Phil Ochs

Philip David Ochs (December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) was a protest singer (or, as he preferred, a "topical singer") of the early 1960s, perhaps best known for his songs "Power and Glory", "There But for Fortune", "Changes", "When I'm Gone", and "I Ain't Marching Anymore". Born in El Paso, Texas, he grew up in a non-political middle class family. He studied journalism at Ohio State University, but dropped out in his last year. He moved to New York City and became an integral part of the Greenwich Village folk music scene. He emerged as an unpolished yet passionate vocalist who wrote poignant lyrics about war, civil rights, labor struggles and other topics of the time. He described himself as a "singing journalist," saying he built his songs from stories he read in Newsweek. He can perhaps be described as a socially conscious patriot in the tradition of Woody Guthrie.

External links

• Phil Ochs's career on A&M Records with gallery, international discography
• Phil Ochs web pages -- includes lyrics, discography, images, &c.
• All things Phil: Phil Ochs on the Web
• Folkways Smithsonian Bio & Music Samples