His best-known songs include "I Ain't Marching Anymore", "Changes", "Crucifixion", "Draft Dodger Rag", "Love Me, I'm a Liberal", "Outside of a Small Circle of Friends", "Power and the Glory", "There but for Fortune", and "The War Is Over". ==Biography== ===Early years=== Phil Ochs was born on December 19, 1940, in El Paso, Texas, to Jacob "Jack" Ochs, a physician who was born in New York on August 11, 1910, and Gertrude Phin Ochs, who was born on February 26, 1912, in Scotland.
His best-known songs include "I Ain't Marching Anymore", "Changes", "Crucifixion", "Draft Dodger Rag", "Love Me, I'm a Liberal", "Outside of a Small Circle of Friends", "Power and the Glory", "There but for Fortune", and "The War Is Over". ==Biography== ===Early years=== Phil Ochs was born on December 19, 1940, in El Paso, Texas, to Jacob "Jack" Ochs, a physician who was born in New York on August 11, 1910, and Gertrude Phin Ochs, who was born on February 26, 1912, in Scotland.
Ochs grew up with an older sister, Sonia (known as Sonny, born 1937), and a younger brother, Michael (born 1943).
Philip David Ochs (; December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) was an American protest singer (or, as he preferred, a topical singer) and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, political activism, often alliterative lyrics, and distinctive voice.
His best-known songs include "I Ain't Marching Anymore", "Changes", "Crucifixion", "Draft Dodger Rag", "Love Me, I'm a Liberal", "Outside of a Small Circle of Friends", "Power and the Glory", "There but for Fortune", and "The War Is Over". ==Biography== ===Early years=== Phil Ochs was born on December 19, 1940, in El Paso, Texas, to Jacob "Jack" Ochs, a physician who was born in New York on August 11, 1910, and Gertrude Phin Ochs, who was born on February 26, 1912, in Scotland.
The cover of his 1969 album Rehearsals for Retirement portrayed a tombstone with the words: PHIL OCHS (AMERICAN) BORN: EL PASO, TEXAS, 1940 DIED: CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, 1968 At the trial of the Chicago Seven in December 1969, Ochs testified for the defense.
Ochs grew up with an older sister, Sonia (known as Sonny, born 1937), and a younger brother, Michael (born 1943).
His war experiences affected his mental health and he received an honorable medical discharge in November 1945.
Later on, he developed an interest in movie rebels, including Marlon Brando and James Dean. From 1956 to 1958, Ochs was a student at the Staunton Military Academy in rural Virginia, and when he graduated he returned to Columbus and enrolled in the Ohio State University.
Later on, he developed an interest in movie rebels, including Marlon Brando and James Dean. From 1956 to 1958, Ochs was a student at the Staunton Military Academy in rural Virginia, and when he graduated he returned to Columbus and enrolled in the Ohio State University.
so in a flash I decided — I'll be a writer and a major in journalism. Ochs returned to Ohio State to study journalism and developed an interest in politics, with a particular interest in the Cuban Revolution of 1959.
He wrote hundreds of songs in the 1960s and 1970s and released eight albums. Ochs performed at many political events during the 1960s counterculture era, including anti-Vietnam War and civil rights rallies, student events, and organized labor events over the course of his career, in addition to many concert appearances at such venues as New York City's Town Hall and Carnegie Hall.
Politically, Ochs described himself as a "left social democrat" who became an "early revolutionary" after the protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago led to a police riot, which had a profound effect on his state of mind. After years of prolific writing in the 1960s, Ochs's mental stability declined in the 1970s.
Jefferson Starship recorded "I Ain't Marching Anymore" with additional lyrics by band member Cathy Richardson for their 2008 release Jefferson's Tree of Liberty. In 2013, Neil Young performed "Changes" at Farm Aid and included it in his 2014 tour set; it also is the lead track on A Letter Home, his 2014 album of covers. In 2016, Richard Barone released his album Sorrows & Promises: Greenwich Village in the 1960s, which includes "When I'm Gone".
The film features extensive archival footage of Ochs and many pivotal events from the 1960s civil rights and peace movements, as well as interviews with friends, family and colleagues who knew Ochs through music and politics.
