Alaska's Hobo Jim "Thunderfoot" (BS Records, 1984)
(Produced by Russell Smith)
Although he claimed Alaska as his home, "Hobo" Jim Varsos seems to have laid down roots in Boulder, Colorado, at least for long enough to record this album with a bunch of Rocky Mountain locals... Bluegrasser Tim O'Brien is on board to add some fiddle licks. Although this looks like more of a folkie/bluegrass thing, there are some intriguing songs, such as "The American Farmer Song," "The Dramamine Fisher" and "My Old Tractor." This was his first album; several others were released by Varsos himself, and on folk labels like Flying Fish (who re-released this one...)

Alaska's Hobo Jim "Lost And Dyin' Breed" (BS Records, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by Duncan Cameron & Kevin Clock)
Another all-star cast of bluegrass heavyweights, with basically all the guys from New Grass Revival, and a Hot Rizer or two... The musicians include Sam Bush, John Cowan, Bela Fleck, Pat Flynn, Tim O'Brien and others...

Bobby Albright "...And The New Country Revue" (Arctic Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Bobby Albright, Larry Welborn & Debbie Barlow; Engineered by Jim Zuchsow)
All cover tunes by this group from Alaska... Although they called Anchorage home, the band apparently made it down to the Lower 48 to play -- the liner notes from Kenny Vernon say that they backed him in Vegas. Albright apparently stayed in the background, playing bass and singing harmony, while guitarist Larry Welborn and gal singer Debbie Barlow split the lead vocals; neither were particularly adept vocalists, while the band was -- hate to say it -- pretty mediocre. An authentic bar band, and one of the few Alaskan country groups that made a record... but you don't need to go crazy trying to track this one down.

Patty Brannen "From Alaska With Love" (Arctic Records, 1976-?) (LP)
(Produced by Frank Tonnema & Dwight Finger)
I'm not sure what the whole story is with Patty Brannen, a singer from Alaska who cut this album with help from arranger Berk Rauk (pronounced "rock") a lounge performer who billed himself as a "famous showman pianist and singer" in a career that spanned back at least as far as 1960, when he was playing gigs in Reno. How he met Brannen, who was originally from Florida, is anyone's guess, but they were headlining at the Switzerland Supper Club, an Alpine-themed Italian restaurant in Fairbanks, at the time this album was made. They were backed both in the club and on this album by the wonderfully-named drummer Brian Hitt, along with guitarist Glen Fish who was a truck driver in his day job. (Also worth noting is the participation of Anchorage radio deejay Frank Tonnema, who helped produce some other records around this time, notably Roy Day's North Country, also on the Arctic label.) Online mentions of this disc are pretty slight -- it was profiled on the Homoerratic Radio Show, leading me to wonder if Brannen was a drag act. If so, there's no mention of it in a November, 1975 profile in the Fairbanks Daily News Miner which mentions the group cutting its first single, a cover of the Johnny Ray pop hit, "Cry" backed by "When I Fall in Love," which are both included on this album. Although she dips into pop vocals territory, including versions of "Al Of Me" and "Love For Sale," this album is definitely weighted towards legitimately country material, stuff like "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry," "Me And Bobby McGee," "Rocky Top" and "Top Of The World." Nice voice, though not a ton of twang... Certainly worth a spin!

Tim Brunner "Alaskan Cowboy" (Kajac Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Harold Luick & Dennis Smith)
Plenty of regionally-themed material, mostly touching on Alaskan motifs such as the fishing industry and the oil pipelines. Singer Tim Brunner is backed by steel player Kevin Clemens, Lenny Hudson on banjo and guitar, bassist Jim Phinney, several fiddlers and sundry others. The album kicks off with a track called "North Dakota Minstrel..." Is that where he was from originally?

Johnny Collinsworth "Just Like You" (Barnel Records, 1984-?) (LP)
Born and raised in West Virginia, singer Johnny Collinsworth headed for New Mexico after getting out of the Air Force in the early 1950s, where he played with the Dick Bills band before starting his own group in Albuquerque. Eventually he moved up north -- to Alaska! -- where he was living when he cut this album. The band is small, just a trio with Collinsworth on vocals and guitar, his son Buddy playing bass and Gene Burrill on drums. There's a wealth of original material on here, including five songs written or co-written by Collinsworth, and three by his cousin, Frank Buckland.

