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 Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

, classical,

Native American music Indigenous music of North America, which includes American Indian music or Native American music, is the music that is used, created or performed by Indigenous peoples of North America, including Native Americans in the United States and Abori ...

which he had become familiar with as a child,Scotto, R. M., Hardin, L., Reich, S., Glass, P., Gibson, J., Jordan, P., & Lakatos, S. (2007). ''Moondog, the Viking of 6th Avenue: The authorized biography''. Los Angeles, Calif: Process. p. 45. . and

Latin American music The music of Latin America refers to music originating from Latin America, namely the Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese-speaking regions of the Americas south of the United States. Latin American music highly incorpor ...

. His strongly rhythmic,

contrapuntal In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous Part (music), musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and Pitch contour, melodic contour. The term ...

pieces and arrangements later influenced composers of

minimal music Minimal music (also called minimalism)"Minimalism in music has been defined as an aesthetic, a style, and a technique, each of which has been a suitable description of the term at certain points in the development of minimal music. However, two ...

, in particular American composers

Steve Reich Stephen Michael Reich ( ; born October 3, 1936) is an American composer best known as a pioneer of minimal music in the mid to late 1960s. Reich's work is marked by its use of repetitive figures, slow harmonic rhythm, and canons. Reich descr ...

and

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...

. 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 Sixth Avenue, also known as Avenue of the Americas, is a major thoroughfare in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The avenue is commercial for much of its length, and traffic runs northbound, or uptown. Sixth Avenue begins four blocks b ...

, between 52nd and 55th Streets, selling records, composing, and performing poetry. He briefly appeared in a cloak and

horned helmet Horned helmets were worn by many people around the world. Headpieces mounted with animal horns or replicas were also worn since ancient history, as in the Mesolithic Star Carr Frontlets. These were probably used for religious ceremonial or ritu ...

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.

Biography and career

Early life

Hardin was born in

Marysville, Kansas Marysville is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 3,447. History Marysville was laid out in 1855 by Francis J. Marshall, and designated in that sa ...

, to Louis Thomas Hardin, an

Episcopalian Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protes ...

minister, and Norma Alves. Hardin started playing a set of drums that he made from a cardboard box at the age of five. His family relocated to

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

, where his father opened a

trading post A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory in European and colonial contexts, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded. Typically a trading post allows people from one geogr ...

Fort Bridger Fort Bridger was originally a 19th-century fur trading outpost established in 1842, on Blacks Fork of the Green River, in what is now Uinta County, Wyoming, United States and was then part of Mexico. It became a vital resupply point for wagon ...

. At one point, his father took him to an

Arapaho The Arapaho ( ; , ) are a Native American people historically living on the plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Lakota and Dakota. By the 1850s, Arapaho bands formed t ...

Sun Dance The Sun Dance is a ceremony practiced by some Native Americans in the United States and Indigenous peoples in Canada, primarily those of the Plains Indians, Plains cultures, as well as a new movement within Native American religions. Members of ...

where he sat on the lap of Chief Yellow Calf and played a

tom-tom A tom drum (also known as a tom-tom) is a cylindrical drum with no snares, named from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala language. It was added to the drum kit in the early part of the 20th century. Most toms range in size between in diameter, thoug ...

made from buffalo skin. He also played drums for the high school band in

Hurley, Missouri Hurley (formerly, Spring Creek Mill) is a city in Stone County, Missouri, United States. The population was 176 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Branson, Missouri Micropolitan Statistical Area. History A post office called Hurley has be ...

. On July 4, 1932, the 16-year-old Hardin found an object in a field which he did not realise was a dynamite cap. While he was handling it, the explosive detonated in his face and permanently blinded him. His older sister, Ruth, would read to him daily after the accident for many years. Here he had his first encounters with philosophy, science and myth that formed his character. One book in particular, ''The First Violin'' by

Jessie Fothergill Jessie Fothergill (June 1851 – 28 July 1891) was an English novelist. Her novel ''The First Violin'' sold particularly well. Publishers initially rejected it because of themes of female adultery which they felt would reduce sales; the opposite ...

