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 music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

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

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

, 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 Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

, 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 run in early March. It travels from Anchorage to Nome, entirely within the US state of Alaska. Mushers and a team of between 12 ...

. 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 in 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 songwritin ...

, 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 who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, sh ...

and

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song "He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...

; 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 (Baby I've Been Thinking)" and the 1975 Top T ...

song "Empty".

Personal life and death

Varsos was a collector of

Alaska Native Alaska Natives (also known as Alaskan Natives, Native Alaskans, Indigenous Alaskans, Aboriginal Alaskans or First Alaskans) are the indigenous peoples of Alaska and include Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and a numbe ...

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 land-grant research university in College, Alaska, a suburb of Fairbanks. It is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska system. UAF was established in 1917 and opened for cla ...

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

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

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

KSRM KSRM (920 AM) is a commercial radio station programming talk in Soldotna, Alaska, broadcasting to the Kenai, Alaska Kenai (, ) ( Dena'ina: ; russian: Кенай, ''Kenay'') is a city in the Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alask ...

, 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 People from Indiana People from Soldotna, Alaska Singer-songwriters from Alaska Singer-songwriters from Wisconsin