Moondog was the nom de plume of Louis T. Hardin (May 26, 1916 – September 8, 1999).
He was a New York City street musician and former beat poet who was blinded as a young adult. From the late 1940s until 1974, he was a permanent fixture, busking on 54th Street and 6th Avenue in Manhattan. He was known not only for his music and poetry, but also for the distinctive Viking garb that he wore, including a horned helmet. He routinely gave away copies of his work to anybody who would take them. In this way, he came to the attention of producer James William Guercio, who took him into the studio to record an album, released as Moondog (1969) on the CBS label. The track Stamping Ground, with its odd preamble of Moondog saying one of his epigrams, was featured on the sampler double album Fill Your Head with Rock. A brief phrase of another track on the album, Bird's Lament (In memory of Charlie Parker) was sampled by Mr. Scruff as the basis for his 7-minute track Get a Move On, which in turn was used in commercials for the luxury model Lincoln Navigator SUV.
A second album produced with Guercio, and featuring both him and Moondog's daughter as vocalists, contained song compositions in the forms of canons and rounds. It did not make an impression on popular music as the first had. The two CBS albums were re-released as a single CD in 1989.
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Moondog's Corner - Official Website. Contains a biography, discography, list of compositions, articles, poetry, pictures, and related links. [English and German]
Meta Description: [ The Life And Music of Louis 'Moondog' Hardin ]
All Music Guide: Moondog - Contains a biography, discography and related links.
Kneeling.co.uk: Moondog - Contains a biography, discography, and a transcript of a radio broadcast.
Meta Description: [ Music, discographies and information about great
artists. ]
LeisureSuit.net: Louis T. Hardin a.k.a Moondog, 1916-1999 - Obituary by Jordan Hoffman.
Meta Description: [ Senior Editor Jordan Hoffman remembers popular music's most curious footnote. ]
London Musicians Collective: Moondog (1916 - 1999) - A portrait by Kenneth Ansell of Resonance Magazine from 1995.
Moondog (Louis Hardin) - A list of links from Psyche van het Folk on Radio Centraal in Antwerp.
Meta Description: [ Radio program 'Psyche van het Folk' from Radio Centraal in Antwerp, presents Moondog's links pages, covers ]
Moondog Blues The Doghouse - Biography of singer/songwriter Mike Dann (aka moondog blues).
Perfect Sound Forever: Moondog - An interview by Jason Gross about his music, inspirations, and roots.
Meta Description: [ Moondog interview- Perfect Sound Forever ]
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