In the vein of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and his contemporary Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs was one of the defining protest singers of the 1960s. He was born in El Paso, Texas and began to play the clarinet at a young age. In college, he began to develop his passion for current events and politics while studying journalism. A move to New York City in 1962 allowed him the opportunity to perform at cafes and nightclubs around town, where his folk songwriting and passionate vocals began to draw attention. As Dylan eventually pulled away to find international success, Ochs remained devoted to his craft as a protest singer by deriding injustice, standing up against the Vietnam war and speaking of several little talked about causes. Though he never quite broke through in the mainstream before his untimely suicide at the age of just 35, he remains an important folk icon and cult hero to this day.
