Folk Singer, Songwriter. Philip David Ochs was born in El Paso, Texas on December 19, 1940. He left his journalism studies at Ohio State University to pursue a career as a professional musician, and soon gained a wide following in New York City. He released his first album, "All the News That's Fit to Sing" in 1964. Several years later, his fame skyrocketed, and Ochs packed Carnegie Hall for a sold-out solo show. Many of his songs, including "The Power and the Glory," "Love Me, I'm a Liberal," "There But for Fortune," "Draft Dodger Rag," and "I Ain't Marching Anymore" have become folk standards. Ochs was famous for his impressive catalogue of original songs, as well as his musical interpretation of classic poems, such as Edgar Allan Poe's "The Bells." He traveled the globe performing his unique mix of inspired guitar work and cutting-edge lyrics. While on tour in Africa in 1973, he was mugged and during this attack, his throat was injured, resulting in the loss of part of his vocal range. This blow to Ochs' career added to his deepening depression. At the age of 35, haunted by a combination of his waning career, alcoholism and chronic depression, Phil Ochs committed suicide on April 9, 1976. Phil's parents were Gertrude (née Phin, 1912-1994) and Jacob "Jack" Ochs (1910-1963), a physician who had served as a combat medic in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II (WWII). Phil's younger brother, Michael Ochs (1943-2025), was also his onetime manager and went on to build the world's leading collection of photos chronicling the modern history of popular music.
Folk Singer, Songwriter. Philip David Ochs was born in El Paso, Texas on December 19, 1940. He left his journalism studies at Ohio State University to pursue a career as a professional musician, and soon gained a wide following in New York City. He released his first album, "All the News That's Fit to Sing" in 1964. Several years later, his fame skyrocketed, and Ochs packed Carnegie Hall for a sold-out solo show. Many of his songs, including "The Power and the Glory," "Love Me, I'm a Liberal," "There But for Fortune," "Draft Dodger Rag," and "I Ain't Marching Anymore" have become folk standards. Ochs was famous for his impressive catalogue of original songs, as well as his musical interpretation of classic poems, such as Edgar Allan Poe's "The Bells." He traveled the globe performing his unique mix of inspired guitar work and cutting-edge lyrics. While on tour in Africa in 1973, he was mugged and during this attack, his throat was injured, resulting in the loss of part of his vocal range. This blow to Ochs' career added to his deepening depression. At the age of 35, haunted by a combination of his waning career, alcoholism and chronic depression, Phil Ochs committed suicide on April 9, 1976. Phil's parents were Gertrude (née Phin, 1912-1994) and Jacob "Jack" Ochs (1910-1963), a physician who had served as a combat medic in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II (WWII). Phil's younger brother, Michael Ochs (1943-2025), was also his onetime manager and went on to build the world's leading collection of photos chronicling the modern history of popular music.
Bio by: pacifica