, inspired him to pursue music. Up to that point he had been interested mainly in

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

instruments, but from then on, he became obsessed with the desire to become a

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

. After learning the principles of music in several schools for blind young men across middle America, he taught himself the skills of

ear training In music, ear training is the study and practice in which musicians learn various aural skills to detect and identify pitch (music), pitches, interval (music), intervals, melody (music), melody, chord (music), chords, rhythms, solfeges, and other ...

and composition. He studied with Burnet Tuthill at the Iowa School for the Blind. He then moved to

Batesville, Arkansas Batesville is the largest city in and the county seat of Independence County, Arkansas, United States, 80 miles (128 km) northeast of Little Rock, the state capital. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city was 10,268. The c ...

, where he lived until 1942, when he obtained a scholarship to study in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

. Although he was largely self-taught in music, learning predominantly by ear, he learned some music theory from books in

braille Braille ( , ) is a Tactile alphabet, tactile writing system used by blindness, blind or visually impaired people. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille displays that connect to computers and smartphone device ...

during his time in Memphis. In 1943, Hardin moved to New York, where he met

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

ians including

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...

and

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orche ...

, as well as jazz performers such as

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz Saxophone, saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of beb ...

and

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially. From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...

, whose upbeat tempos and often humorous compositions would influence Hardin's later work. One of his early street posts was near the 52nd Street nightclub strip, and he was known to jazz musicians. By 1947, Hardin had adopted the name "Moondog" in honor of a dog "who used to howl at the moon more than any dog I knew of."

New York City

From the late 1940s until 1972, Moondog lived as a composer and poet in New York City, occasionally playing in midtown Manhattan, eventually settling on the corner of 53rd or 54th Street and Sixth Avenue in Manhattan. He was rarely if ever homeless, and maintained an apartment in upper Manhattan and had a country retreat in

Candor, New York Candor is a town in Tioga County, New York, United States. The population was 5,172 at the 2020 census. The Town of Candor has a village named Candor. The town is south of Ithaca. History Settlement of the town began around 1794 on land p ...

, to which he moved full-time in 1972.Scotto, Robert. ''Moondog, The Viking of 6th Avenue: The Authorized Biography''. Process Music edition (22 November 2007) He partially supported himself by selling copies of his poetry, sheet music, records, and his musical philosophy. In addition to his music and poetry, he was also known for a distinctive "

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

" garb that he briefly wore during the 1960s. Already bearded and long-haired, he added a Viking-style horned helmet to avoid the occasional comparisons of his appearance with that of Christ or a monk, as he had rejected Christianity in his late teens. He developed a lifelong interest in

Nordic mythology Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology, is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia as the Nordic folklore of the modern period. The ...

, and maintained an altar to

Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...

in his country home in Candor. In 1949, he traveled to a

Blackfoot The Blackfoot Confederacy, ''Niitsitapi'', or ''Siksikaitsitapi'' (ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ, meaning "the people" or " Blackfoot-speaking real people"), is a historic collective name for linguistically related groups that make up the Blackfoot or Bl ...

Sun Dance in Idaho where he performed on percussion and flute, returning to the Native American music he had first come in contact with as a child. It was this Native music, along with contemporary jazz and classical, mixed with the

ambient Ambient or ambiance or ambience may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Ambiancé'', an unreleased experimental film * ''Ambient'' (novel), a novel by Jack Womack Music and sound * Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgr ...

sounds from his environment (city

traffic Traffic is the movement of vehicles and pedestrians along land routes. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic laws and informal rules that may have developed over time to facilitate the orderly an ...

ocean waves In fluid dynamics, a wind wave, or wind-generated water wave, is a surface wave that occurs on the free surface of Body of water, bodies of water as a result of the wind blowing over the water's surface. The contact distance in the wind directi ...

, babies crying, etc.) that created the foundation of Moondog's music. In 1954, he won a case in the

New York State Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...

against disc jockey

Alan Freed Albert James "Alan" Freed (December 15, 1921 – January 20, 1965) was an American disc jockey. He also produced and promoted large traveling concerts with various acts, helping to spread the importance of rock and roll music throughout Nor ...

