Discography
- Thunderfoot (1982)
- Lost and Dyin' Breed (1985)
- Where Legends Are Born (1986)
- Collection (1994)
- Wilderness Way (1996)
- Woodsmoke (2004)
- My Wild and Wolfen Ways (2015)
References
- ^ "Hobo Jim is back". Anchorage Daily News. August 17, 1986.
- ^ Peter Jenkins (2002). Looking for Alaska. Macmillan. p. 377. ISBN 978-0-312-30289-4.
- ^ Tunseth, Matt (March 24, 2010). "Hobo Jim homeless again — Musician bids BJ's Lounge goodbye after 25 years". Redoubt Reporter. Soldotna, Alaska. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ Thornburgh, Nathan (August 30, 2008). "Where Palin made her name". Time. Archived from the original on August 31, 2008.
- ^ http://juneauempire.com/neighbors/2012-02-05-0
- ^ Alden, Grant. "Hobo Jim". In MusicHound folk: the essential album guide. Visible Ink (1998). ISBN 9781578590377.
- ^ "Copyright registration: The Iditarod Trail Song". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Delaney, Kelly (September 1, 1989). "Hobo Jim Honors Loggers With Song". American Songwriter.
- ^ a b c Hughes, Zachariah (September 21, 2021). "Alaska balladeer Hobo Jim shares diagnosis of terminal cancer". Anchorage Daily News.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Williams, Tess (October 6, 2021). "Hobo Jim, Alaska's balladeer, dies weeks after announcing terminal cancer diagnosis". Anchorage Daily News.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Love's Been Rough on Me". Allmusic.com. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ "The Rock". Allmusic.com. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ "Hunger". Janisian.com. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ Foster, David (July 30, 1985). "Scholars race with Eskimos for artifacts". Schenectady Gazette. Associated Press. p. 32.
- ^ Granger, Erin UAF to award honorary doctorate degrees, Meritorious Award at graduation Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, April 23, 2018
- ^ Poux Sabine, Hobo Jim reflects on career KDLL news via KBBI, SEP 27, 2021
- ^ Moore, Anthony, Alaska’s Official Balladeer, Hobo Jim, Passes Away KSRM, October 6, 2021
External links
- 1952 births
- 2021 deaths
- American country singer-songwriters
- American folk guitarists
- American male guitarists
- American folk singers
- American male singer-songwriters
- People from Indiana
- Musicians from Madison, Wisconsin
- Songwriters from Alaska
- Songwriters from Wisconsin
- Guitarists from Wisconsin
- 20th-century American guitarists
- Country musicians from Wisconsin
- 20th-century American male musicians
- Deaths from cancer in Tennessee