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Phil Ochs
Phil Ochs was under-appreciated during his lifetime but, over 30 years since his death, he is still cited by many as being an influence on their music, their politics and their careers. A contemporary and friend of Bob Dylan, although Phil never achieved the commercial success he craved, he led a generation through probably the most politically turbulent decade the world has ever seen.
Ultimately, Phil's internal turbulence proved too much for him, but he left us with a legacy of songs which are as relevant today, as they were when they were first written, 45 years ago.
For more information about Phil, please read the biography.
Phil Ochs Inspires Us Still
The Welsh Connection - Huw Spink
Phil Ochs and Wales.
Two of my favourite things.
Apart from a shared love of song and poetry they don’t have much in common.
But there is at least one connection, and lucky for us, it’s a good one!
In 1965 Phil introduced a new song to Bob Fass on his Radio Unnameable radio show.
“Well…OK, I was over there in England and a couple of times I played in Wales, in Swansea and Cardiff, while in Swansea I woke up in this strange house and started talking to this girl and reading poetry all morning, reading William Butler Yeats. And we took off, we had to go back to London. While driving back it was like being visited by the muse. I was very much artistically aroused, by Yeats, or struggling to try and understand Yeats. So I got this idea for a song from that aesthetic in the air of the car. This is called Songs Of My Returning and its about how you go through life doing whatever you are doing then at certain points you return to your love, whatever your love is, or even different loves, but always to the feeling of love, and tell your love what you’ve learned or how you’ve changed.”-
I nearly fell off my chair when I first heard a recording of this.