Jim Bowers was the National Anthem singer for the North Stars from
the mid 70's until their last year in 1993.
Originally, he was an opera singer who performed at various functions around
the Twin Cities. He began singing the National Anthem at Twins games.
Later he sang the anthem for the Fighting Saints and finally the North
Stars.
After the North Stars left town, he would make guest appearances at sporting
events in the Twin Cities. I saw him sing the Anthem at a Twins game in the
90s. The last time I saw him was about 10 years ago when he sang the anthem
at a Wild game.
It's funny how certain insignificant things seem to stick in your mind.
Here is something that I remember from a North Star game long ago. The
LA Kings were in town and it was probably when Harold Baldwin owned the
team. He was the one with the Hollywood connections. This night there
was a celebrity guest singer. She sang her own version of
the anthem by adding extra syllables to many of the words. After the
anthem and before the puck drop, I was in the concourse visiting my
favorite vender. He said to me, "They should stick with big Jim. He
sings it the way it was written".
Anyone having more information on Jim, please pass it along as there
seems to be a lot of interest from former fans of the North Stars.