Johnny Collinsworth "My Country" (Barnel Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Rob Olds & Dave Signs)

Country Colman "In The Arctics" (Arctic Circle Records, 19--?) (LP)
Colman Loftis was an Alaskan country singer... He's joined here by Speedy Price on steel guitar, along with Nick Burris, Doug Harner, Tex Housden and Frank Hutchison... Not sure when this came out, either in the 1960s or '70s, from the look of things...

Roy Day "North Country: Far North Music" (Arctic Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Dwight Finger)
A pretty obscure one here... Roy Day was an oil pipeline worker who brought a pile of original material to Arctic Studios, in Anchorage, Alaska, where the producers slapped together a backing band and let the tape roll. There are no producer or musician credits, but the sessions included some jazzy guitar and snare drums, punctuated by accordion, pedal steel, and an all-gal backing chorus, identified only as "the girls" in the sketchy liner notes by radio deejay Frank Tonnema. Mr. Day wasn't a particularly skillful vocalist, but he had a jaunty, jocular feel which brings early hillbilly-era Ernie Ford to mind, with maybe a hint of Bing Crosby. The plainspoken lyrics are clunky but earnest and authentic -- no slick showbiz stuff here! Some songs like "Pipeline" and "Nine Weeks On" provide a common-man's view of life during in the Alaskan oil boom, including some bitter asides about a system that Day considered to be a rigged against the working stiffs. Apparently he wrote all the material although the arrangements are credited to Jackie Jacobs and Bob Wright. It's really not a very good record, but it does ooze rough-edged authenticity and might be worth a spin... If you want, you can hear the whole thing on the Alaska Oldies blog, which features posts from one of the guys who worked at Arctic Studios.

D'Fleming "...Sings Good Country" (Shew-Ming Records, 1977)
(Produced by Harold Lee & Al Gore)
An Alaskan singer with all original material, including some (but not all) gospel, and one song co-written with Don Bergstrom. To be honest, his vocals ain't all that, but he does throw himself into it with great gusto. Looks like he went to Nashville to cut this album, and the band behind him sounds pretty sharp. Among the studio players were steel players Jim Baker and Little Roy Wiggins, along with some backup harmonies by the "Bach-Ahp Singers."

Dr. Schultz "The Last Frontier Band" (Frozenstif Records, 1979)
(Produced by John Speer)
From the far-flung boundaries of the continental United States comes one of Alaska's trailblazing folk/Americana bands. The "doctor" would be banjo picker and vocalist Don Schultz, a founding member of the band, accompanying the other lead singer, Dana Cox, who went on to record a solo album of her own. Although bluegrass-friendly, the group had more of a mainstream hippie-folk sound, particularly Cox's Joan Baez-ish vocals. I'm not that into straight-up folk music, although these folks did have some weirdo-eclectic touches than earn them a spot in the hippiebilly hall of fame. They came down to California to record this album, and a few Bay Area locals helped on the sessions, most notably pedal steel player Joe Goldmark, who plays on a tune or two.

Shirley English "Diamonds In The Snow" (1979) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Holden and Roland Anderson)
A self-released set of regionally-themed folk music, with songs such as "What Is It About Alaska," "Anchor City By The Sea" and "The Mighty Flood," all composed by Anchorage resident Shirley English (1925-2021). She's backed by a presumably local band, including Neil Anderson on guitar, Bill Bassett (steel guitar), Mike Cox (bass), Jim Pompeo (drums), George Wagner on keyboards. Mrs. English, whose husband Bill was a well-known, pioneering bush pilot, was herself a relatively reclusive musician. Despite recording at least three albums, she apparently did not do much live performing, and sold these albums by mailorder only, and later only directly from her home in Anchorage.

Shirley English "The Land Of Beyond: Songs Of Alaska By Shirley English" (Camai Music, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by Patric D'Eimon & Wyatt Easterling)

Shirley English "Land Of Wild Roses: Songs Of Alaska By Shirley English" (Camai Music, 1988) (LP)

Earl Hughes "Hawaii's Ambassador To Country Music" (LP)
Fiddler Earl Hughes really had a thing for the non-mainland, non-lower 48 states... But why he jumped ship from Hawaii to Alaska -- or why he never made it to Puerto Rico -- I really can't tell you. Anyway, this album looks to be mid-to-late-'70s vintage... Much later on, he became Alaska's country music ambassador. (Which raises another question: how do you get that job? Do you get appointed to it, by Chet Atkins or Billy Sherrill? I'm gonna have to look into this one...)

