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Moondog

Louis Thomas Hardin (May 26, 1916 – September 8, 1999), known professionally as Moondog, was an American composer, musician, performer, music theoretician, poet and inventor of musical instruments. Largely self-taught as a composer, his prolific work widely drew inspiration from jazz, classical, Native American music which he had become familiar with as a child, and Latin American music.His strongly rhythmic, contrapuntal pieces and arrangements later influenced composers of minimal music, in particular American composers Steve Reich and Philip Glass.

Due to an accident, Moondog was blind from the age of 16. He lived in New York City from the late 1940s until 1972, during which time he was often found on Sixth Avenue, between 52nd and 55th Streets, selling records, composing, and performing poetry. He briefly appeared in a cloak and horned helmet during the 1960s and was hence recognized as "the Viking of Sixth Avenue" by passersby and residents who were not aware of his musical career.

Moondog: The Viking Of Sixth Avenue

Read "The Viking Of Sixth Avenue" reviewed by Chris May

by Chris May
October 18, 2005

While many modern music fans have heard of Moondog--his counterculture reputation and musical achievements have been celebrated by hipster and conservatoire musicians alike for over fifty years--relatively few have actually heard his music. Acquainted with and endorsed by Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Igor Stravinsky, and Artur Rodzinski in New York in the late '40s and '50s, and by Janis Joplin, Frank Zappa, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass in the '60s and '70s, his most recent high-profile champion has been Elvis ...

Recording

Multi-Instrumentalist Julian Calv Releases A Cover Of The Moondog Song 'Encore' (Originally Titled 'Utsu') Through Deko Entertainment

Source: Glass Onyon PR - Keith James
November 19, 2023

Percussionist Julian Calv was a music major who recently graduated from Moravian University in Bethlehem, PA. He now resides in the art community of Windsor, VT. Calv can occasionally be seen on Church Street in Burlington, VT, busking much in the way Moondog, aka the Viking of Sixth Avenue, did in NYC during the '50s and '60s. Calv has studied every aspect of the avant-garde musician’s creative life. In addition to composing and performing, Moondog’s life included the invention of ...
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Music Industry

Multi-instrumentalist Julian Calv Releases Limited Edition 7” Vinyl Single Through Deko Entertainment Carrying On The Legacy Of Moondog (aka The Viking Of Sixth Avenue)

Source: Glass Onyon PR - Keith James
May 27, 2023

Julian Calv was a music major recently graduated from Moravian University in Bethlehem, PA. He now resides in the art community of Woodstock, VT. Calv can occasionally be seen on Church Street in Burlington, VT, busking much in the way Moondog, aka the Viking of Sixth Avenue, had done in NYC during the '50s and '60s. Calv has studied every aspect of the avant-garde musician’s creative life. In addition to composing and performing, Moondog’s life included the invention of several ...
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Performance / Tour

Barbican Celebrates Moondog

Source: All About Jazz
April 30, 2009

September 8th 2009 will mark the tenth anniversary of the death of Moondog, the blind American musician who for years was a familiar figure on the streets of New York. Moondog was the pseudonym of Louis Hardin, born 1916. From the late 1940s until the 1970s he performed on the streets of New York. Famously, he wore a Viking costume which made him one of the most photographed and familiar urban figures of the period. During his time on the ...
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