Hobo Jim

James "Hobo Jim" Varsos (December 21, 1952 – October 5, 2021) moved to Alaska in 1972 and became known for songs about the state's fishing, logging, and mining communities. In 1994, the Alaska State Legislature named him the state's official Balladeer, a title he held for the rest of his life. He closed the Alaska State Fair with a performance nearly every year from the early 1980s through 2021.

His best-known songs include the "Iditarod Trail Song," written for the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, along with "I Am Alaska," "Redington's Run," "The Cannery Call," and "Off to Dutch Harbor." He co-wrote "The Rock," later recorded by Etta James and George Jones, and collaborated with Janis Ian on "Empty." In 2018, he received an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He died in October 2021, weeks after announcing a terminal cancer diagnosis.