Kevin Kelley (musician)
Encyclopedia
Kevin Daniel Kelley was an American drummer
, best known for his work with the rock
bands
The Byrds
and the Rising Sons
. Kelley also played drums
for Fever Tree
, although it is unknown whether he was an official member of the group or not. In addition, he worked as a session musician
between 1969 and 1973, playing drums on albums by artists including John Fahey
and Phil Ochs
. He appears to have retired from the music industry after drumming on Michael Cohen's 1973 album, What Did You Expect? Kelley is the cousin
of country rock
pioneer and ex-member of The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers
, Chris Hillman
. Kevin Kelley should not be confused with the similarly named Kevin Kelly, another American session musician who played piano
for Joan Baez
during the Rolling Thunder Revue
and guested on albums by Tim Buckley
, Bryn Haworth
, and The Babys
during the 1970s.
band, before attending Santa Monica College
and Los Angeles City College
to study music and composition
. Following his time at college, Kelley spent three years in the U.S. Marine Corps
, including a year in Japan, where he became interested in Eastern spirituality and Buddhism
. In 1965, after returning to civilian life, he became the drummer with one of the earliest Los Angeles folk rock
bands, the Rising Sons, a group that also included guitarist
s Ry Cooder
and Taj Mahal
. Kelley was brought in to replace the band's original drummer Ed Cassidy
, who went on to join the jazz
-influenced psychedelic rock
band Spirit
. Following Kelley's recruitment into the band, the Rising Sons were signed to Columbia Records
and released the Reverend Gary Davis
' song "Candy Man" as a single
in 1966. The single failed to chart and the band broke up soon afterwards, leaving an albums worth of unreleased material that was not issued until the early 1990s. During this period in his life, Kelley taught himself to play piano and guitar
but he remained essentially a drummer.
Following the break-up of the Rising Sons, Kelley found himself without a band and consequently had to resort to working in a men's clothing store. It was while he was working at the clothing store that Kelley's cousin, Chris Hillman, who was the bass player with the successful L.A. folk rock
and psychedelic
band The Byrds, asked him to join the group in January 1968. The Byrds had recently been reduced to a duo following the October 1967 firing of rhythm guitar
ist David Crosby
and the December 1967 departure of the band's original drummer, Michael Clarke
. With a U.S. college tour looming, Hillman and his bandmate Roger McGuinn
chose to recruit a drummer that they already knew, rather than hold time consuming auditions. Kelley holds the distinction of being the first non-original member to join The Byrds, although a second new recruit, Gram Parsons
, came onboard soon afterwards in February 1968. It was this four-piece line-up consisting of Kelley, Hillman, McGuinn, and Parsons that would record the seminal country rock
album Sweetheart of the Rodeo
between March and May 1968.
During the recording sessions
for the album, the band attempted one of Kelley's own compositions titled "All I Have Are Memories", but ultimately the song was not included on the album and remained unreleased at the time. "All I Have Are Memories" was finally issued in an instrumental configuration as a bonus track
on the 1997 expanded reissue of Sweetheart of the Rodeo, although it was erroneously credited to E. D. Hewitt and R. J. Ledford on that particular release. This error was corrected for the 2003 Legacy Edition of Sweetheart of the Rodeo, which presented the song with Kelley's lead vocal intact for the first time.
In addition to participating in the recording of Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Kelley was also with The Byrds when they made their infamous appearance at the Grand Ole Opry
in Nashville on March 15, 1968, where the band was met with booing and heckling from the audience, due to their association with the hippie
counterculture. In the years since the incident, the band's appearance at the Grand Ole Opry has taken on near-legendary status among fans of The Byrds and Gram Parsons.
Following the release of Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Kelley was dismissed from The Byrds in September 1968, largely due to pressure from the group's new lead guitar
ist Clarence White
, who had come onboard as a replacement for Gram Parsons in July 1968. After leaving The Byrds, Kelley next contributed drums to the psychedelic rock band Fever Tree's fourth album, For Sale, although it is unknown whether he was a fully-fledged member of the band or was simply hired as a sideman
to embellish the album. Between 1969 and 1973, Kelley found work as a session musician, guesting on albums by John Fahey
, Phil Ochs
, Frank Kinsel, Jesse Wolff & Whings, and Michael Cohen. Following the release of Cohen's What Did You Expect? album in 1973, Kelley appears to have retired from the music business and little is known about his subsequent life.
