James Stevens (musician)
Encyclopedia
James Stevens was an American
author
and composer
. Born in Albia, Iowa
, he lived in Idaho
from a young age, and based much of his later novel Big Jim Turner (1948) on his childhood spent in Pacific Northwest
logging camps. After fighting in World War I
, he came back to work in the woods and sawmill
s of Oregon
.
Stevens "...characterized himself as “a hobo laborer with wishful literary yearning,” and became self-educated at public libraries, which he called “the poor man’s universities.”"
He later traveled through the West
and Midwest, and lived in Detroit, Portland
, and Seattle. He researched logging history and wrote about the logging industry and about conservation. In the 1940s, as the public relations director for the Western Lumberman's Association, he promoted the "Keep Washington Green" campaign against forest fires.
Among his literary
works were Paul Bunyan
(1925), Brawny Man (1926), Mattock
(1927), Homer in the Sagebrush (1928), The Saginaw Paul Bunyan (1932), Paul Bunyan Bears (1947), and Tree Treasure (1950). He collaborated with H. L. Davis
.
His song "The Frozen Logger
" was recorded by Odetta
/Odetta & Larry
on The Tin Angel
(1954), Cisco Houston
on Hard Travelin' (1954), Walt Robertson on American Northwest Ballads (1955), Jimmie Rodgers
on At Home with Jimmie Rodgers: An Evening of Folk Songs (1960), and by many others, including The Weavers
and Oscar Brand
. The song was even sung (although never recorded) by Bob Weir
of The Grateful Dead.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. Born in Albia, Iowa
Albia, Iowa
Albia is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,706 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Albia's longitude and latitude coordinatesin decimal form are 41.026600, −92.805262....
, he lived in Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
from a young age, and based much of his later novel Big Jim Turner (1948) on his childhood spent in Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
logging camps. After fighting in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he came back to work in the woods and sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
s of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
.
Stevens "...characterized himself as “a hobo laborer with wishful literary yearning,” and became self-educated at public libraries, which he called “the poor man’s universities.”"
He later traveled through the West
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
and Midwest, and lived in Detroit, Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, and Seattle. He researched logging history and wrote about the logging industry and about conservation. In the 1940s, as the public relations director for the Western Lumberman's Association, he promoted the "Keep Washington Green" campaign against forest fires.
Among his literary
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
works were Paul Bunyan
Paul Bunyan
Paul Bunyan is a lumberjack figure in North American folklore and tradition. One of the most famous and popular North American folklore heroes, he is usually described as a giant as well as a lumberjack of unusual skill, and is often accompanied in stories by his animal companion, Babe the Blue...
(1925), Brawny Man (1926), Mattock
Mattock
A mattock is a versatile hand tool, used for digging and chopping, similar to the pickaxe. It has a long handle, and a stout head, which combines an axe blade and an adze or a pick and an adze .-Description:...
(1927), Homer in the Sagebrush (1928), The Saginaw Paul Bunyan (1932), Paul Bunyan Bears (1947), and Tree Treasure (1950). He collaborated with H. L. Davis
H. L. Davis
Harold Lenoir Davis , also known as H. L. Davis, was an American novelist and poet. A native of Oregon, he won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel Honey in the Horn, the only Pulitzer given to a native Oregonian...
.
His song "The Frozen Logger
Frozen Logger
The Frozen Logger is an American folk song, written by James Stevens. It is a tall tale song which makes reference to a logger being identifiable by the habit of stirring coffee with his thumb.-Discography:* The Weavers 1951...
" was recorded by Odetta
Odetta
Odetta Holmes, known as Odetta, was an American singer, actress, guitarist, songwriter, and a human rights activist, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire consisted largely of American folk music, blues, jazz, and spirituals...
/Odetta & Larry
Odetta & Larry
Odetta & Larry was a short-lived blues-folk duo in the mid-1950s. It consisted of Odetta and Lawrence B. Mohr, the former of whom became the more well-known in ensuing decades....
on The Tin Angel
The Tin Angel
The Tin Angel is now the common name for Odetta & Larry's only album, a collection of all their recordings, originally released in 1954 as "Odetta And Larry".- Background :...
(1954), Cisco Houston
Cisco Houston
Gilbert Vandine 'Cisco' Houston was an American folk singer and songwriter who is closely associated with Woody Guthrie due to their extensive history of recording together....
on Hard Travelin' (1954), Walt Robertson on American Northwest Ballads (1955), Jimmie Rodgers
Jimmie Rodgers (pop singer)
James Frederick "Jimmie" Rodgers is an American singer. He is not related to the country singer of the same name.-Career:...
on At Home with Jimmie Rodgers: An Evening of Folk Songs (1960), and by many others, including The Weavers
The Weavers
The Weavers were an American folk music quartet based in the Greenwich Village area of New York City. They sang traditional folk songs from around the world, as well as blues, gospel music, children's songs, labor songs, and American ballads, and selling millions of records at the height of their...
and Oscar Brand
Oscar Brand
Oscar Brand is a folk singer, songwriter, and author. In his career, spanning over 60 years, he has composed at least 300 songs and released nearly 100 albums, among them Canadian and American patriotic songs...
. The song was even sung (although never recorded) by Bob Weir
Bob Weir
Bob Weir is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, most recognized as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the Grateful Dead disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead, together with other former members of the Grateful Dead...
of The Grateful Dead.
Archives
- James Stevens papers. 1883-1966. 18.06 cubic feet. At the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.
Further reading
- Stevens, James, The Saginaw Paul Bunyan, New York : Knopf, 1932.