Phil of Folk Music Crossword
Contents
If you’re a fan of folk music, then you’ll definitely want to check out this blog post! We’ve got a great crossword puzzle for you to enjoy, all about Phil of Folk Music!
Introduction
Folk music is a genre of music that is traditional and typically associated with a particular region or culture. It is often passed down from generation to generation, and usually has a strong community or regional focus.
Phil of Folk Music is a fun and challenging crossword puzzle that will test your knowledge of folk music! To complete the puzzle, you’ll need to know the names of famous folk musicians, as well as some of the instruments and genres associated with folk music. Good luck!
Folk Music Terminology
In order to do this crossword, you’ll need to know some terminology associated with folk music. This genre of music often uses acoustic instruments and focuses on traditional music. The lyrics usually tell a story and are usually about the everyday life of the common person.
Traditional Folk Music
Traditional folk music is the culmination of generations of people making music together. It’s a living, breathing art form that is constantly evolving as it’s passed down from one generation to the next.
Most traditional folk music is based on oral traditions, meaning that the tunes and lyrics were passed down by word of mouth rather than being written down. This means that there can be many different versions of a song, with each region or community having its own unique version.
The term “traditional folk music” can also refer to the music of a specific region or community. For example, you might find traditional Irish folk music, traditional Appalachian folk music, or traditional Chinese folk music.
Contemporary Folk Music
Contemporary folk music is a genre of music that is typically older than 50 years. This type of folk music often has more complex melodies and harmonies than traditional folk music, and it may also incorporate elements of other genres, such as blues, jazz, or rock. Contemporary folk musicians often use instruments such as the guitar, piano, or banjo, and they may sing either solo or in a group.
The Life and Career of Phil Ochs
American folk singer Phil Ochs wrote and performed songs that were protesting the Vietnam War, civil rights abuses, and other social injustices. He wrote more than 300 songs in his lifetime, but only a handful were commercially successful. Ochs was an accomplished musician and had a clear, powerful voice that was perfect for folk music. He was also a gifted songwriter, and many of his songs are still relevant today.
Early Life and Influences
Phil Ochs was born on December 19, 1940, in El Paso, Texas, to Jacob and Gertrude Ochs. His father was a Jewish doctor from New Orleans who had come to Texas to escape the Great Depression; his mother, the daughter of German immigrants, was a former teacher. Ochs grew up in a comfortable middle-class household and was an excellent student, but he was often teased by classmates for being overweight and for his interest in music. When he was 14, his parents divorced, and Ochs—feeling like an outsider in El Paso—began to pull away from society. He turned to music as an escape, becoming obsessed with folk singers such as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. In 1957, he enrolled at Ohio State University with the intention of studying journalism, but he soon dropped out to pursue a career in music.
Political Activism
During the early 1960s, Ochs became increasingly interested in social change and activism. In 1964, inspired by his experience attending the Berkeley Folk Festival, he decided to move to New York City to pursue a career in folk music. There, he became involved with the emerging protest movement against the Vietnam War. Ochs wrote and performed many anti-war songs, including “I Ain’t Marching Anymore” and “Draft Dodger Rag”. He also became friends with fellow anti-war protesters Pete Seeger and Tom Paxton. In 1967, Ochs co-founded the Yippies, a youth-oriented anti-war, anti-authoritarian political activist group, with Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin.
Later Career and Legacy
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Ochs’s mental health deteriorated as he became increasingly affected by manic depression and alcoholism. He is said to have become fixated on the idea that the Kennedy assassination was part of a larger conspiracy. Ochs’s friends and family became increasingly worried about his wellbeing and staged an intervention in 1973, during which he was hospitalised for treatment.
In 1976, following a gig in suburban New York, Ochs was found by his manager in his hotel room with electrical cords wrapped around his neck. He had hanged himself. He was 35 years old.
Ochs’s estate was inherited by his sister Sonny, who died in 2001. His papers are housed at Vanderbilt University’s special collections library. In 2002, a documentary about Ochs’s life, entitled There But for Fortune, was released to critical acclaim.
Conclusion
We have come to the end of our crossword puzzle. We hope you have enjoyed it and learned something new about Phil Ochs, one of the most influential and prolific folk musicians of his time. Thank you for your participation.
