The original version of the local anthem “I Like it in Duluth” appears on the 1976 self-titled album by the Moose Wallow Ramblers. The late John Berquist penned the song. Joining him in the band were Greg and Charlotte Ham. Numerous versions of the song have been recorded by other acts over the years; a few are presented below.
Twin Cities-based band Detroit covered the song on Random Radio, a low-power FM station in Duluth during the late 1990s. A recording of the performance appears as an unlisted bonus track on the 1998 compilation album Random Acts of Radio.
Father Hennepin’s version of “I Like it in Duluth” has gained the most attention over the years. It appears on the band’s 2001 album Crooked with Gin. Mike Scholtz produced a music video for the song in 2009 using found footage.
Duluth-based jug band De Elloit Brothers released a version of “I Like it in Duluth” on an album of the same name in 2002.
The Fish Heads released “I Like it in Duluth” on the 2004 album Tales from the Dockside and again on the 2018 album Time to Run.
At the Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association Winter Bluegrass Weekend 2018, Tom Draughon and Jed Malischke of Truegrass Band performed “I Like it in Duluth.”
