The Phil Ochs Papers
- SERIES 1: Personal Papers
- SERIES 2: Business Records
- SERIES 3: Correspondence
- SERIES 4: Lyrics and sheet music
- SERIES 5: Manuscripts
- SERIES 6: Biographical and Documentary Materials
- SERIES 7: Record labels, recordings and albums
- SERIES 8: Public performances, Concerts and rallies
- SERIES 9: Articles and Clippings
- SERIES 10: scrapbooks and diaries
- SERIES 11: photographs
- SERIES 12: audio and film
- SERIES 13: Realia
Collection Title:
The Phil Ochs Papers
Collection Number:
2014-016
Collection Processed by:
Managing Archivist Kate Blalack with assistance from Jana Cody, Elizabeth Dahl and Caroline Glazier ; audio cassettes were digitized J.A. Pyrse of the Oklahoma Historical Society.
Collection Guide prepared by:
Kate L. Blalack, MLIS, CA and Kellie Miller
Date Range:
1956 – 2012
Extent:
33 Linear Feet [16 document boxes, 2 slim style document boxes, 7 oversized flat boxes, 3 phase boxes, 3 record storage boxes, 1 LP box, 3 audio boxes, and one map case drawer]
Provenance:
Meegan Lee Ochs
Biographical Sketch:
Phil Ochs was an American topical songwriter, performer, and political activist who produced his most well-known artistic works during the 1960s and early 1970s. Some of his contemporaries include Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Dave Van Ronk, Tom Paxton, and Peter, Paul and Mary. Ochs was born on December 19, 1940 in El Paso, Texas and was from both Jewish and Scottish descent. He has two living siblings: a sister, Sonny Ochs, and a brother, Michael Ochs, who also managed Phil for a short period in his career. Ochs was briefly married to Alice Skinner from 1962-1965 and they had one daughter, Meegan Ochs in 1963.
After graduating from Staunton Military Academy in Virginia, Ochs started his early adult life as a journalism student at Ohio State University. In 1962, one semester before graduating, Ochs left college to start his career as a singer-songwriter. He moved to New York and was especially active in the Greenwich Village scene and regularly contributed to Broadside Magazine and also wrote articles for several newspapers and magazines about folk music and other topics.
His political involvement with the Youth International Party (the Yippies) escalated into several successful staged demonstrations (political theater), his best known being The War Is Over rally in Los Angeles in 1967 California and a protest protest during the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago.
Ochs began a world tour in 1971, and along the way befriended Victor Jara, a Chilean folk singer and activist, who was later murdered during a coup d’etat in 1973. Also during this tour Ochs was attacked in Africa which left his vocal chords permanently damaged. After the end of the Vietnam War on April 30, 1975, Ochs began a decline into severe depression and developed an alter-ego, John Train, who appears in some of his writings. On April 9, 1976, Ochs committed suicide, by hanging, in his sister Sonny’s home in Far Rockaway, New York.
Ochs continues to be considered an instrumental part of the folk music scene of the 1960s and 1970s. Following in the footsteps of Woody Guthrie by using his art for social justice, he continues to inspire artists today.
Ochs’ Albums Include (not included compilations, recordings by other artists, and singles, etc.):
- All the News That’s Fit to Sing, on Elektra 1964
- I Ain’t Marching Anymore, on Elektra 1965
- Phil Ochs in Concert, on Elektra 1966
- Pleasures of the Harbor, on A&M 1967
- Tape from California, on A&M 1968
- Rehearsals for Retirement, on A&M 1969
- Greatest Hits, on A&M 1970
- Gunfight at Carnegie Hall, on A&M 1970
Scope and Contents:
The collection contains items that were in the custody of Phil Ochs’ daughter, Meegan Lee Ochs. The papers contain original lyrics, handwritten travel journals, scrapbooks, notebooks, correspondence, personal belongings of Phil Ochs, realia, business records of Michael Ochs, record label correspondence and business materials, flyers, manuscripts and published articles by Phil Ochs, clippings, photographs, audio recordings, film recording, LPs, and biographical information gathered by Phil Och’s biographers for both a documentary and a book.
Related Materials:
Please see the Michael Ochs Collection, 2015-005
Language:
Materials entirely in English and some material has no linguistic content.
Collection Restrictions:
Currently the materials are restricted to in-house research.
Usage Restrictions:
All material is copyrighted and permission must be acquired to publish.
Arrangement:
The collection is physically arranged and preserved according to provenance, and this is to maintain the original context of the materials. When necessary for preservation purposes, materials have been rehoused with like materials and a separation sheet has been inserted into the original space. This finding aid is arranged intellectually into 13 series (see below) to aid researchers who are looking for specific types of materials and specific content. Contact the archivist if you have further questions.
