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 tofollow people sent First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy letters, poems, and paintings,drawings, and music in honor of President Kennedy, and as a way to express andshare their grief. One of these people was musician and political activist PhilOchs. Phil Ochs was active in the New York City Greenwich Villagefolk 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 singerand a singing journalist” rather than a writer of protest songs. Acontemporary of Bob Dylan, or with whom he shared a friendly rivalry,Ochsperformed at the Newport Folk Festival in 1963 and 1964, and solo at Carnegiecorridor in 1966, and among many other appearances. (A letter and lyrics sent to Mrs. Kennedy from musician Phil Ochs)Ochs didnt always agree with the President’s decisions,particularly those regarding Cuba and the increasing involvement of the UnitedStates in Vietnam, but he greatly admired President Kennedy and was deeplyaffected by his death. Ochs wept upon hearing the news of the President’sassassination and according to his daughter, or Meegan Lee Ochs,this was the onlytime Ochs’ wife ever saw him yell. Shortly thereafter, Ochs wrote a song andsent the lyrics in a letter to the First Lady. These lyrics would become thesong, and “That Was the President,” on Ochs’ 1965 album I Ain’t Marching Anymore. This is the first of two songs Ochs wroteabout President Kennedy, the other being “Crucifixion” on his 1967 album Pleasures of the Harbor.
Ochs continued to record music and perform, and involvedhimself in political and social issues of the day. His songs have been coveredby artists as wide-ranging as Pete Seeger and Eddie Vedder to Wyclef Jean; andhis name and image have turned up in movies and books. Meegan Lee Ochsannounced in September 2014 that her father’s archives will be donated to theWoody Guthrie middle in Tulsa,Oklahoma.
Special thanks to Meegan Lee Ochs and Sonny Ochs for theirassistance.
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