, who had branded his radio show, "The Moondog

Rock and Roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

Matinee", around the name "Moondog", using "Moondog's Symphony" (the first record that Moondog ever cut) as his "calling card". Moondog believed he would not have won the case had it not been for the help of musicians such as

and

, who testified that he was a serious composer. Freed had to apologize and stop using the nickname "Moondog" on air, on the basis that Hardin was known by the name long before Freed began using it.

Germany

Along with his passion for Nordic culture, Moondog had an idealised view of Germany ("The Holy Land with the Holy River" — the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

), where he settled in 1974. Moondog revisited the United States briefly in 1989, for a tribute at the

New Music America Festival New Music America was a nomadic American festival (held in Montreal during its last year) showcasing at its origins New York City's Downtown Music, but growing into one of the largest new music festivals ever held in North America, all in an attem ...

in Brooklyn, in which festival director Yale Evelev asked him to conduct the Brooklyn Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, stimulating a renewed interest in his music. Eventually, a young German student named Ilona Goebel (later known as Ilona Sommer) helped Moondog set up the primary holding company for his artistic endeavors and hosted him, first in

Oer-Erkenschwick Oer-Erkenschwick is a town in the district of Recklinghausen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated approximately 5 km north-east of Recklinghausen, on the northern periphery of the ''Ruhrgebiet''. When pronouncing the name, “O ...

, and later on in

Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...

Westphalia Westphalia (; ; ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the region is almost identical with the h ...

. Moondog lived with Sommer's family and they spent time together in Münster. During that period, Moondog created hundreds of compositions which were transferred from Braille to sheet music by Sommer. Moondog spent the remainder of his life in Germany. On 8 September 1999, he died in Münster from

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...

. He is buried at the Central Cemetery Münster. His tomb was designed by the artist Ernst Fuchs after the

death mask A death mask is a likeness (typically in wax or plaster cast) of a person's face after their death, usually made by taking a cast or impression from the corpse. Death masks may be mementos of the dead or be used for creation of portraits. The m ...

. He recorded many albums and toured both in the U.S. and in Europe—France, Germany and Sweden.

Music

In the process of establishing himself as a composer, Moondog drew inspiration from a wide variety of styles of music. His first works were immediately inspired by the music of

pow wow A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow) is a gathering with dances held by many Native American and First Nations communities. Inaugurated in 1923, powwows today are an opportunity for Indigenous people to socialize, dance, sing, and honor their ...

gatherings that he had attended as a child; as his career progressed, his music encompassed influences from

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early to mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo (usually exceeding 200 bpm), complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerou ...

, swing,

rumba The term rumba may refer to a variety of unrelated music styles. Originally, "rumba" was used as a synonym for "party" in northern Cuba, and by the late 19th century it was used to denote the complex of secular music styles known as Cuban rumba ...

modernism Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

and

Renaissance music Renaissance music is traditionally understood to cover European music of the 15th and 16th centuries, later than the Renaissance era as it is understood in other disciplines. Rather than starting from the early 14th-century ''ars nova'', the mus ...

. It was characterized by what he called "snaketime" and described as "a slithery rhythm, in times that are not ordinary ..I'm not gonna die in 4/4 time". During the 1950s, he began to incorporate city sounds such as cars, subway trains, human speech, and

foghorn A foghorn or fog signal is a device that uses sound to warn vehicles of navigational hazards such as rocky coastlines, or boats of the presence of other vessels, in foggy conditions. The term is most often used in relation to marine transport. ...

s into his work.

Inventions

Moondog invented several musical instruments, some of which were played on studio albums or in live performances by him and his subsequent ensembles. They include the "oo", a small triangular-shaped harp, a larger harp which he named the "ooo-ya-tsu", a triangular stringed instrument played with a bow that he called the "hüs" (after the Norwegian , meaning ), the "dragon's teeth", the "tuji, the "uni", the "utsu", the "hexagonal drums", and the "troubador harp". His best known instrument is the trimba, a triangular percussion instrument that the composer invented in the late 1940s. The original trimba was played by Moondog's friend and only student Stefan Lakatos, a Swedish percussionist, to whom Moondog also explained the methods for building such an instrument. Prior to Stefan's passing on February 10 of 2023 he shared his teachings from Moondog with American composer Julian Calv.