He was the opening act for a number of musicians in the summer of 1961, including the Smothers Brothers.
He left for New York, as Glover had, to become a folksinger. ===1962–1966=== Ochs arrived in New York City in 1962 and began performing in numerous small folk nightclubs, eventually becoming an integral part of the Greenwich Village folk music scene.
You're a journalist." In 1962, Ochs married Alice Skinner, who was pregnant with their daughter Meegan, in a City Hall ceremony with Jim Glover as best man and Jean Ray as bridesmaid, and witnessed by Dylan's sometime girlfriend, Suze Rotolo.
His father was distant from his wife and children, and was hospitalized for depression; he died on April 30, 1963, from a cerebral hemorrhage.
By the summer of 1963, he was sufficiently well known in folk circles to be invited to sing at the Newport Folk Festival, where he performed "Too Many Martyrs" (co-written with Bob Gibson), "Talking Birmingham Jam", and "Power and the Glory"—his patriotic Guthrie-esque anthem that brought the audience to its feet.
Other performers at the 1963 folk festival included Peter, Paul and Mary, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, and Tom Paxton.
Although many in the folk world decried Dylan's choice, Ochs was amused, and admired Dylan's courage in defying the folk establishment. In 1963, Ochs performed at New York's Carnegie Hall and Town Hall in hootenannies.
When Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, Ochs wept.
Ochs's return appearance at Newport in 1964, when he performed "Draft Dodger Rag" and other songs, was widely praised.
In 1964, Phil Ochs performed his song Talking Vietnam Blues, "the first protest song to directly refer to Vietnam by name." His sister, Sonny Ochs (Tanzman), runs a series of "Phil Ochs Song Nights" with a rotating group of performers who keep Ochs's music and legacy alive by singing his songs in cities across the U.S.
However, he was not invited to appear in 1965, the festival when Dylan infamously performed "Maggie's Farm" with an electric guitar.
Phil and Alice separated in 1965, but they never divorced. Like many people of his generation, Ochs deeply admired President John F.
in August 1965, reaching #8 with her cover of Ochs's song "There but for Fortune", which was also nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Folk Recording".
He made his first solo appearance at Carnegie Hall in 1966.
Some of the songs he wrote during this period were held back and recorded on his later albums. ===1967–1969=== In 1967, Ochs—now managed by his brother Michael—left Elektra Records for A&M Records and moved to Los Angeles, California.
In 1967 he organized two rallies to declare that "The War Is Over"—"Is everybody sick of this stinking war? In that case, friends, do what I and thousands of other Americans have done—declare the war over."—one in Los Angeles in June, the other in New York in November.
Politically, Ochs described himself as a "left social democrat" who became an "early revolutionary" after the protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago led to a police riot, which had a profound effect on his state of mind. After years of prolific writing in the 1960s, Ochs's mental stability declined in the 1970s.
For his A&M albums, Ochs moved away from simply produced solo acoustic guitar performances and experimented with ensemble and even orchestral instrumentation, "baroque-folk", in the hopes of producing a pop-folk hybrid that would be a hit. Critic Robert Christgau, writing in Esquire of Pleasures of the Harbor in May 1968, did not consider this new direction a good turn.
inspire nostalgia for the three-chord strum." With an ironic sense of humor, Ochs included Christgau's "webbed hand" comment in his 1968 songbook The War is Over on a page titled "The Critics Raved", opposite a full-page picture of Ochs standing in a large metal garbage can.
He was disappointed and bitter when his onetime hero John Wayne embraced the Vietnam War with what Ochs saw as the blind patriotism of Wayne's 1968 film, The Green Berets: [H]ere we have John Wayne, who was a major artistic and psychological figure on the American scene, ...
At the same time, Ochs actively supported Eugene McCarthy's more mainstream bid for the 1968 Democratic nomination for President, a position at odds with the more radical Yippie point of view.
Still, Ochs helped plan the Yippies' "Festival of Life" which was to take place at the 1968 Democratic National Convention along with demonstrations by other anti-war groups including the National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam.
