Jim Varsos (1952 – October 5, 2021), known by the stage name Hobo Jim, was an Alaskan

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

singer-songwriter. He was one of the most popular guitar players in

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

, playing frequently at small venues across the state. In 1994, Hobo Jim was named Alaska's official balladeer.

Early life and career

Varsos was born in Indiana in 1952, one of four children of Milton M. Varsos (1922–2013) and his wife Mary Ann (née Culbertson). His father was of Greek descent, and his family celebrated a number of Greek traditions. Varsos was raised in

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States * Madison (footballer), Brazilian footballer Places in the United States Populated places * Madi ...

, Wisconsin, where he began playing the guitar at the age of 12. He hitchhiked to Nashville after some time in college, hoping to make it as a country musician. After spending time hitchhiking and freight riding around the United States, he moved to Alaska in 1972. He settled in the state, making his home in Soldotna. Varsos's songs are primarily regional and occupational songs, focusing on Alaska's commercial fishermen, loggers, and miners. Perhaps the best known of these songs, "Iditarod Trail Song", commemorates the

Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, more commonly known as The Iditarod (), is an annual long-distance sled dog race held in Alaska in early March. It travels from Anchorage to Nome. Mushers and a team of between 12 and 16 dogs, of which at lea ...

. Varsos lived part-time in Nashville, where he worked with publisher Pat Higdon, singer Russell Smith, and writer

Rory Bourke Rory Michael Bourke (born July 14, 1942, Cleveland, Ohio) is an American country music songwriter and music publisher. Bourke moved to Nashville in 1964 and worked for a period in the promotional department of Mercury Records. His songwriting ...

, among others. His song "The Rock", which he co-wrote with Smith, has been recorded by

Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer and songwriter. Starting her career in 1954, James frequently performed in Nashville's R&B clubs, collectively known as the Ch ...

and

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American Country music, country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for a long list of hit records, and is well known for his distinctive voice an ...

; he also co-wrote the

Janis Ian Janis Ian (born Janis Eddy Fink; April 7, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter who was most commercially successful in the 1960s and 1970s. Her signature songs are the 1966/67 hit "Society's Child, Society's Child (Baby I've Been Thinking)" an ...

song "Empty".

Personal life and death

Varsos was a collector of

Alaska Native Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the I ...

artifacts. In 2018, Varsos received an Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from the

University of Alaska Fairbanks The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF or Alaska) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-, National Sea Grant College Program, sea-, and National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, space-grant research university in ...

. On September 18, 2021, Varsos announced that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. He died in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, on October 5, 2021.Moore, Anthony
Alaska's Official Balladeer, Hobo Jim, Passes Away

KSRM KSRM (920 AM) is a commercial radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting ...

, October 6, 2021

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

External links

* * * {{Authority control 1952 births 2021 deaths 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians American country singer-songwriters American folk guitarists American folk singers American male guitarists American male singer-songwriters Country musicians from Wisconsin Deaths from cancer in Tennessee Guitarists from Wisconsin Musicians from Madison, Wisconsin Musicians from Indiana People from Soldotna, Alaska Singer-songwriters from Alaska Singer-songwriters from Wisconsin