Abstract
In 1938, Stewart Hall Holbrook lamented that he had not seen any decent academic study of the American lumberjack, reason enough for his writing the book Holy Old Mackinaw: A Natural History of the American Lumberjack. Now nearly seventy years later, there have been a few studies, but usually with some sort of regional and “liberal” political or social focus by an outsider, but still none from the “conservative” point of view of the logger himself, or at least one who identifies closely with the logger. Likewise, there has been little research in the way of folk arts, music in particular. There are a few collections on the Northeast and Great Lakes regions, but nothing for the Pacific Northwest, defined as Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. This thesis studies logging songs in the Pacific Northwest, focusing on three artists who represent the area, and who have been recognized at the national level for their works: Buzz Martin, Hank Nelson, and Bob Antone. Each of their chapters also includes collaborations with some of their closest associates. The logging songs I discuss are neither labor songs nor work songs. Instead, they are a different type of occupational song, one that is sung outside the work environment for the purpose of entertainment. The succession of these three artists also reflects the gradual decline of the logging industry and its culture in the Pacific Northwest, due to enviro-political issues and increasing urbanization of the area. This project has been animated by my personal experience growing up in a family of timber beasts in the Pacific Northwest.
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