Earl Hughes "Alaska's Ambassador Of Country Music" (CD)

Earl Hughes "Alaska's Earl Hughes: Fiddler's Son" (2002)

Tex Johnston & The Co-Stars "Songs Of Alaska" (Golden State Records, 1967) (LP)
This one has an odd geographical history... Tex Johnston was a Lone Star native who moved up to Alaska in the 1950s, lived there for a while, then moved back to the Lower Forty-Eight and eventually he returned to Texas, although he recorded this homage to Alaska for a label in San Francisco, CA. Go figure. It was meant to commemorate the centennial of Alaska's acquisition by the United States. Lots of regional pride songs, and poetic paeans to the great, wide wilderness up North... Speaking of which, it kicks off with -- you guessed it -- a cover of Johnny Horton's "North To Alaska," although most of the others are originals, new to this album, including five written by Johnston, a couple by Ruth Vreeland and one by Lee Sumpter, who were cohorts of Johnston and connected to his band when he was in Alaska.

Hank Karr "Stealin' My World" (Alkon Records, 19--?) (LP)
Songwriter Hank Karr was originally from Sashkatchewan, but wound up working in the Pacific Northwest and particularly in the Yukon where he specialized in songs about Alaskan history and culture... This album is almost all originals, and is actually more focussed on romantic material, with a couple of songs about Alaska, but many more heartsongs.

Hank Karr "Paddlewheeler And Other Northland Ballads" (Alkon Records, 19--?)

Hank Karr "Where Do You Go After Yukon" (CD)

Hank Karr "Through The Years: The Hank Karr Collection" (Karmac Records, 19--?)

Kay & Garth "If It Wasn't Love" (Bodacious Records, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Cliffie Stone)
This disco-era disc hardly looks like a country record, but apparently is... Originally from Alaska, Garth Phillipsen and his wife Kay Phillipsen migrated to Los Angeles and fell into the orbit of Southern California producer Cliffie Stone where they probably worked as session musicians on some of his stuff. They penned most of the material on this album, although the cover tunes include the Buck Owens classic "Together Again" along with a version of Alicia Bridges' disco hit, "I Love The Night Life." Kudos to Kay Phillipsen for her fashion-forward image, sporting a sharp-looking, close-cropped platinum blonde hairdo with a sort of proto-Annie Lennox look. The photo on the back cover is pure, scary 'Seventies, though -- a naked, cuddling couples portrait that would make viewers cringe no matter what era they were in.. The backing band, the Phillips Express, included John Hobbs (piano), Jay Dee Maness (pedal steel), Garth Phillipsen (guitar and banjo), Gregg Phillips (bass) and Ray Thomasson (drums). Not sure what the story would up being with these two... They divorced at some point, and he remarried to a California gal named Deborah Malena (who also worked for Cliffie Stone) and they formed a country-gospel duo that also branched out into children's music. Kay also remarried after moving back to Alaska, settling down in Wasilla, just north of Anchorage. As far as I know this was their only album.

Atz Kilcher & Nedra Kilcher "Early Morning Gold" (Sounds Alaskana, 1978)
(Produced by Bob Holden)
Folkie stuff by a couple of true-blue, ultra-outdoorsy Alaskans... The Kilcher's are joined by Dave Cozort (bass and piano), Scott Gavin (banjo), Peter Ross (drums) and fiddler Waynne Shields. The title track, "Early Morning Gold," was written by singer-songwriter Mossy Davidson, whose own album from 1977 included many of the same artists and technical help, as well as some vocals by the Kilchers. They must have really loved that song, since they also recorded it on their second album, Born And Raised On Alaska Land.

Atz Kilcher & Nedra Kilcher "Born And Raised On Alaska Land" (Sounds Alaskana, 1978)
(Produced by Dave Eyre, Lance Parker & Tracy Jorgensen)

Singin' Sam McDole "When You Think You've Hit Bottom, Just Look Down" (Conestoga Records, 1982)
An African-American country singer who was apparently a longtime bus driver for the Anchorage, Alaska "People Mover" transit system, Sam McDole was known for singing country songs while he drove... This album is mostly cover tunes, mainly oldies and standards, although the title track is a Gail Davies song. McDole contributes two originals, "Things Ain't What They Used To Be" and "Set 'Em Up, Bartender."

