Not sure I should even get into this discussion as so much has already been said. But I'l l put in my 2 cents worth because Dylan had a profound influence on me ( and so many millions ) - His songs inspired me; not just to love music in a deeoer way than I had before, but to have a greater appreciation of art, poetry, and all endeavors id the creative soul.

I ' m replying to the original question posed here, why has Ochs been
neglected in the annals of fame, compared to Dylan. Well I have two
observations on this. You could ask why ANY of the folk-singer- songwriters
of the period Dylan emerged from were neglected - along with Ochs,
there were excellent songwriters like Tom Paxton, Eric Anderson,
Gordon Bok, Ian and Sylvia, Jean Ritchie, Jerry Jeff Walker, etc etc please feel
free to recall some names of your own. Some wrote topical songs
and some wrote poetic narratives- and all were gifted and many of
us sing their music today. And should we even compare one against the
other? There was a whole mix of musicians from that 60s folk scene that
are not as lauded or well known as not only Dylan, but Donovan, Baez and Collins,
etc. If we!re sitting in a song circle, do we have any less appreciation of sharing music,
whether we sing Forever Young or Goodnight Loving Trail or
Roseville Fair? I'd hope not.

But the bottom line is, for music lovers like me ( and I embrace so many types of music whether it be Lightfoot or Beethoven, Streisand or Miles, Seeger or Satie) - Dylan is the
best. He is like Picasso, going through so many phases and styles of songwriting, following everyone and yet sounding like no one else - and influencing everyone as he has passionately pursued his muse over 50 plus years, and counting. He reached millions, from the start to now. In fact someone in this site turned me onto a more 'recent' song of his - Dark Eyes- as penetrating and mystical and soulful as anything he 's written since he first described a lover as being "true, like ice like fire."

Dylan is a genius, as true to his muse as anyone can be, and he as never stopped
creating and evolving and giving us the songs from his heart. Whether he is angry
at the Masters of War or at a two faced backstabbing phony who has the 'nerve to call yourself a friend' , whether he is tender and passionate in all the complexities of love,   to a Sad eyed Lady or Sara to make a lady 'feel his love' or whether he's doting on his son and everyone's child, and in fact, on everyone- in Forever Young- he has the gift to
touch generations of us all. And I do believe that like Beethoven and
Berlin - his music will outlast his contemporaries - and live in and on.