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Members
1 Male
Origin
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Genre
Folk
Style
Country
Mood
Good Natured
Born
1 MaleOrigin
---Genre
FolkStyle
CountryMood
Good NaturedBorn
1952
Active
0 to Present...
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Alternate Name
Jim Varsos
Most Loved Tracks4 users
Hobo Jim - Where Legends Are Born4 users
Hobo Jim - Where Legends Are Born4 users
Hobo Jim - Wild and Free4 users
Hobo Jim - Wild And Free4 users
Hobo Jim - The Iditarod Trail Song
Music Video LinksArtist Biography
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Jim Varsos, better known as Hobo Jim, is an American folk singer-songwriter. He is one of the most popular guitar players in Alaska, playing frequently at small venues across the state. In 1994, Hobo Jim was named Alaska's official balladeer.
Hobo jim is an Alaskan legend, and in 1992 the Governor of Alaska and the legislature of Alaska honored Hobo Jim by naming him "Alaska's state balladeer.". Music critics have called him..." the Woody Guthrie of Alaska"....." The Bob Dylan of Alaska "...."The Jimmy Buffet of Alaska ".....and the " Ramblin' Jack of Alaska "....But Hobo Jim is none of these..... He is simply Hobo Jim.
For over 40 years Hobo Jim has been known for its hard-drivin', rowdy, backwoods, Alaskan shows. A foot-stompin, stage-breaking, powerhouse performer, HOBO sings his original songs of his life as a commercial fisherman, lumberjack, cowboy, woodsman and even songs of his early days of hitchhiking and freight riding.
Hobo Jim is as much a part of Alaska as Alaska is of him. His songs are sung across the last frontier and his famous Iditarod Trail song is curriculum in the Alaska school system that has inspired many of today's mushers into following that great sport. Legendary arctic/Antarctic Explorer and dog musher Colonel Norman Vaughan once wrote..." the words Hobo Jim and Alaska personify one another, he is the greatest musical treasure we have in Alaska".
In 1982 Hobo Jim toured Colorado with his good friend Russell Smith of amazing rhythm aces fame and followed the tour by recording his first LP Thunderfoot produced by Smith. Since then Hobo Jim has recorded eight more CDs many with the backup of America's greatest musicians Sam Bush, Béla Fleck, Pat Flynn, John Cowan, Tim O'Brien, Cactus Moser, Steve Bryant, Rob Ickes, and the great Janis Ian.These CDs quickly became the best selling CDs in Alaska. Hobo Jims most recent CD " My Wild and Wolfen Ways " was released in July of 2015 and includes a duet with longtime friend Janis Ian.
As a writer Hobo Jim's songs have appeared on TV shows on all major networks. his songs have been recorded by such legends as George Jones, Etta James, and Janis Ian. In addition he has had songs cut by John Conlee, Randy Travis, T Graham Brown, the 3 of hearts Crawford West,Lee Roy Parnell, the amazing rhythm aces, Alicia Williamson, Johnny Lee, as well as Billboard singles by Crawford West and Lee Roy Parnell. His song Fishin' for chickens has been recorded by dozens of artists across America and has become a folk cult classic. Hobo Jim has also worked as a staff writer for Warner Brothers, MCA, famous music group, and worked as a writer for several years for the publishing company of the great Ann Murray.
As a performer hobo Jim has toured with or opened for such acts as Reba McEntire, Ted Nugent, Ricky Skaggs, Mark Chesnutt, Hoyt Axton, Michael Johnson, Janis Ian, the Amazing rhythm aces, Riders in the sky, Chubby Checker, John Lee Hooker, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Janie Fricke, Mink deville, Joni Harms, Steppenwolf, Jefferson Airplane / starship and many many more.
Hobo Jim performs annually throughout the great state of Alaska everywhere from the Alaska State Fair to the Iditarod Trail dog race, to small fishing villages, native villages and remote hunting/fishing camps. He has appeared as a headliner at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado, the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas, South by Southwest in Austin, and performed for crowds of 30,000 in Brisbane Australia. He has a large fan base in Germany and performs there often as well as in Japan.
There is no place in the world like Alaska, and there is no other performer in the world like Hobo Jim.
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