Ochs also purchased the young boar who became known as the Yippie 1968 Presidential candidate "Pigasus the Immortal" from a farm in Illinois. The events of 1968the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
The cover of his 1969 album Rehearsals for Retirement portrayed a tombstone with the words: PHIL OCHS (AMERICAN) BORN: EL PASO, TEXAS, 1940 DIED: CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, 1968 At the trial of the Chicago Seven in December 1969, Ochs testified for the defense.
The events of 1968 convinced him that the average American was not listening to topical songs or responding to Yippie tactics.
The rally culminated with Lennon and Yoko Ono, who were making their first public performance in the United States since the breakup of The Beatles. Although the 1968 election had left him deeply disillusioned, Ochs continued to work for the election campaigns of anti-war candidates, such as George McGovern's unsuccessful Presidential bid in 1972. In 1972, Ochs was asked to write the theme song for the film Kansas City Bomber.
The cover of his 1969 album Rehearsals for Retirement portrayed a tombstone with the words: PHIL OCHS (AMERICAN) BORN: EL PASO, TEXAS, 1940 DIED: CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, 1968 At the trial of the Chicago Seven in December 1969, Ochs testified for the defense.
He wrote hundreds of songs in the 1960s and 1970s and released eight albums. Ochs performed at many political events during the 1960s counterculture era, including anti-Vietnam War and civil rights rallies, student events, and organized labor events over the course of his career, in addition to many concert appearances at such venues as New York City's Town Hall and Carnegie Hall.
Politically, Ochs described himself as a "left social democrat" who became an "early revolutionary" after the protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago led to a police riot, which had a profound effect on his state of mind. After years of prolific writing in the 1960s, Ochs's mental stability declined in the 1970s.
Ochs wore the gold suit on the cover of his 1970 album, Greatest Hits, which consisted of new songs largely in rock and country styles. Ochs went on tour wearing the gold suit, backed by a rock band, singing his own material along with medleys of songs by Buddy Holly, Elvis, and Merle Haggard.
Ochs's March 27, 1970, concerts at Carnegie Hall were the most successful, and by the end of that night's second show Ochs had won over many in the crowd.
His personal problems notwithstanding, Ochs performed at the inaugural benefit for Greenpeace on October 16, 1970, at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, British Columbia.
A recording of his performance, along with performances by Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, was released by Greenpeace in 2009. ===1971–1975=== In August 1971, Ochs went to Chile, where Salvador Allende, a Marxist, had been democratically elected in the 1970 election.
A recording of his performance, along with performances by Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, was released by Greenpeace in 2009. ===1971–1975=== In August 1971, Ochs went to Chile, where Salvador Allende, a Marxist, had been democratically elected in the 1970 election.
The rally culminated with Lennon and Yoko Ono, who were making their first public performance in the United States since the breakup of The Beatles. Although the 1968 election had left him deeply disillusioned, Ochs continued to work for the election campaigns of anti-war candidates, such as George McGovern's unsuccessful Presidential bid in 1972. In 1972, Ochs was asked to write the theme song for the film Kansas City Bomber.
He traveled to Africa in 1973, where he visited Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, and South Africa.
Still, he continued his trip, even recording a single in Kenya, "Bwatue". On September 11, 1973, the Allende government of Chile was overthrown in a coup d'état.
Nothing came of the Dylan-Ochs plans, but the idea eventually evolved into Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue. The Vietnam War ended on April 30, 1975.
Philip David Ochs (; December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) was an American protest singer (or, as he preferred, a topical singer) and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, political activism, often alliterative lyrics, and distinctive voice.
He eventually succumbed to a number of problems including bipolar disorder and alcoholism, and died by suicide in 1976. Ochs's influences included Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Bob Gibson, Faron Young, and Merle Haggard.
One of his biographers explains Ochs's motivation: In January 1976, Ochs moved to Far Rockaway, New York, to live with his sister Sonny.
On April 9, 1976, Ochs died by suicide by hanging himself in Sonny's home. Years after his death, it was revealed that the FBI had a file of nearly 500 pages on Ochs.
He was always really good no matter what he was doing." On tour, Barone also performed "Changes". In 2020, Welsh singer-songwriter Martyn Joseph released "Days Of Decision: A Tribute to Phil Ochs" containing fourteen Ochs covers, as well as liner notes by Phil's sister, Sonny. ===Tributes=== On learning of Ochs's death, Tom Paxton wrote a song titled "Phil", which he recorded for his 1978 album Heroes.
