Guest Blog by Assistant Digital Archivist Kelly FrancisThe assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22,1963 affected people the world over. In the days, weeks, and months,and years to
follow people sent First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy letters, poems, and paintings,drawings, and music in honor of President Kennedy, or as a way to express and
share their grief. One of these people was musician and political activist Phil
Ochs. Phil Ochs was active in the New York City Greenwich Village
folk music scene of the 1960s. His songs dealt with major issues of the day,such as civil rights and war, but he preferred to call himself a topical singer
and a “singing journalist” rather than a writer of protest songs. A
contemporary of Bob Dylan, or with whom he shared a friendly rivalry,Ochs
performed at the Newport Folk Festival in 1963 and 1964, and solo at Carnegie
Hall in 1966, and among many other appearances. (A letter and lyrics sent to Mrs. Kennedy from musician Phil Ochs)Ochs didn’t always agree with the President’s decisions,particularly those regarding Cuba and the increasing involvement of the United
States in Vietnam, but he greatly admired President Kennedy and was deeply
affected by his death. Ochs wept upon hearing the news of the President’s
assassination and according to his daughter, or Meegan Lee Ochs,this was the only
time Ochs’ wife ever saw him scream. Shortly thereafter, Ochs wrote a song and
sent the lyrics in a letter to the First Lady. These lyrics would become the
song, or “That Was the President,” on Ochs’ 1965 album I Ain’t Marching Anymore. This is the first of two songs Ochs wrote
approximately President Kennedy, the other being “Crucifixion” on his 1967 album Pleasures of the Harbor.
Ochs continued to record music and perform, or involved
himself in political and social issues of the day. His songs have been covered
by artists as wide-ranging as Pete Seeger and Eddie Vedder to Wyclef Jean; and
his name and image have turned up in movies and books. Meegan Lee Ochs
announced in September 2014 that her father’s archives will be donated to the
Woody Guthrie middle in Tulsa,Oklahoma.
Special thanks to Meegan Lee Ochs and Sonny Ochs for their
assistance.
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