Al Oster - see artist discography

Uncle Bob Pavitt "Sings Ballads Of Alaska" (Central Sound Studios, 1976-?) (LP)
Originally from Sarasota, Florida, Bob Pavitt was a community planner by profession, and moved to Alaska in 1966 to take a government job up in Alaska, working for the city of Anchorage and for the state government. He was also a folk singer and soaked up a bunch of the local lore, helping produce the 1968 album Sourdough Songs And Ballads as well as performing at various festivals and whatnot in Alaska and in the lower 48. This album is a mix of traditional material and stuff he wrote himself, including memorable titles such as "Ice-Blue Mendenhall Glacier Blues," "The Koyukuk Trail" and "When The Iceworm Nests Again."

Gene Pullin & The Den-Vrees "At The Frontier Club" (Vanco Records, 1967-?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden & & Ellie Miller)
This was the first album by the husband-wife team of Gene and Patsy Pullin, who met and married in the Pacific Northwest, after Texas-born Mr. Pullin had moved out to Oregon, where he played guitar in Jimmy Patton's band and later set out as a solo artist. Patsy Pullin (nee Patricia Harrison, 1943-2018) was a gal from Alaska whose family had hereditary ties to several first nations tribes, and who later in life joined the Grand Ronde Tribal Council in Oregon. As her nickname suggests, she was a fan of the late Patsy Cline, and when she first met her husband, she persuaded him that his band "needed a woman singer," thus forming the Patsy & Gene duo, which went on to record three albums and an unknown number of singles. They were pals with singing logger Buzz Martin and had connections to the Pacific Northwest country scene, though they lived and worked for fifteen years up in Alaska. The Frontier Club was one of the venues they played at in Alaska, along with various bars and VFW posts, and on this live album they are backed by drummer Denny Moyes, bassist Barbara McKenzie, and Wendell McKenzie on bass, guitar and saxophone. The set list is heavy on songs that were hits in 1966 -- "Green Grass Of Home," Tammy Wynette's "Apartment Number Nine," Jack Greene's "There Goes My Everything -- which helps date this disc. Dnd not all of them were country: they also cover some R&B dance tunes, with a particular affinity for New Orleans soul tunes, including "Oop Oop Pa Doo," "Get Out Of My Life Woman," and "Land Of 1000 Dances."

Gene Pullin & Patsy Pullin "Pullin Together" (1968-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Gibson & Rick Keefer)
Although Patsy & Gene were based Ketchikan, Alaska for over fifteen years and performed mainly in the Anchorage area, they circled back to Vancouver, Washington to record at the Ripcord studios. This album, which I think was their second, was recorded with Bob Gibson, the original owner of Ripcord Studios, and sports liner notes from Ripcord's star artist, "singing logger" Buzz Martin; later the Pullins worked with Gibson's successor, Gene Breeden. The set list here continues the mix of solid hard country ("Break My Mind," "White Lightning") and more folk- and pop-oriented material such as "Let It Be Me" and "Malaguena," and Nancy Sinatra's "Something Stupid," which was a hit in '67 Later on, they leaned hard into the Patsy Cline sound, with Mrs. Pullin working as somewhat of a Cline impersonator. Unfortunately, the musicians in the backing band are not identified.

Gene Pullin & Patsy Pullin "Walking After Midnight" (1984-?) (LP)
(Produced by Gene Breeden & & Ellis Miller)
Though they give a home address in Anchorage, Alaska, the Pullins trucked back on down to Washington state to record with Gene Breeden at Ripcord Studios in Vancouver... The backing musicians aren't identified, but it's likely they were drawn from the Ripcord house band. Plenty of crowd-pleasing cover songs, including a version of the Patsy Cline classic, "Walking After Midnight" as well as oldies such as Dolly Parton's "Jolene," "Tippy Toeing," "I Can See Clearly Now," and "House Of The Rising Sun." They also showcase several tunes by PCN songwriters, including Ira Allen ("Hangin' On"), Walt Rogers ("Baby Let Me Tell You My Mind") and "Gold Fever" by Alaska's Henry Karhut (aka Hank Karr.) In Patsy Pullin's obituary they mention the couple recording three albums, which would make this one their last, although it's possible there are also several as-yet unidentified singles floating around as well. In 2003, Gene Pullin was in a major car accident, which largely sidelined him as a musician, though Ms. Pullin may have continued to perform informally for a while after that. (It's also worth noting that two of their children, son Denver Pullin and daughter Tracy Bing also sang in country bands, in Oregon and Nevada, respectively.)

