PHILLIP DAVID OCHS …was born on December 19, 1940, in El Paso. He was the son of Jacob Jack Ochs and Gertrude Ochs. His father was of Polish–Jewish descent and served as a medical officer in the United States Army. Phils mother, a native of Scotland, had met Jacob Ochs while he was attending medical school at the University of Edinburgh. Like many military families, the Ochses moved often. After living in San Antonio and Austin, they moved to Far Rockaway, New York, where Phil began his music education on the clarinet. He considered taking up the drums, but the confines of the familys four-room apartment led his parents and the neighbors to encourage him to stick with the clarinet. After the family moved to Columbus, Ohio, Ochs refined his musical skills at the Capital University Conservatory of Music. Although he was only sixteen, he was one of the primary soloists for the conservatory. He continued his education at Staunton Military Academy in Virginia, where he played in the schools marching band. In the evenings he would sit in his dorm room and listen to the local radio station, which introduced him to country music performers such as Faron Young, Ernest Tubb, and Lefty Frizzell. He also became enamored of rock-and-roll, particularly the music of Elvis Presley. After finishing his time at Staunton, Ochs headed back to Columbus and enrolled at Ohio State University. He studied journalism and worked for the student paper, which began to spark his interest in politics. He also developed a liking for the folk music of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and the legendary Joe Hill. Inspired by this music, Ochs learned the guitar and, along with his best friend, Jim Glover, formed a duo called the Sundowners. Ochs left Ohio State without graduating, after which he worked in a club in Cleveland. There he opened for the Smothers Brothers and the Greenbriar Boys, among other feature acts. He then headed to New York City, where folk music was becoming increasingly popular. He began by playing at hootenannies, the folkies version of an open talent night. His reputation grew, and in 1963 he performed at the Newport Folk Festival. Through his music Ochs expressed his political and moral convictions; during the Christmas of 1963, for example, he headed to Kentucky to play for striking coal miners. The following year he joined the Mississippi Caravan of Music and traveled through the state, playing at black voter-registration drives. When the Caravan arrived in Mississippi shortly after the murder of three civil-rights workers, they faced hostile white opposition. This experience led Ochs to write the song Heres to the State of Mississippi—an indictment of bigotry and racism. Ochss songs hit a nerve with a growing politically-minded youth, and the Elektra Record Company signed him to a contract. His first album, All the News Thats Fit to Sing, had only moderate success, but his second effort, I Aint Marching Anymore, was hailed as a folk classic. His fourth album, released in 1967, brings a new musicality to his songs, but he remains the social critic and had another hit with this song about the Kitty Genovese murder in New York City, where reportedly as many as 38 people stood around and watched as a pretty 28 year old woman was attacked 3 different times and stabbed to death during a short period of time in the early morning hours of March 13, 1964. Here’s: ‘OUTSIDE OF A SMALL CIRCLE OF FRIENDS”:: https://youtube/watch?v=dMeG6dAFqXw Despite his newfound fame, Ochs still managed to write journalistic pieces for such publications as Sing Out! and Boston Broadside. Like his music, his writing expressed his political convictions. Because of his outspokenness, the Federal Bureau of Investigation opened a file on him, classifying him as a security matter. As United States military involvement in Vietnam grew, Ochs became more critical. His songs White Boots Marching in a Yellow Land and Cops of the World displayed his increasing disillusionment with America. He frequently played at anti-war demonstrations and was instrumental in the formation of the Yippie party. In 1968, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, he performed at a Yippie-sponsored rally in Lincoln Park. The violence that followed the rally pushed him into a deep depression. He contemplated quitting music, but instead responded by releasing the album Rehearsals for Retirement. A grim statement on war and peace, the album featured a backing band and orchestration—a departure from the pure folk of his earlier recordings. In the 1970s Ochss music became more eclectic, his lyrics less focused. In 1970 he released the album Greatest Hits, which, despite the title, contained only new material. He also traveled extensively, making treks through both South America and Africa. While staying in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, he was attacked and strangled. This attack, which Ochs believed was politically motivated, left his vocal chords permanently damaged. With his music career now essentially over, he became more actively involved in politics. In 1973, following Augusto Pinochets coup detat in Chile, he organized a benefit concert for the countrys refugees. The successful event featured Bob Dylan, Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and others. In 1974 Ochs again became severely depressed. He continued to write on occasion, but was frustrated that his vocal chords never completely healed. He began to drink heavily, and his behavior became more and more erratic. He died by suicide in Far Rockaway, New York, on April 9, 1976. Phil Ochs began singing and writing songs during a period of civil and social unrest in this country. He had problems dealing with the contradictions this time period made evident and found an outlet for his personal agonizing over these injustices by creating and performing. His unique style combined with the effect his works had on the younger genearion of that era qualify him as a Pioneer of Texas Music. Pioneers of Texas Music can be heard twice daily, Monday through Saturday on Sun Radio. Please visit sunradio for specific times. Pioneers of Texas Music is made possible in part by Scholz Garten, the oldest business in Texas, since 1866. And history is still being made at Scholz Garten where you can enjoy delicious, authentic German food as well as excellent American food while sampling any of 52 different ICE COLD DRAFT BEERS and listening to LIVE MUSIC in their spacious Bier Garten. For a calendar of LIVE MUSIC and their MENU, visit scholzgarten.net. Pioneers of Texas Music is also brought to you by SOUTH AUSTIN BREWING COMPANY. Pioneers of Texas Music is also brought to you in part by Hut’s. Located at 807 West 6th Street. Now serving Buffalo and Grassfed Longhorn Burgers. An Austin Tradition Since 1939. Menu at hutsfrankandangies. Thanks to Denver O’Neal and Ben Bethea for assisting in the recording and editing of Pioneers of Texas Music. If you or someone you know might be interested in sponsoring Pioneers of Texas Music, please contact Daryl O’Neal at [email protected]. Pioneers of Texas Music is written, spoken and produced by David Arnsberger from an idea by Larry Monroe. Some of the reference material for this edition of Pioneers of Texas Music comes from the TSHA Handbook. .
Posted on: Fri, 19 Dec 2014 14:00:01 +0000
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