Phil Ochs
Philip David Ochs grew up in a non-political middle class family. While in college at Ohio State University, he met Jim Glover who became his roommate & whose father was Phil's political teacher. It was during this time, while he was majoring in journalism, that he formed his political beliefs & started putting them to music.
After 3 years of college, Phil dropped out & went to New York City. This was during the early 60s when things were booming in Greenwich Village. Phil started out singing at open mikes & passing the hat. By '64 he was well enough established to release his 1st album, "All the News That's Fit to Sing". His 2nd album, "I Ain't Marching Anymore", was released in '65. By '66 he was able to sell out Carnegie Hall for a solo concert.
Most of Phil's songs were very political, some humorous & some very serious. He wrote about the topics of the day-civil rights, VietNam, hungry miners, & personalities such as Billy Sol Estes, JFK, Medgar Evers, Wm Worthy & Lou Marsh.
In '67 he signed with A&M Records where his 1st release was "Pleasures of the Harbor" in which he used heavily orchestrated arrangements for the 1st time. Some fans criticized this change, while others accepted it.
Phil continued to perform & travel around the world. While in Dar Es Salaam, he was mugged & lost the top 3 notes of his vocal range. This event seemed to send him on a downward spiral. His last years were troubled ones. He suffered from manic depression plus an affinity for the bottle. He committed suicide on 4/9/76, aged 35.
Many of Phil's songs have been covered by other artists. Some of his best known songs are: "Changes", "There But For Fortune", "I Ain't Marching Anymore", "Draft Dodger", "Small Circle of Friends", Crucifixion" & "When I'm Gone".
There've been 2 biographies about him. Death of a Rebel by Marc Elliot in '77 & There but for Fortune: The Life of Phil Ochs by Michael Schumacher in '96. Rhino Records released a 3-CD compilation titled Farewells & Fantasies in '97 which includes all his best known works plus some previously unreleased tracks. Sliced Bread Records released a double CD of covers of Phil's songs performed by 28 artists in '98 entitled The Songs of Phil Ochs.
“Are you going away with no word of farewell? Will there be not a trace left behind? Well I could have loved you better, didn't mean to be unkind. You know that was the last thing on my mind.”
“The only way to Cuba is with the CIA.”
“In such ugly times, the only true protest is beauty.”
“success is an enemy to the losers of the day”
“God isn't dead--he's just missing in action.”
“It is wrong to expect a reward for your struggles. The reward is the act of struggle itself, not what you win. Even though you can't expect to defeat the absurdity of the world, you must make that attempt. That's morality, that's religion. That's art. That's life.”