Description:

Phil Ochs was one of the greatest folk singers of the 1960s. Ochs was first investigated by the FBI early on in his career, after writing a favorable article on Woody Guthrie in Mainstream magazine in 1963, which also brought another name to the attention of the FBI: Bob Dylan. The FBI attended political rallies where Ochs played, and he began noticing the attention, telling an audience in 1966: "I'm a folk singer for the FBI." The FBI’s investigation intensified after the DNC riots in Chicago in August 1968. The FBI attempted to build a case against Ochs and other members of the Youth International Party (Yippies), but the indictment against Ochs never materialized due to a lack of evidence. Ochs instead later testified at the Chicago Seven trial for the defense. Despite the hundreds of pages in his FBI file, Ochs never committed a federal crime. He continued to be under investigation until his death by suicide in 1976. This volume contains commentary and the complete FBI file.