American Composer and Musician. He was called a visionary by his peers. Born Louis Thomas Hardin in Marysville, Kansas, he was blinded by a blasting cap at age 16, an event which dramatically changed the course of his life. While studying at the Iowa school of the blind he became interested in music and eventually decided to devote his life to it. He traveled for some years, hitch-hiking across the country several times, before settling in New York City in 1943. For the next 30 years he lived there as a street person, and became known as "the Viking of 6th Avenue". He legally changed his name to "Moondog" in 1947, and used that name exclusively for the rest of his life. He was involved with many famous people of the day, among them Artur Rodinski, Arturo Toscanini, Leonard Bernstein, Marlon Brando, Charlie Parker, and Bob Dylan. During this "New York period" he had a number of performances and recordings of his work: he recorded with Julie Andrews; appeared on stage with such personalities as Alan Ginsberg, Lenny Bruce, and Tiny Tim; and he recorded solo and chamber music albums for Columbia. Despite this exposure, he didn't reach the point of self-supporting musical success until his move to Germany in 1974, where he lived most of the rest of his life. In Germany he wrote a tremendous volume of music and made numerous recordings; a great deal of his music still needs to be transcribed from the Braille. His career was thriving in 1999, when he died of complications from diabetes. Musicians around the world (Paul Jordan; Stefan Lakatos; Xenia Narati; et al) continue to perform and promote his music, and an authorized biography (by Peter Scotto) was released in 2007.
American Composer and Musician. He was called a visionary by his peers. Born Louis Thomas Hardin in Marysville, Kansas, he was blinded by a blasting cap at age 16, an event which dramatically changed the course of his life. While studying at the Iowa school of the blind he became interested in music and eventually decided to devote his life to it. He traveled for some years, hitch-hiking across the country several times, before settling in New York City in 1943. For the next 30 years he lived there as a street person, and became known as "the Viking of 6th Avenue". He legally changed his name to "Moondog" in 1947, and used that name exclusively for the rest of his life. He was involved with many famous people of the day, among them Artur Rodinski, Arturo Toscanini, Leonard Bernstein, Marlon Brando, Charlie Parker, and Bob Dylan. During this "New York period" he had a number of performances and recordings of his work: he recorded with Julie Andrews; appeared on stage with such personalities as Alan Ginsberg, Lenny Bruce, and Tiny Tim; and he recorded solo and chamber music albums for Columbia. Despite this exposure, he didn't reach the point of self-supporting musical success until his move to Germany in 1974, where he lived most of the rest of his life. In Germany he wrote a tremendous volume of music and made numerous recordings; a great deal of his music still needs to be transcribed from the Braille. His career was thriving in 1999, when he died of complications from diabetes. Musicians around the world (Paul Jordan; Stefan Lakatos; Xenia Narati; et al) continue to perform and promote his music, and an authorized biography (by Peter Scotto) was released in 2007.
Bio by: Dr H
Family Members
Parents
Siblings
Advertisement