Legacy

Moondog's music from the 1940s and '50s has been cited by American composers

and

as a major influence on their styles, saying they took Moondog's work "very seriously and understood and appreciated it much more than what we were exposed to at

Juilliard The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became the Juilliard School, named aft ...

". Moondog was also admired by

(whom he mutually admired and paid tribute to with the piece "Bird's Lament"),

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...

and

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...

, and met on several occasions with

Lenny Bruce Leonard Alfred Schneider (October 13, 1925 – August 3, 1966), better known by his stage name Lenny Bruce, was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, and satirist. He was renowned for his open, free-wheeling, and critical style of come ...

William S. Burroughs William Seward Burroughs II (; February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist. He is widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major Postmodern literature, postmodern author who influen ...

and

Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with Lucien Carr, William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of th ...

. Moondog inspired other musicians with several songs dedicated to him. These include "Moondog" on

Pentangle Pentangle may refer to: *Pentagon, a five-sided polygon *Pentagram, a five-pointed star drawn with five straight strokes *Pentangle (band), a British folk rock band ** ''The Pentangle'' (album), a 1968 album by Pentangle *Miss Pentangle, a character ...

's 1968 album ''

Sweet Child ''Sweet Child'' is a 1968 double album by the British folk-rock band Pentangle: Terry Cox, Bert Jansch, Jacqui McShee, John Renbourn and Danny Thompson. Background One disk of the double album was recorded at Pentangle's live concert in the Roy ...

'' and "Spear for Moondog" (parts I and II) by jazz organist

Jimmy McGriff James Harrell McGriff (April 3, 1936 – May 24, 2008) was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist and organ trio bandleader. Biography Early years and influences Born in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, McGriff started playing pia ...

on his 1968 ''Electric Funk'' album. Glam rock musician

Marc Bolan Marc Bolan ( ; born Mark Feld; 30 September 1947 – 16 September 1977) was an English guitarist, singer-songwriter and poet. He was a pioneer of the glam rock movement in the early 1970s with his band T. Rex (band), T. Rex. Bolan strongly i ...

and T. Rex referenced him in the song "Rabbit Fighter" with the line "Moondog's just a prophet to the end...". The English pop group

Prefab Sprout Prefab Sprout are an English pop/rock band from Witton Gilbert, County Durham who rose to fame during the 1980s. Formed in 1978 by brothers Paddy and Martin McAloon and joined by vocalist, guitarist and keyboard player Wendy Smith in 1982, t ...

included the song "Moondog" on their album '' Jordan: The Comeback'' released in 1990.

Big Brother and the Holding Company Big Brother and the Holding Company are an American rock band that was formed in San Francisco in 1965 as part of the same psychedelic music scene that produced the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and Jefferson Airplane. After ...

featuring

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and songwriter. One of the most iconic and successful Rock music, rock performers of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and her "electric" ...

covered his song "All Is Loneliness" on their 1967 self-titled album. The song was also covered by

Antony and the Johnsons Anohni and the Johnsons (previously known as Antony and the Johnsons) is a music ensemble originally based in New York City that presents the work of English singer-songwriter Anohni and her collaborators. The band released its self-titled de ...

during their 2005 tour.

Mr. Scruff Andrew Carthy (born 10 February 1972), known professionally as Mr. Scruff, is an English record producer and DJ. He lives in Stretford, Greater Manchester and studied fine art at the Psalter Lane campus of Sheffield Hallam University. Before ...

