America in the 1960s is synonymous with protest and dissent. Bands like the Jefferson Airplane, Earth Opera, and Country Joe and the Fish made their political views known to their followers with songs conveying disgust for military actions and police abuse; meanwhile Tom Paxton, Joan Baez, and Bob Dylan were finding great success voicing their opinions in the folk scene of Greenwich Village. Although some of the music from the 1960s has run its course and continues to be buried deeper as time moves on, there is still an abundance of powerful and relevant music that seems to get lost in the shuffle, depriving the world of wonderful stories and important historical lessons.
The most important figure of 1960s protest music is, arguably, Bob Dylan. His words have stirred many emotions and brought the voice of a generation to the forefront of popular thinking. Even today, Dylan’s words—spanning six decades—continue to seep their way between the cracks of music trends and into mainstream music. However, lost in the shadows of Dylan’s greatness is one of the most prominent and influential voices of radical American music. During the 1960s, and up into the mid 1970s, singer/songwriter, Phil Ochs, filled the American folk music scene with reflections upon race issues, workers’ rights, the atrocities of war, and host of other timely topics. But what set Ochs’ aside from other songwriters of this era—including Dylan—was the consistency of his message in his music: never did a record contain silly songs or nonsense lyrics. Ochs’ believed that music was a great outlet for awareness and action, and with the growing popularity of folk music in the 1960s, the Greenwich Village scene provided Ochs’ with the quintessential outlet to let his voice be heard. It was during this booming folk music scene that Ochs made a name for himself as a song writer.
Photo by Kptyson on Flickr
Ochs was born in El Paso, Texas on December 19th, 1940. He studied journalism at the University of Ohio, where his political views were molded and put into song. His first album, All the News That’s Fit to Sing, came out in 1964, and was shortly followed by the 1965 release of I Ain’t Marching Anymore. Ochs released a live album in 1966, proving his worth in the music business, as each album produced higher sales than the previous.
Acting as a modern day bard, Ochs told the stories of Medger Evers, Joe Hill, and William Worthy—three figures whose struggles were documented through the songs of Phil Ochs. And while the stories themselves are altogether important, Ochs’ documentation of their lives—their strife—presents yet another outlet for their stories to be told, aside from the dusty book shelves of libraries and academic research websites.
Phil Ochs’ successful and noble attempt to bring about the stories of the oppressed gave a voice to those seeking justice; but Ochs music offered far more than a voice: he gave society a history lesson in song, and immortalized the stories of great Americans, whose plight led the march for justice and equal rights.
Photo by Ed Yourdon on Flickr
On April 9th, 1976, Phil Ochs’, after dealing with years of depression and alcoholism, hanged himself in Far Rockaway, New York. Due to his radical views and musical influence, the CIA and FBI had over 500 pages on Phil Ochs, noting his activities and associates. Conspiracy stewed when Ochs was mugged in Kenya and his vocal chords were crushed during the attack, claiming that it was a CIA attempt to silence his voice.
Today marks the 34th anniversary of Phil Ochs’ death, and while his musical impact has influenced some of today’s songwriters, such as Eddie Vedder and Billy Bragg, his voice is becoming quieter and his memory forgotten. While video of his performances and interviews are still available, they aren’t plentiful or easy to come across. Youtube provides many options to view Phil Ochs performances and interviews, but unfortunately the sound quality is less than desirable and the videos are often short or cut off. Nevertheless, there are a few quality videos worth viewing that offer a good example of Ochs’ music keeping his voice alive.