The Clash used some of the lyrics to "United Fruit" in their song "Up in Heaven (Not Only Here)", which appeared on their 1980 album Sandinista!.
Schooner Fare recorded "Don't Stop To Rest (Song for Phil Ochs)" on their 1981 album Closer to the Wind.
Meegan Lee Ochs, who worked as Sean Penn's personal assistant from 1983 to 1985, wrote in her Foreword to Farewells & Fantasies that she and Penn discussed "over many years" the possibility of making a movie about her father; the plan has not yet come to fruition, although Penn expressed an interest in the project as recently as February 2009.
Ochs is mentioned in the Stephen King novels The Tommyknockers (1987) and Hearts in Atlantis (1999). In the 2019 novel Revolutionaries by Joshua Furst, based on the life of Abbie Hoffman, Ochs appears as a character under his own name. ===Films=== Michael Korolenko directed the 1984 biopic Chords of Fame, which featured Bill Burnett as Ochs.
Meegan Lee Ochs, who worked as Sean Penn's personal assistant from 1983 to 1985, wrote in her Foreword to Farewells & Fantasies that she and Penn discussed "over many years" the possibility of making a movie about her father; the plan has not yet come to fruition, although Penn expressed an interest in the project as recently as February 2009.
Leslie Fish recorded "Chickasaw Mountain", which is dedicated to Ochs, on her 1986 album of that name.
The punk band Squirrel Bait cited Ochs as a major creative influence in the liner notes of their 1986 album Skag Heaven, and cover his "Tape From California".
Ochs is also the subject of "I Dreamed I Saw Phil Ochs Last Night", by Billy Bragg, from his 1990 album The Internationale, which was based on the Alfred Hayes/Earl Robinson song "Joe Hill" which Ochs helped popularize; Ochs also had his own, different song ("Joe Hill") about the early 20th-century union activist/songwriter.
His mother died on March 9, 1994. As a teenager, Ochs was recognized as a talented clarinet player; in an evaluation, one music instructor wrote: "You have exceptional musical feeling and the ability to transfer it on your instrument is abundant." His musical skills allowed him to play clarinet with the orchestra at the Capital University Conservatory of Music in Ohio, where he rose to the status of principal soloist before he was 16.
The 1994 film Spanking the Monkey makes reference to Ochs and his suicide.
Wyclef Jean performed "Here's to the State of Mississippi" in the 2009 documentary Soundtrack for a Revolution. In 1998, Sliced Bread Records released The Songs of Phil Ochs, a two-CD set of 28 covers by artists that includes Eric Andersen, Billy Bragg, John Gorka, Nanci Griffith, Arlo Guthrie, Pat Humphries, Magpie, Tom Paxton, Dave Van Ronk, Sammy Walker, Peter Yarrow, and others.
In 2002, with the agreement of Ochs's sister Sonny, Richard Thompson added an extra verse to "I Ain't Marching Anymore" to reflect recent American foreign policy.
On the 2005 Kind Of Like Spitting album In the Red, songwriter Ben Barnett included his song "Sheriff Ochs", which was inspired by reading a biography of Ochs.
Jefferson Starship recorded "I Ain't Marching Anymore" with additional lyrics by band member Cathy Richardson for their 2008 release Jefferson's Tree of Liberty. In 2013, Neil Young performed "Changes" at Farm Aid and included it in his 2014 tour set; it also is the lead track on A Letter Home, his 2014 album of covers. In 2016, Richard Barone released his album Sorrows & Promises: Greenwich Village in the 1960s, which includes "When I'm Gone".
A recording of his performance, along with performances by Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, was released by Greenpeace in 2009. ===1971–1975=== In August 1971, Ochs went to Chile, where Salvador Allende, a Marxist, had been democratically elected in the 1970 election.
