In 2003 I attended my first Oregon Country Fair. I walked in with little idea of what to expect, and immediately became lost among the many paths winding through the trees. The woods of the fair grounds were filled with stages, booths, and eateries, occupied by an eclectic variety of performers, artisans, and cooks. The first performer I happened upon was a gray bearded folk singer sporting a wry smile and worn out blue jeans. He was surveying the crowd through piercing gray eyes from beneath the brim of his tan panama hat. The black guitar case that lay on the ground in front of him contained a few CD’s and his morning’s earnings. Several stickers adorned the case, but one in particular stood out from the others. It was a large black and white bumper sticker that read simply “IMPEACH BUSH.”
If the bumper sticker seemed bold, the songs were even bolder. Songs like Doin' the Perp Walk, and Raise Your Ass, Raise Your Bail told us all what he thought of our presiding administration. They called for the impeachment and arrest of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft, and the rest of the gang who were running the country into the ground at the time. This guy with the rosy red cheeks and glinting eyes may have looked Santa Claws, but he was angry. Not angry at life in general, or at the people around him. His smile and kind nature let everyone know he was a gentle man, and his irreverent humor made us all laugh. His anger was an intense anger at injustice and greed. An anger at people so greedy that they’re willing to send other peoples children to die just to increase their own fortunes. As I learned during the show, he was one of those sent to die some three decades earlier.
His Name was Jim Hinde, a proud but disillusioned American Veteran of the Vietnam War. I watched Jim perform again later that same day, and I’ve returned to The Oregon Country Fair every year since to watch him perform his songs of peace and defiance. I’ve purchased every CD Jim ever made (some of them twice) and played them repeatedly to keep my sanity during the “Bush years.” As cowards like Bush and Cheney played army with the lives of millions, Jim Hinde sang his songs of true patriotism, and sought to change his country for the better.
The song Frank Dennis and Me tells the story of survival, sorrow and lies that tens of thousands of Vietnam Veteran’s experienced. Songs like The Dance, Shout Down the Wind, and A Mighty Sad Song, give you further glimpses into life of this remarkable man. The song They’ll Have to Kill Me Down the Road reflects his determination to never compromise. The song Freedom Road was the gift he wanted to give all of us. And after the songs were done, Jim’s willingness to talk to each and every fan who wanted to get an autograph, or share a story showed his genuine humanity.
Jim Hinde was one of my heroes. A man who fought for his country and was nearly destroyed by the Vietnam War. A man who spent the rest of his life fighting his own demons and fighting for peace until his death in 2008 at age 56. May you at last rest in peace Jim.
A memorial tribute performed by folk singer-songwriter Jim Page and others was held for Jim Hinde at the 2008 Oregon Country Fair. Jim’s songs were sung by several of his musician brothers and sisters, as a life sized rainbow colored silhouette of Jim with his guitar stood at the edge of the stage. A photo of Jim, and his tan Panama hat rested on a stool beside it.
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