Jimmy Simpson "The Oilfield Boy" (Sourdough Records, 1967) (LP)
Born in Ashland City, Tennessee, singer Jimmy Simpson was an oilfield roughneck who carved out a music career in the mid-1950s leading his band, the Oilfield Boys, playing gigs throughout the lower 48 before moving to Alaska -- then still just a territory -- in 1957. He took a job as a country DJ at radio station KBYR, in Anchorage, and for many years divided his time between gigs in Alaska and the lower states. He was living in Houston, Alaska when he cut this album. Throughout his life, Simpson had worked on and off as an oilman and devoted this entire album to songs about the oil industry, and the Alaskan frontier. All the songs but one were Simpson's own, with the last track, "Springtime In Alaska," written by honkytonker Tillman Franks. Jimmy Patton and his band back Simpson as he reprises some singles he recorded in the '50s and early '60s, such as his trucker tune, "The Alcan Run" and "I'm An Oilfield Boy," though some tracks may be from the old, original masters. It's all pretty good!

Jimmy Simpson "...Sings Kiana Kid And Other Favorites" (Sourdough Records, 196--?) (LP)

Clay Stephens "Spirit Of Alaska" (Midnight Sun Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Mooney)
A native of Moose Pass, Alaska, singer Clay Stephens headed down to Los Angeles to try and make it big -- he paired up with Dwight Butcher, of Covina, California and they share songwriting credits on this set of all-original material. Stephens' songs include a lot of regional Alaskan references, while Butcher's tilt more towards conventional country themes of lost love and regrets. I'm not sure if this is the same Dwight Butcher of Renfro Valley Barn Dance fame, who first recorded back in the 1930s , although I suppose it's possible... (And additional info would be welcome... about either of these guys!) Alas, none of the backing musicians are identified by name, although I suppose they were Southern Californians, as this was recorded in LA.

Clay Stephens "Spirit Of Alaska" (Midnight Sun Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Mooney)

Vic Summers "Sings Alaska... As It was ... As It Is" (Big Country Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Jimmy Bryant)
A historically-themed folk-lecture kinda thing, on a label from Delta Junction, Alaska... Which I think is up North, somewhere... Unless of course if you're from Fairbanks or Venetie, in which case it's to your South. But I digress...

The Yukon Stars "The Yukon Stars" (CBC Radio International, 1967) (LP)
(Produced by Edward Farrant, Gilles Vaudeville & Len Ewert)
On this album, two stars of Canadian country's '60s scene joined together as the "Yukon Stars" to play an October 25 gig at end of the '67 Expo, held in Montreal. Al Oster was a well-established artist, with a couple of hit singles and several CBC radio programs under his belt, while Hank Karr had been playing local shows up in the Yukon for years, though this album really helped him break through into a national solo career. Karr sings on Side One, generally sticking to a jovial set of contemporary-sounding Buck Owens-influenced honky-tonk with a pretty sharp band behind him. The songs are mainly covers, though there is one original, "A Minute Or Three" credited to Karr's real name, Henry Karhut. It's a harrowing and highly detailed account of the cataclysmic earthquake that trashed Anchorage in March, 1964... a nice slice of Northern history there! Sounding quite a bit like Hank Snow on Side Two, Al Oster sticks closely to folk-ish regional pride material, including several Yukon-related songs he wrote, some historical ballads and slightly more questionable material such as Hank Thompson's "Squaws Along The Yukon" which doesn't really hold up that well in our modern-day PC culture. In "Buckets Of Steel," Oster memorializes the last of the big gold-dredging operations, as Canada's gold boom wound to a close after the biggest mills and mines were no longer able to turn a profit. A strong album, showcasing two different strains of deeply authentic Canadian country.

Hick Music Index