Sonny Ochs and the NERFA Lifetime Achievement Award (photo by Wanda Fischer)

Sonny Ochs, host of Folk Music & Other Stuff (heard the 4th Sunday of the month at 6pm ET / 3pm PT on www.FolkMusicNotebook.com) was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the recent Northeast Regional Folk Alliance conference (NERFA) in Asbury Park, New Jersey. I had the honor of announcing the award as part of an evening of performances and keynote speeches that took place on Friday November 12, 2022 at the famous Stony Pony in Asbury Park.  Sonny was unable to attend the conference this year, but the award was delivered to her by Wanda Fischer, host of Hudson River Sampler on WAMC in Albany, New York.

Phil and Sonny Ochs

Sonny, the sister of the late folk music icon Phil Ochs, is a former schoolteacher, began hosting radio shows in the 1980s and continues to this day. She also emceed open mic nights and ran sound at Folk City in New York City from 1984 to 1986. In 1982 she produced the first Phil Ochs Song Night at Speakeasy, a legendary stage in Greenwich Village. Sonny created the series to honor her late brother’s music and to encourage other artists to follow Phil’s commitment to social justice. The shows grew each year, first moving to the Bottom Line and then traveling to other venues across the country.

In addition to the Song Nights, Sonny has produced various concert series including an ongoing series in Middleburgh, New York. Sonny has worked in a variety of roles including stage manager, judge, volunteer and emcee at a variety of festivals across the U.S. and Canada.

Sonny also created the series Wisdom of the Elders at NERFA in 2010. A panel discussion featuring three respected “elders” from the folk community, each event shared stories from some of the lives of some of the most respected artists from the folk revival as well as unsung heroes who helped create and perpetuate folk music during their lives. The series was adopted by other regional folk conferences as well as the International Folk Alliance, and it is now preserved as a monthly podcast series with new episodes being created by Sonny and myself.

A beloved fixture in our folk community, Sonny has opened her home to hundreds of artists over the decades, giving not only a place to sleep but also to offer guidance and encouragement to a generation of folk musicians. Her tireless devotion to the folk community is recognized through this award and judging by the response when the award was announced at NERFA, it is an award given with the love of a multitude of thankful friends.

It was a true honor for me to be able to present the award my dear friend.  She has been an inspiration, a mentor and a beloved friend.