On Saturday April 10 at 8:00pm, the Hurdy Gurdy Folk Music Club Concert Series at the Fair Lawn Community Center will present a "Phil Ochs Song Night", an evening commemorating the life and music of the legendary 1960's protest singer, hosted by his sister Sonny Ochs. Performers will include Magpie, Kim & Reggie Harris, Greg Greenway, John Flynn and Jen Cass

Phil Ochs came to public attention during the folk revival of the 1960's. He wrote over 100 songs and released eight albums in his lifetime with songs about Vietnam, civil rights, the Kennedys other topics inspired by the headlines of the day. He sold out concerts at Carnegie Hall and venues across the country, and often was found singing for political causes, civil rights marches, anti-war rallies, and labor events. In the early 1970's he began to suffer from manic depression and he took his own life in 1976.

To keep his music alive, and to recognize contemporary musicians who perform their own songs with the same spirit that motivated Phil Ochs, his sister Sonny began organizing "Phil Ochs Song Nights" in 1983. Originally an annual event that was held in Greenwich Village nightclubs Folk City, Speakeasy and the Bottom Line, Sonny has began taking the event to other cities and venues across the nation including the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

Each "Phil Ochs Song Night" features a number of nationally known folk musicians and singer-songwriters, and the evening at the Hurdy Gurdy will also offer a diverse lineup.

Magpie consists of Greg Artzner and Terry Leonino, a husband-and-wife duo who met while attending Kent State University in 1973. Their repertoire of largely topical songs encompasses traditional and contemporary folk, jazz, blues, country and ragtime styles, and includes many original compositions.

Kim and Reggie Harris have performed original contemporary folk music and traditional African-American Spiritual and Freedom Songs for almost 30 years. They are unique in their ability to entertain audiences of any age and background as they blend their talents as singers, songwriters, educators, interpreters of history and cultural advocates.

Greg Greenway has been described as "one of the strongest, and finest voices in folk music" by The Boston Globe. He draws inspiration from a variety of styles -gospel, rock, blues, Jazz, and world music. But his center is in the singer/songwriter tradition that traces its roots back to the social awareness of Woody Guthrie.

John Flynn's artistic journey has taken him from Temple University, where he earned a degree in Political Science, to Nashville's Music Row as a songwriter, to award-winning children's recording artist and performer, to social justice activist. John was invited by Arlo Guthrie to join his Train to New Orleans tour post-Hurricane Katrina, and Kris Kristofferson has not only sung on two of John's CDs, but has given John previously unrecorded material to use.

A native of the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, Jenn Cass was raised on a healthy mix of folk music and Motown. Jen has always remained true to her folk roots, writing beautifully crafted songs such as "Main Attraction", a winner in the Folk Category of both the 2003 John Lennon Songwriting Contest and the USA Songwriting Competition.

The Fair Lawn Community Center is located at 10-10 20th Street in Fair Lawn, NJ. Tickets for this concert are only $20 ($17 for Hurdy Gurdy members) and can be purchased online at www.hurdygurdyfolk.org or at the box office at the Fair Lawn Community Center on the night of the concert.

Additional information can be received at the website or by calling the Hurdy Gurdy Hotline at (201) 384-1325.