Kevin Kelley died of natural causes in North Hollywood on April 6, 2002. Although most published sources dealing with his career as a professional musician state that Kelley's year of birth was 1945, which would have made him either 56 or 57 at the time of his death, his obituary in the Los Angeles Times
listed his age as being 59, making his year of birth 1943. It is unknown which of these birth years is correct.
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
, best known for his work with the rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
bands
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
and the Rising Sons
Rising Sons
Rising Sons was a Los Angeles, California-based band founded in 1964. The original lineup was Ry Cooder , Taj Mahal , Gary Marker , Jesse Lee Kincaid and Ed Cassidy...
. Kelley also played drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
for Fever Tree
Fever Tree
Fever Tree is a former American psychedelic rock band of the 1960s, chiefly known for their anthemic 1968 hit, "San Francisco Girls ".-History:...
, although it is unknown whether he was an official member of the group or not. In addition, he worked as a session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
between 1969 and 1973, playing drums on albums by artists including John Fahey
John Fahey (musician)
John Fahey was an American fingerstyle guitarist and composer who pioneered the steel-string acoustic guitar as a solo instrument. His style has been greatly influential and has been described as the foundation of American Primitivism, a term borrowed from painting and referring mainly to the...
and Phil Ochs
Phil Ochs
Philip David Ochs was an American protest singer and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, political activism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and haunting voice...
. He appears to have retired from the music industry after drumming on Michael Cohen's 1973 album, What Did You Expect? Kelley is the cousin
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
of country rock
Country rock
Country rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...
pioneer and ex-member of The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers
The Flying Burrito Brothers
The Flying Burrito Brothers was an early country rock band, best known for its influential debut album,The Gilded Palace of Sin . Although the group is most often mentioned in connection with country rock legends Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman, the group underwent many personnel changes.-Original...
, Chris Hillman
Chris Hillman
Christopher Hillman was one of the original members of The Byrds which in 1965 included Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby, and Michael Clarke....
. Kevin Kelley should not be confused with the similarly named Kevin Kelly, another American session musician who played piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
for Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
during the Rolling Thunder Revue
Rolling Thunder Revue
The Rolling Thunder Revue was a famed U.S. concert tour consisting of a traveling caravan of musicians, headed by Bob Dylan, that took place in late 1975 and early 1976; the prevailing theory was that the tour was named after the Native American shaman Rolling Thunder. Others maintained that tour...
and guested on albums by Tim Buckley
Tim Buckley
Timothy Charles Buckley III was an American vocalist, and musician. His music and style changed considerably through the years; his first album was mostly folk oriented, but over time his music incorporated jazz, psychedelia, funk, soul, avant-garde and an evolving "voice as instrument," sound...
, Bryn Haworth
Bryn Haworth
Bryn Haworth is a British Christian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and pioneer of Jesus music in mainstream rock. Born in Blackburn, Lancashire, UK, he has released some twenty-two albums and several singles since the 1970s as well as guesting as guitarist on many other albums by rock and folk...
, and The Babys
The Babys
The Babys were a British rock/pop group best known for their songs "Isn't It Time," and "Every Time I Think of You." Both songs were composed by Jack Conrad and Ray Kennedy, and reached #13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in the late 1970s...
during the 1970s.
Biography
Kelley began his musical career playing drums for the Beverly Hills High SchoolBeverly Hills High School
Beverly Hills High School is the only major public high school in Beverly Hills, California. Beverly is part of the Beverly Hills Unified School District and located on on the west side of Beverly Hills, at the...
band, before attending Santa Monica College
Santa Monica College
Santa Monica College is a two-year, public, junior college located in Santa Monica, California.Santa Monica College was first opened in 1929 as Santa Monica Junior College. Current enrollment is over 30,000 students in more than 90 fields of study...
and Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles City College, known as LACC, is a public community college in the East Hollywood section of Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard...
to study music and composition
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
. Following his time at college, Kelley spent three years in the U.S. Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, including a year in Japan, where he became interested in Eastern spirituality and Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
. In 1965, after returning to civilian life, he became the drummer with one of the earliest Los Angeles folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
bands, the Rising Sons, a group that also included guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
s Ry Cooder
Ry Cooder
Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder is an American guitarist, singer and composer. He is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and, more recently, his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.His solo work has been eclectic, encompassing...
and Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal (musician)
Henry Saint Clair Fredericks , who uses the stage name Taj Mahal, is an American Grammy Award winning blues musician. He incorporates elements of world music into his music...
