Sonny Ochs
Encyclopedia
Sonia "Sonny" Ochs is a music producer and radio host. She is known for the "Phil Ochs Song Nights" she organizes, at which various musicians sing the songs of her brother, singer-songwriter
Phil Ochs
.
Ochs was born in Scotland
on April 12, 1937, to an American
father and Scottish
mother. The following year, her family moved to the United States
. Her brother Phil
was born in 1940, followed by Michael
in 1943. The Ochs family moved frequently: to San Antonio, Texas
, then to Austin
, Texas; to Far Rockaway
, New York
, and then to Perrysburg
in upstate New York
.
After she graduated from high school, Ochs was sent by her parents to a finishing school
in Switzerland
. While she was away, the family moved to Columbus
, Ohio
. Ochs married a soldier in early 1957, but the couple were divorced by 1963. The couple had three children: Robyn
, David, and Jonathan.
In January 1976, Phil Ochs—who was suffering from alcoholism
and bipolar disorder
—moved to Ochs's Far Rockaway, New York, home. She hoped she could nurture him back to health. He saw a psychiatrist, who prescribed medication; he told his sister he was taking it. On April 9, 1976, Phil Ochs hanged himself in the bathroom of Ochs's house.
Ochs was a school teacher in Far Rockaway and upstate New York. Since the 1980s, she has hosted her own radio program, currently on WRPI
, and volunteered at numerous folk festival
s. Since 1983, she has organized a series of "Phil Ochs Song Nights", concerts at which various musicians perform her brother's songs. Some of the performers have included Greg Greenway
, Kim and Reggie Harris
, Pat Humphries, Magpie, Fred Small
, and Sammy Walker
.
Interviews with Ochs and her brother Michael were featured in the 2010 documentary film
Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune
. The film, which focuses on both Phil's life and the turbulent times in which he lived, also features interviews with his friends and associates, as well as extensive archival news footage from the 1960s.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with 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...
.
Ochs was born in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
on April 12, 1937, to an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
father and Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
mother. The following year, her family moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Her brother Phil
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...
was born in 1940, followed by Michael
Michael Ochs
Michael Ochs is an American photographic archivist best known for his extensive collection of pictures related to rock music dating back to the 1950s and 1960s...
in 1943. The Ochs family moved frequently: to San Antonio, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, then to Austin
Austin
Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas.Austin may also refer to:-In the United States:*Austin, Arkansas*Austin, Colorado*Austin, Chicago, Illinois*Austin, Indiana*Austin, Minnesota*Austin, Nevada*Austin, Oregon...
, Texas; to Far Rockaway
Far Rockaway, Queens
Far Rockaway is a neighborhood on the Rockaway Peninsula in the New York City borough of Queens in the United States. It is the easternmost section of the Rockaways. The neighborhood starts at the Nassau County line and extends west to Beach 32nd Street. The neighborhood is part of Queens Community...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and then to Perrysburg
Perrysburg (town), New York
Perrysburg is a town in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 1,771 at the 2000 census. The Town is named after Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry.The Town of Perrysburg is in the northeast corner of the county...
in upstate New York
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
.
After she graduated from high school, Ochs was sent by her parents to a finishing school
Finishing school
A finishing school is "a private school for girls that emphasises training in cultural and social activities." The name reflects that it follows on from ordinary school and is intended to complete the educational experience, with classes primarily on etiquette...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. While she was away, the family moved to Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Ochs married a soldier in early 1957, but the couple were divorced by 1963. The couple had three children: Robyn
Robyn Ochs
Robyn Ochs is an American bisexual and LGBT rights activist who helped found the Boston Bisexual Network in 1983, and the Bisexual Resource Center in 1985....
, David, and Jonathan.
In January 1976, Phil Ochs—who was suffering from alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
and bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
—moved to Ochs's Far Rockaway, New York, home. She hoped she could nurture him back to health. He saw a psychiatrist, who prescribed medication; he told his sister he was taking it. On April 9, 1976, Phil Ochs hanged himself in the bathroom of Ochs's house.
Ochs was a school teacher in Far Rockaway and upstate New York. Since the 1980s, she has hosted her own radio program, currently on WRPI
WRPI
WRPI is a non-commercial college radio station run by students attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and community members in Troy, New York. WRPI broadcasts 365 days a year with an effective radiated power of 10,000 watts, serving listeners in eastern New York and western Massachusetts and...
, and volunteered at numerous folk festival
Folk festival
A Folk festival celebrates traditional folk crafts and folk music.-Canada:Alberta*Calgary Folk Music Festival*Canmore Folk Music Festival*Edmonton Folk Music Festival*Jasper Folk Festival*Wild Mountain Music FestOntario*Barriefolk...
s. Since 1983, she has organized a series of "Phil Ochs Song Nights", concerts at which various musicians perform her brother's songs. Some of the performers have included Greg Greenway
Greg Greenway
Greg Greenway is an American folk singer/songwriter. Currently living in the Boston area, he is part of the folk scene there...
, Kim and Reggie Harris
Kim and Reggie Harris
Kim and Reggie Harris are two vibrant, superbly talented and engaging performers whose captivating stage presence has inspired audiences around the world for over 25 years....
, Pat Humphries, Magpie, Fred Small
Fred Small
Frederick Emerson Small , known publicly as Fred Small, is an American singer-songwriter. He is also a lawyer and a Unitarian Universalist minister. His songs often make a political or ethical statement. Among his best-known songs are "Heart of the Appaloosa," "Everything Possible," "Peace Is",...
, and Sammy Walker
Sammy Walker
Sammy Walker is an American singer-songwriter. Influenced by the folk and country sounds of Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie and Hank Williams, Walker emerged in the mid 1970s with two albums for the Folkways label and two albums for Warner Brothers...
.
Interviews with Ochs and her brother Michael were featured in the 2010 documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune
Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune
Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune is a documentary film on the life and times of folk singer-songwriter Phil Ochs. The film, released theatrically in January 2011, was written and directed by Kenneth Bowser...
. The film, which focuses on both Phil's life and the turbulent times in which he lived, also features interviews with his friends and associates, as well as extensive archival news footage from the 1960s.
External links
- Phil Ochs Song Nights from the Kennedy CenterJohn F. Kennedy Center for the Performing ArtsThe John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C...
(Video) - Sonny Ochs interviewed about 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...
, Culture Shocks with Barry LynnBarry W. LynnBarry W. Lynn, Esq. has been the Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State since 1992. He is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, and a prominent leader of the American religious left...
, March 23, 2011.