Folk Singer for the FBI

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.