. Kelley was brought in to replace the band's original drummer Ed Cassidy
Ed Cassidy
Ed "Cass" Cassidy is an American drummer who was one of the founders of the rock group Spirit in 1967.His family moved to Bakersfield, California, in 1931, and he started as a professional musician in 1937. He was in the Navy during World War II, and after his discharge worked at many jobs before...
, who went on to join the jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
-influenced psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
band Spirit
Spirit (band)
Spirit was an American jazz/hard rock/progressive rock/psychedelic band founded in 1967, based in Los Angeles, California.- The original lineup :...
. Following Kelley's recruitment into the band, the Rising Sons were signed to Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
and released the Reverend Gary Davis
Reverend Gary Davis
Reverend Gary Davis, also Blind Gary Davis, was an American blues and gospel singer and guitarist, who was also proficient on the banjo and harmonica...
' song "Candy Man" as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in 1966. The single failed to chart and the band broke up soon afterwards, leaving an albums worth of unreleased material that was not issued until the early 1990s. During this period in his life, Kelley taught himself to play piano and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
but he remained essentially a drummer.
Following the break-up of the Rising Sons, Kelley found himself without a band and consequently had to resort to working in a men's clothing store. It was while he was working at the clothing store that Kelley's cousin, Chris Hillman, who was the bass player with the successful L.A. folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
and psychedelic
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
band The Byrds, asked him to join the group in January 1968. The Byrds had recently been reduced to a duo following the October 1967 firing of rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
ist David Crosby
David Crosby
David Van Cortlandt Crosby is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of three bands: The Byrds, Crosby, Stills & Nash , and CPR...
and the December 1967 departure of the band's original drummer, Michael Clarke
Michael Clarke (musician)
Michael Clarke , was an American musician, best known as the drummer for the 1960s rock group The Byrds from 1964 to 1967. He died in 1993, at age 47, from liver failure, a direct result of more than three decades of heavy alcohol consumption.-Biography:Clarke was born Michael James Dick in...
. With a U.S. college tour looming, Hillman and his bandmate Roger McGuinn
Roger McGuinn
James Roger McGuinn is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist on many of The Byrds' records...
chose to recruit a drummer that they already knew, rather than hold time consuming auditions. Kelley holds the distinction of being the first non-original member to join The Byrds, although a second new recruit, Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist. Parsons is best known for his work within the country genre; he also mixed blues, folk, and rock to create what he called "Cosmic American Music"...
, came onboard soon afterwards in February 1968. It was this four-piece line-up consisting of Kelley, Hillman, McGuinn, and Parsons that would record the seminal country rock
Country rock
Country rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...
album Sweetheart of the Rodeo
Sweetheart of the Rodeo
Sweetheart of the Rodeo is the sixth album by American rock band The Byrds and was released on August 30, 1968 on Columbia Records...
between March and May 1968.
During the recording sessions
Studio recording
The term studio recording means any recording made in a studio, as opposed to a live recording, which is usually made in a concert venue or a theatre, with an audience attending the performance.-Studio cast recordings:...
for the album, the band attempted one of Kelley's own compositions titled "All I Have Are Memories", but ultimately the song was not included on the album and remained unreleased at the time. "All I Have Are Memories" was finally issued in an instrumental configuration as a bonus track
Bonus track
In terms of recorded music, a bonus track is a piece of music which has been included on specific releases or reissues of an album. This is most often done as a promotional device, either as an incentive to customers to purchase albums they might otherwise not, or to repurchase albums they already...
on the 1997 expanded reissue of Sweetheart of the Rodeo, although it was erroneously credited to E. D. Hewitt and R. J. Ledford on that particular release. This error was corrected for the 2003 Legacy Edition of Sweetheart of the Rodeo, which presented the song with Kelley's lead vocal intact for the first time.
In addition to participating in the recording of Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Kelley was also with The Byrds when they made their infamous appearance at the Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
in Nashville on March 15, 1968, where the band was met with booing and heckling from the audience, due to their association with the hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
counterculture. In the years since the incident, the band's appearance at the Grand Ole Opry has taken on near-legendary status among fans of The Byrds and Gram Parsons.
Following the release of Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Kelley was dismissed from The Byrds in September 1968, largely due to pressure from the group's new lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
ist Clarence White
Clarence White
Clarence White was a guitar player for Nashville West, The Byrds, Muleskinner, and the Kentucky Colonels. His parents were Acadians from New Brunswick, Canada...
