Phil Ochs
b. 19 December 1940, El Paso, Texas, USA, d. 9 April 1976, Far Rockaway, New York, USA. A superior singer-songwriter, particularly adept at the topical song, Phil Ochs began his career at Ohio State University. He initially performed in a folk-singing duo, the Sundowners, before moving to New York, where he joined the radical Greenwich Village enclave. Ochs' early work was inspired by Woody Guthrie, Bob Gibson and Tom Paxton, and its political nature led to his involvement with the Broadside magazine movement. The singer was signed to the prestigious Elektra Records label, and through his initial work was hailed as a major new talent. He achieved popular acclaim when Joan Baez took one of his compositions, "There But For Fortune', into the pop charts. Ochs" own version later appeared on his In Concert, the artist's best-selling set which also featured the evocative "When I'm Gone" and the wry "Love Me I'm A Liberal'. Ochs" move to A&M Records in 1967 signalled a new phase in his career. Pleasures Of The Harbor, which included the ambitious "Crucifixion", emphasized a greater use of orchestration, as well as an increasingly rock-based perspective. He remained a lyrical songwriter; his sense of melody was undiminished, but as the decade's causes grew increasingly blurred, so the singer became disillusioned.

Listen to Phil Ochs at Finetune.

Albums
Top Tracks
  • I Ain't Marching Anymore
  • Draft Dodger Rag
  • When I'm Gone
  • Outside Of A Small Circle Of Friends
  • Here's to the State of Mississippi
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