American singer-songwriter Phil Ochs (December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) wrote or recorded at least 238 songs during his brief career.
On one occasion, during the height of Beatlemania in 1964, he and Eric Andersen performed The Beatles' "I Should Have Known Better" at a hootenanny, something Ochs described as "very much out of character with this whole program".
[2] In the early part of 1970, Ochs surprised his fans by donning a gold lamé suit (commissioned from Elvis Presley's tailor) and going on tour with a rock band; during the brief concert tour, he sang his own material along with medleys of songs by Buddy Holly, Elvis, and Merle Haggard.
[4] Joan Baez had a hit in the U.K. with her cover of "There but for Fortune", a song written by Ochs.
[7]) Ochs' songs, "Bwatue" and "Niko Mchumba Ngombe", which he co-wrote with two African musicians named Dijiba and Bukasa.
Critics note that they predate Paul Simon's Graceland album by more than ten years.
The songs were released as a single in Africa, and most Ochs fans never heard of them until they were included on a compilation album in 1997.
(Camp Favorites, an album of traditional children's songs that was released anonymously, has not been included.)
[39] A revised version of "Here's to the State of Mississippi", with lyrics updated to refer to U.S. President Richard Nixon.