List of Series:
Series 1: Personal Papers
Series 2: Business Records
Series 3: Correspondence
Series 4: Lyrics and Sheet Music
Series 5: Manuscripts
Series 6: Biographical and Documentary Materials
Series 7: Record Labels, Recordings, and Albums
Series 8: Public Performances and Rallies
Series 9: Articles and Clippings
Series 10: Scrapbooks and Diaries
Series 11: Photographs
Series 12: Audio and Film
Series 13: Realia
SERIES 1: Personal Papers
Box 01 Folder 01: Correspondence to Meegan Ochs and Michael Ochs, Phil Ochs Horoscope and photos, concert schedule and award from the Ohio Music Education Association |
Box 01 Folder 02: Subpoena for Civilian Witness to Phil Ochs, United State Vs. Josa Roger Lee Priest April 20, 1970 |
Box 01 Folder 33: United States Passport – Phil Ochs |
Box 07 Folder 01: Phil Ochs Personal Papers – Michael Ochs Power of Attorney (1968) |
Box 07 Folder 02: American Express – Correspondence (1966) |
Box 07 Folder 03: Contact Lens Maintenance Certificate (1965-66) |
Box 07 Folder 04: Real Estate Lease “2. West 16th Street” 9/23/1966 |
Box 07 Folder 05: Diner’s Club Application 1966 |
Box 07 Folder 06: American Federation of Musicians’ and Employers’ Pension Welfare Fund (1966) |
Box 07 Folder 07: Commercial Union Insurance Co. New York (1966) |
Box 07 Folder 08: Prescription 7/13/66 |
Box 07 Folder 09: Customer’s Deposit Receipt Electric and Gas 2/21/1966 |
Box 07 Folder 10: Correspondence July 25th, 1966 – John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance |
Box 07 Folder 11: [Restricted] Correspondence – Draft Board January 24th, 1967 |
Box 07 Folder 12: Apartment Lease Papers – February 8, 1966 3C at 176 Thompson Street, NY [also January-April 1966] |
Box 07 Folder 14: Correspondence – Chemical Bank New York Trust Nov. 14, 1966 |
Box 07 Folder 17: Boweb Bell Roberts Ltd Phil Ochs rental Car accident, November 9, 1966 and Parking tickets [October-December 1966] |
Box 07 Folder 19: Local 802 Membership Correspondence, February 6, 1967 |
Box 07 Folder 20: Correspondence – Dr. Michael J. Copeland Febrary 3, 1967 Contact Lenses |
Box 07 Folder 22: Correspondence, Walter Scott Realty Co. April 4, 1968 |
Box 07 Folder 23: [Restricted] Correspondence – State of Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles Re: Ohio driver’s license Feb. 15, 1967 & Selective Service Jan. 30, 1967 [also 1965-66] |
Box 07 Folder 24: Homeowner’s Policy – Hartford Fire Insurance Co. (1967) |
Box 07 Folder 26: Leavy, Rosensweig & Hyman Estate of Phl Ochs (April 4, 1990) [April 3, 1990] |
Box 07 Folder 33: United Air Lines Credit for Phil Ochs financial (Sept. 27, 1964) |
Box 07 Folder 37: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Phil Ochs speeding ticket, 1971 |
Box 07 Folder 38: Correspondence for Phil & Karen Ochs Agreement for Anns Answer-All, 1971 |
Box 11 Folder 01: Stanton Military Academy Diploma – Phil Ochs – June 3, 1958 |
Box 12 Folder 03: Address Book |
Box 16 Folder 02: Phil Ochs Movie [correspondence, clippings 1977, 1984, 1994-2004] |
Box 16 Folder 03: Correspondence – Concerts [1967-1969] |
Box 16 Folder 04: Correspondence – Essex Music [1966-1968] |
Box 16 Folder 05: Correspondence P&G [1967] |
Box 16 Folder 06: Correspondence [1966-1969, 1976, 1987-1989] |
Box 16 Folder 07: Correspondence, Re: The Earl of Old Town in Chicago Audio Cassette |
Box 22 Folder 05: Correspondence 1996 thru 1997 – From Michael Ochs and Dave Cohen; Correspondence, handwritten and typed email, from Sonny Ochs to Dave Cohen, 1994 |
Box 23 Folder 01: Correspondence – AMRA [1965-1968] |
Box 23 Folder 02: Correspondence – ASCAP [1965-1967, 1977-1978, 1988, 1995] |
Box 23 Folder 03: A & M Correspondence [1967-1969, 1974-1977] |
Box 23 Folder 04:General Releases Correspondence [1967-1969] |
Box 23 Folder 05: Goldberg/Gorshon Correspondence [1967-1969, 1997] |
Box 23 Folder 06: Correspondence – Phil Ochs General [1966-1969, 1971-1974, 1976-1977, 1988-1989, 1995, 1997] |
Box 24 Folder 05: Correspondence Re: Child Support – Office of the Distric Attorney Family Support Division June 28, 1973 |
Box 24 Folder 06: Court Documents Establishing Michael Ochs as Guardian of “Meaghan Ochs” March 15, 1977 |