Peter LaFarge
Dead by the age of 34 in 1965, Lafarge's short life was extraordinary in a number of ways. The adopted, Native American son of writer Oliver LaFarge, Peter was a rodeo rider, a decorated Korean War veteran and a political activist before his music career started. He was part of the Greenwich Village folk scene in the late '50s, hanging out with the likes of Pete Seeger and Phil Ochs and acting as something of a mentor to a very young Bob Dylan. He sang in a low, almost grave voice and accompanied himself with spare acoustic guitar. His songs were, in many cases, uncompromisingly political. Johnny Cash covered his best known song "The Ballad of Ira Hayes," taking it to No. 3 in the country charts. The song was a bitter look at the life of a Native American who was one of the soldiers who planted the American flag on Iwo Jima in WWII. LaFarge died of an apparent stroke before he was able to take his success to the next level.
Tom Heyman
Particulars About Peter LaFarge
Artist
Peter LaFarge
First Name:
Peter
Last Name:
LaFarge
Country
US
State
NY
City
New York