Alice Skinner Ochs was a photographer; she died in November 2010. In February 2009, the North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance gave the 2009 Elaine Weissman Lifetime Achievement Award to Phil Ochs. In September 2014, Meegan Lee Ochs announced that she was donating her father's archives to the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Wyclef Jean performed "Here's to the State of Mississippi" in the 2009 documentary Soundtrack for a Revolution. In 1998, Sliced Bread Records released The Songs of Phil Ochs, a two-CD set of 28 covers by artists that includes Eric Andersen, Billy Bragg, John Gorka, Nanci Griffith, Arlo Guthrie, Pat Humphries, Magpie, Tom Paxton, Dave Van Ronk, Sammy Walker, Peter Yarrow, and others.
On April 9, 2009, Jim Glover performed a tribute to Ochs at Mother's Musical Bakery in Sarasota, Florida. ===Popular culture=== Among Ochs's many admirers were the short story writer Breece D'J Pancake and actor Sean Penn.
Meegan Lee Ochs, who worked as Sean Penn's personal assistant from 1983 to 1985, wrote in her Foreword to Farewells & Fantasies that she and Penn discussed "over many years" the possibility of making a movie about her father; the plan has not yet come to fruition, although Penn expressed an interest in the project as recently as February 2009.
Alice Skinner Ochs was a photographer; she died in November 2010. In February 2009, the North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance gave the 2009 Elaine Weissman Lifetime Achievement Award to Phil Ochs. In September 2014, Meegan Lee Ochs announced that she was donating her father's archives to the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Chords of Fame also included performances of Ochs songs by folk musicians who knew him, including Bob Gibson, Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton, Dave Van Ronk, and Eric Andersen. Filmmaker Ken Bowser directed the documentary film There but for Fortune, which premiered at the 2010 Woodstock Film Festival in Woodstock, New York.
Its theatrical run began on January 5, 2011, at the IFC Theater in Greenwich Village, New York City, opening in cities around the US and Canada thereafter.
Jefferson Starship recorded "I Ain't Marching Anymore" with additional lyrics by band member Cathy Richardson for their 2008 release Jefferson's Tree of Liberty. In 2013, Neil Young performed "Changes" at Farm Aid and included it in his 2014 tour set; it also is the lead track on A Letter Home, his 2014 album of covers. In 2016, Richard Barone released his album Sorrows & Promises: Greenwich Village in the 1960s, which includes "When I'm Gone".
Alice Skinner Ochs was a photographer; she died in November 2010. In February 2009, the North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance gave the 2009 Elaine Weissman Lifetime Achievement Award to Phil Ochs. In September 2014, Meegan Lee Ochs announced that she was donating her father's archives to the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Jefferson Starship recorded "I Ain't Marching Anymore" with additional lyrics by band member Cathy Richardson for their 2008 release Jefferson's Tree of Liberty. In 2013, Neil Young performed "Changes" at Farm Aid and included it in his 2014 tour set; it also is the lead track on A Letter Home, his 2014 album of covers. In 2016, Richard Barone released his album Sorrows & Promises: Greenwich Village in the 1960s, which includes "When I'm Gone".
Jefferson Starship recorded "I Ain't Marching Anymore" with additional lyrics by band member Cathy Richardson for their 2008 release Jefferson's Tree of Liberty. In 2013, Neil Young performed "Changes" at Farm Aid and included it in his 2014 tour set; it also is the lead track on A Letter Home, his 2014 album of covers. In 2016, Richard Barone released his album Sorrows & Promises: Greenwich Village in the 1960s, which includes "When I'm Gone".
Ochs is mentioned in the Stephen King novels The Tommyknockers (1987) and Hearts in Atlantis (1999). In the 2019 novel Revolutionaries by Joshua Furst, based on the life of Abbie Hoffman, Ochs appears as a character under his own name. ===Films=== Michael Korolenko directed the 1984 biopic Chords of Fame, which featured Bill Burnett as Ochs.
He was always really good no matter what he was doing." On tour, Barone also performed "Changes". In 2020, Welsh singer-songwriter Martyn Joseph released "Days Of Decision: A Tribute to Phil Ochs" containing fourteen Ochs covers, as well as liner notes by Phil's sister, Sonny. ===Tributes=== On learning of Ochs's death, Tom Paxton wrote a song titled "Phil", which he recorded for his 1978 album Heroes.
All text is taken from Wikipedia. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License .
Page generated on 2021-08-05