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Anchorage, Alaska- Image by David Mark from

Top 10 iconic singers from Anchorage, Alaska

Anchorage is actually Alaska鈥檚 largest city and is in the south-central part of the state.

It is well known for its cultural sites, including the Alaska Native Heritage Center, which displays traditional crafts, and stage dances, and presents replicas of dwellings from the area鈥檚 indigenous groups.

Given how culturally rooted and artistic it is, it is no wonder that some of the most iconic singers in the world come from Anchorage.

It is a well-diverse city and is also a gateway to nearby wilderness areas and mountains including the Chugach, Kenai and Talkeetna.

1. Jewel

Jewel in 2008 during a performance at Coquitlam- Author; Jennifer Stoddart-

Even though Jewel Kilcher was born in Payson, Utah, this singer/ songwriter and her family moved to Anchorage shortly after and thus grew up there.

Jewel came from very humble beginnings and had a rough childhood, growing up. However, things levelled up for her and she began performing music with her father in local taverns and hotels. 

By the time she was 15,  Jewel left Alaska to study operatic voice at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan. Here, she spent some time living in her car, travelling the country, and taking small gigs until she was discovered by Inga Vainshtein. 

This became her breakthrough as she went on to sell over 30 million albums. She has released 12 studio albums, won numerous awards and has had four Grammy nominations. We can say she has done pretty well for herself and it is thanks to her strong will and determination.

2. John Luther Adams

John Luther Adams in a baseball game- Author; Louisa Dedalus –

John Luther Adams is an award-winning American composer, who is best known for his work in various genres and forms of media. This is inclusive of children鈥檚 theatre, television, film, and many more.

Though born in Mississippi, he moved to Alaska to pursue a career in environmental protection after graduating from the California Institute of the Arts.

He actually spent almost 40 years there and played a very huge role in making him aware of the musical world that is intertwined with nature.

He adopted that genre into his work and you can even feel it in his music given how his most recent works have combined sounds of nature to produce the most amazing sound you can ever hear.

3. Kate Earl

Kate Earl at a performance in Los Angeles- Author; Justin Higuchi-

Even though Singer/ songwriter, Kate Earl, is currently running her music career out of London, her roots lie in Anchorage, Alaska. This pop artist started her musical journey at the very tender age of four when she learned to play the piano. She even sang in her church choir at one point and played the guitar.

After moving to Los Angeles, Kate was signed by a recording label known as ‘The Record Collection.’

She has been able to release four studio albums, all of which focus on upbeat, pop and electro-swing.

4. Jason Everman

Jason Everman while in the special forces- Author; Member of the United States Army, serving with Everman in Afghanistan-

Jason Everman is one individual who has perhaps had one of the most interesting and intriguing career stories. He was born in Alaska in the late 80s and then later in his adulthood, joined a popular band known as Nirvana. He was the band’s guitarist.

The band however didn’t keep him for long and so later on he joined Soundgarden on bass and even went on tour. However, he left the band immediately after the tour.

Everman then had quite a significant career change when he joined the Army Special Operations Forces. He moved from being a musician to being an army man overnight.

Currently, he plays in Silence & Light, a band of military veterans committed to helping the military community. 

5. Khloe Thomas

Khloe Thomas at premiere of Angel Has Fallen in 2019- Author; Fandango-

Khleo Thomas is an Alaskan native who has tried his hand in almost every aspect of the entertainment industry. 

Thomas got his very first start as a child actor, where he filmed TV commercials. His family then ended up moving to California, and here, he landed his breakout role as ‘Zero’ in the movie Holes. He was even featured in one of the movie鈥檚 original songs, 鈥淒ig It.鈥� 

Khloe then moved away from acting so as to pursue rapping. He has now released two EPs, and still acts in supporting TV roles.

6. Marcus Shelby

A bass guitar- Photo by Kriszti谩n Reischl on

Marcus Shelby is another iconic musician that comes from Anchorage. He is known more for his bass playing, composing and musical teaching, rather than his voice.

So how did he start? Shelby’s music career jumpstarted when he earned the Charles Mingus Scholarship at Cal Arts.

What makes his music unique is that he has shaped it around the past, present and future of African American music movements and social movements.

His music thus plays a huge role in advocacy work on social justice and empowerment of black communities.

7. Nathan West (WestLeigh)

A concert- Image by Pexels from

Born in Anchorage, Alaska, Nathan West is known for his music and acting. He stands out because all through his career, he has done almost everything with his wife, Chyler Leigh, hence the coining of their names together to form, ‘ WestLeigh.’

Not only does he make music with her under the name WestLeigh, but he also worked on the hit TV series 鈥�7th Heaven鈥� with her. 

Nathan has worked on other projects, including Disney鈥檚 Miracle and he excels in vocals and guitar playing.  His music career is promising seeing as how he is a celebrated musician, especially in his hometown, Alaska.

8. Hilary Weeks

A woman singing- Photo by Taylor on

Hilary Weeks is an American Christian musician and singer, who primarily plays a worship and gospel music version of Christian country and Christian pop. She has released ten musical works, and eight of those have been studio albums

Weeks was born Hilary Novakovich, on March 7th, 1970, in Colorado, but was raised in Alaska. She then graduated from Brigham Young University with her baccalaureate of arts in 1993 from their music department. Shows how music is something she decided to pursue from a young age.

Thereafter, her music recording career started three years later in 1996, with the studio album, ‘He Hears Me,’ that was released by a recording label called,  Deseret Book.

She then went on to release four more studio albums, which charted on three Billboard magazine charts. That is The Billboard 200 at Nos. 102 and 161, respectively, Christian Albums at Nos. 6 and 9, and Independent Albums at Nos. 23 and 30, respectively.

Interesting fact: Weeks became the first Mormon to have an album peak in the Top 10 of the Christian Albums chart.

9. John Gourley

John Baldwin Gourley at the Sasquatch! Festival in Quincy, Washington- Author; musicisentropy-

John Gourley is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter best known as the frontman and vocalist of the band Portugal. The Man.

His Alaskan lifestyle kept him off the grid for quite some time until he and four other musicians formed a punk band that was known as ‘Anatomy of a Ghost’ and started touring around the country. That’s how he got visibility in the music scene.

Afterwards, when the band broke up, Gourley found his home in music as the frontman of Portugal. The Band. The band had a huge hit with the song 鈥�Feel It Still鈥� as well as 鈥�Purple, Yellow, Red, and Blue鈥� and 鈥�People Say,鈥�

These songs are actually ranked among the top 50 rock songs in the US thus showing what a huge success he ended up becoming.

10. Artis the Spoonman

Artis the spoonman in 1995- Author; Joe Mabel-

Artis the Spoonman, who was dubbed 鈥淪eattle鈥檚 best-kept secret鈥� by Steven Tyler, is a uniquely talented musician best known for his work with spoons.

He was born in Alaska in 1948 and as a natural entertainer, he began as a street performer in Seattle in the 1970s and 80s. He then went on to play in a number of major cities like San Francisco, Sidney, Longdon, Dublin, Singapore, and many more.

After he was discovered, he shared the stage with his first major artist, Frank Zappa. 

Then from there, Artis has gone on to make guest appearances with various musicians, including the Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra, Soundgarden, Phish, and Jim Page, and has appeared on Late Night with David Letterman, Broadway, and many festivals. His name is a brand to behold and his genre of music is the most unique there ever was.