, who had come onboard as a replacement for Gram Parsons in July 1968. After leaving The Byrds, Kelley next contributed drums to the psychedelic rock band Fever Tree's fourth album, For Sale, although it is unknown whether he was a fully-fledged member of the band or was simply hired as a sideman
Sideman
A sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform or record with a group of which he or she is not a regular member. They often tour with solo acts as well as bands and jazz ensembles. Sidemen are generally required to be adaptable to many different styles of music, and so able to fit...
to embellish the album. Between 1969 and 1973, Kelley found work as a session musician, guesting on albums by John Fahey
John Fahey (musician)
John Fahey was an American fingerstyle guitarist and composer who pioneered the steel-string acoustic guitar as a solo instrument. His style has been greatly influential and has been described as the foundation of American Primitivism, a term borrowed from painting and referring mainly to the...
, Phil Ochs
Phil Ochs
Philip David Ochs was an American protest singer and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, political activism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and haunting voice...
, Frank Kinsel, Jesse Wolff & Whings, and Michael Cohen. Following the release of Cohen's What Did You Expect? album in 1973, Kelley appears to have retired from the music business and little is known about his subsequent life.
Kevin Kelley died of natural causes in North Hollywood on April 6, 2002. Although most published sources dealing with his career as a professional musician state that Kelley's year of birth was 1945, which would have made him either 56 or 57 at the time of his death, his obituary in the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
listed his age as being 59, making his year of birth 1943. It is unknown which of these birth years is correct.
Rising Sons
- "Candy Man"/"The Devil's Got My Woman" (7" singleSingle (music)In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
– 1966) - Rising Sons Featuring Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder (compilation albumCompilation albumA compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
– 1992) - The Rising Sons (compilation album – 2001)
The Byrds
- "You Ain't Goin' NowhereYou Ain't Goin' Nowhere"You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1967 in Woodstock, New York, during the self-imposed exile from public appearances that followed his July 29, 1966 motorcycle accident. A recording of Dylan performing the song was first officially released on the Bob Dylan's Greatest...
"/"Artificial Energy" (7" single – 1968) – Kevin Kelley only appears on "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" - Sweetheart of the RodeoSweetheart of the RodeoSweetheart of the Rodeo is the sixth album by American rock band The Byrds and was released on August 30, 1968 on Columbia Records...
(studio albumStudio albumA studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
– 1968) - "I Am a Pilgrim"/"Pretty Boy Floyd" (7" single – 1968)
Fever Tree
- For Sale (studio album – 1970)
- "She Comes in Colors"/"You're Not the Same Baby" (7" single – 1970)
- "I Put a Spell on YouI Put a Spell on You"I Put a Spell on You" is a 1956 song written by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, whose recording was selected as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. It was also ranked #320 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.Although Hawkins'...
"/"Hey Joe, Where You Gonna GoHey Joe"Hey Joe" is an American popular song from the 1960s that has become a rock standard and as such, has been performed in a multitude of musical styles by hundreds of different artists since it was first written. "Hey Joe" tells the story of a man who is on the run and planning to head to Mexico...
" (7" single – 1970)
Album guest appearances
- John FaheyJohn Fahey (musician)John Fahey was an American fingerstyle guitarist and composer who pioneered the steel-string acoustic guitar as a solo instrument. His style has been greatly influential and has been described as the foundation of American Primitivism, a term borrowed from painting and referring mainly to the...
– The Yellow PrincessThe Yellow Princess (John Fahey album)The Yellow Princess and its reissue has received consistently positive critical reviews. Record Collector called it "...a pleasant journey to take, rattling along with the odd surprising flourish to mark the way, a random piece of dissonance to keep you awake and, above all, a reassurance that...
(1969) - Frank Kinsel – At Home (1971)
- Jesse Wolff & Whings – Jesse Wolff & Whings (1972)
- Michael Cohen – What Did You Expect? (1973)
- Phil OchsPhil OchsPhilip David Ochs was an American protest singer and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, political activism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and haunting voice...
– Gunfight at Carnegie HallGunfight at Carnegie HallGunfight At Carnegie Hall was Phil Ochs' final album, comprising songs recorded at the infamous, gold-suited, bomb-threat shortened first set at Carnegie Hall in New York City on March 27, 1970, though it contains less than half of the actual concert...
(1975, recorded in 1970)