Hobo Jim Explained

Hobo Jim
Birth Date:1952
Birth Place:Indiana
Death Date:October 5, 2021 (aged 69)
Death Place:Nashville, Tennessee
Other Names:Jim Varsos
Occupation:Singer-songwriter

Jim Varsos (1952 – October 5, 2021), known by the stage name Hobo Jim, was an Alaskan 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, one of four children of Milton M. Varsos (1922–2013) and his wife Mary Ann (née Culbertson).[6] [7] [8] His father was of Greek descent, and his family celebrated a number of Greek traditions.[9] Varsos was raised in Madison, Wisconsin, where he began playing the guitar at the age of 12.[10] 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.[11] 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.

Varsos lived part-time in Nashville, where he worked with publisher Pat Higdon, singer Russell Smith, and writer Rory Bourke, among others.[10] [12] His song "The Rock", which he co-wrote with Smith, has been recorded by Etta James and George Jones;[13] [14] he also co-wrote the Janis Ian song "Empty".[15]

Personal life and death

Varsos was a collector of Alaska Native artifacts.[16]

In 2018, Varsos received an Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.[17]

On September 18, 2021, Varsos announced that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.[18] He died in Nashville, Tennessee, on October 5, 2021.[19] [20]

Discography

Notes and References

  1. News: Hobo Jim is back. Anchorage Daily News. August 17, 1986.
  2. Book: Peter Jenkins. Looking for Alaska. 2002. Macmillan. 978-0-312-30289-4. 377.
  3. News: Tunseth. Matt. Hobo Jim homeless again — Musician bids BJ's Lounge goodbye after 25 years. November 20, 2012. Redoubt Reporter. March 24, 2010. Soldotna, Alaska.
  4. News: Thornburgh. Nathan. Where Palin made her name. https://web.archive.org/web/20080831111429/http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1837713,00.html. dead. August 31, 2008. Time. August 30, 2008.
  5. News: February 5, 2012. Flying Lions bring Hobo Jim to town. Juneau Empire. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120206193256/https://www.juneauempire.com/neighbors/2012-02-05-0. February 6, 2012.
  6. Alden, Grant. "Hobo Jim". In MusicHound folk: the essential album guide. Visible Ink (1998). .
  7. Web site: Copyright registration: The Iditarod Trail Song. United States Copyright Office. November 20, 2012.
  8. Milton Varsos obituary http://funeralinnovations.com/obituaries/view/119176/2
  9. Web site: Varsos. Jim. April 12, 2020. Happy Easter Folks.... October 7, 2021. Facebook. en.
  10. News: Delaney. Kelly. Hobo Jim Honors Loggers With Song. American Songwriter. September 1, 1989.
  11. Web site: Hughes. Zachariah. September 21, 2021. Alaska balladeer Hobo Jim shares diagnosis of terminal cancer. Anchorage Daily News.
  12. News: Epler. Patti. September 2012. 40 Years of Song. 78. 23. Alaska. 7. ProQuest.
  13. Web site: Love's Been Rough on Me. Allmusic.com. November 20, 2012.
  14. Web site: The Rock. Allmusic.com. November 20, 2012.
  15. Web site: Hunger. Janisian.com. November 20, 2012. October 25, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121025034503/http://www.janisian.com/albums/hunger.php. dead.
  16. News: Foster. David. Scholars race with Eskimos for artifacts. Schenectady Gazette. July 30, 1985. Associated Press. 32.
  17. Granger, Erin UAF to award honorary doctorate degrees, Meritorious Award at graduation Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, April 23, 2018
  18. Poux Sabine, Hobo Jim reflects on career KDLL news via KBBI, SEP 27, 2021
  19. Moore, Anthony, Alaska’s Official Balladeer, Hobo Jim, Passes Away KSRM, October 6, 2021
  20. Web site: Williams. Tess. October 6, 2021. Hobo Jim, Alaska's balladeer, dies weeks after announcing terminal cancer diagnosis. Anchorage Daily News.

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