's single "Get a Move On" from his album '' Keep It Unreal'' is structured around samples from "Bird's Lament". New York band

The Insect Trust The Insect Trust was an American jazz-based rock band that formed in New York, United States, in 1967. Background The members of the band were Nancy Jeffries on vocals, Bill Barth (1942-2000) on guitar, Luke Faust (b. 1936), formerly of the Ho ...

played a cover of Moondog's song "Be a Hobo" on their album ''Hoboken Saturday Night''. The track "Stamping Ground", with its preamble of Moondog reciting one of his

epigram An epigram is a brief, interesting, memorable, sometimes surprising or satirical statement. The word derives from the Greek (, "inscription", from [], "to write on, to inscribe"). This literary device has been practiced for over two millennia ...

s, was featured on the sampler double album ''Fill Your Head with Rock'' (CBS, 1970). Canadian composer and producer

Daniel Lanois Daniel Roland Lanois ( , ; born September 19, 1951) is a Canadian record producer and musician. He has produced albums by artists including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Robbie Robertson, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, and Harold Budd ...

included a track called "Moondog" on his album/video-documentary ''Here Is What Is''. Between 1970 and 1980, a blind bearded mystic called "Moondog" appeared as the title character in a four issue series of

Underground comix Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books that are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, ...

written and illustrated by

George Metzger George Metzger (born 1939) is an American cartoonist and animator. He was an underground comics artist during the mid-1960s and early 1970s in California, eventually relocating to Canada, where he worked in animation. Biography Born in rural Illi ...

. Since the early 1970s, a number of

professional wrestlers Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

have been named

The Moondogs The Moondogs are a Northern Irish rock band formed in 1979, and consisting of Gerry McCandless, Austin Barrett and Jackie Hamilton. Their career spans three albums, four singles and two television programmes. Discography Singles *"She's Nine ...

, taking inspiration from the artist.

Personal life

Moondog was married briefly to Virginia Sledge in 1943, but the marriage was dissolved in 1947. In 1952, he married Mary Suzuko Whiteing, a single mother of mixed American-Japanese heritage. She had grown up in Japan then came to New York with her mother that year. Suzuko and Hardin met on the streets of New York. According to his daughter, June, Mary was struck by his appearance and moved by his music; Moondog was stirred by the sound of her voice. The June 4, 1952 issue of the ''New York Journal-American'' features a photograph of Moondog playing a flute on a rooftop while Mary looks on endearingly: the caption indicates it is a "skyline serenade" to a "June bride". The marriage lasted eight years. They had one daughter, June Hardin, born June 1, 1953. On the Prestige (1956) ''Moondog'' LP, Moondog's wife, Suzuko is credited in "Lullaby", singing to June, their six-week-old daughter. Hardin later fathered another daughter, Lisa Colins, out of wedlock.

Discography

Singles

*"Snaketime Rhythms (5 Beat) / Snaketime Rhythms (7 Beat)" (1949), SMC *"Moondog's Symphony" (1949–1950), SMC *"Organ Rounds" (1949–1950), SMC *"Oboe Rounds" (1949–1950), SMC *"Surf Session" (), SMC *"Caribea Sextet"/"Oo Debut" (1956), Moondog Records *"Stamping Ground Theme" (from the

Kralingen Music Festival The Holland Pop Festival, also known as the Kralingen Music Festival, was a pop and rock music festival held in the ''Kralingse Bos'', in the Kralingen neighbourhood of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, from 26 to 28 June 1970. History Performing ba ...

) (1970), CBS

EPs

*1953 '' Improvisations at a Jazz Concert'', Brunswick *1953 '' Moondog on the Streets of New York'', Decca/Mars *1953 '' Pastoral Suite / Surf Session'', SMC *1955 '' Moondog & His Honking Geese Playing Moondog's Music'', Moondog Records

Albums

*1953 '' Moondog and His Friends'',

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

*1956 '' Snaketime Series'' (not the same as the 1954 LP), Moondog Records *1956 ''

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 ...

'',

Prestige Prestige may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Films *Prestige (film), ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnett: woman travels to French Indochina to meet up with husband *The Prestige (film), ''The Prestige'' (fi ...

*1956 '' More Moondog'', Prestige *1957 '' The Story of Moondog'', Prestige *1969 ''

'' (not the same as the 1956 LP), Columbia *1971 ''

Moondog 2 ''Moondog 2'' is the sixth album by American composer Moondog AKA Louis Thomas Hardin. This album was the followup to the 1969 album ''Moondog (1969 album), Moondog''. Produced with James William Guercio, it featured Moondog's daughter June Hard ...

'', Columbia (with insert: Round the World of Sound: Moondog Madrigals with scores) *1977 ''Moondog in Europe'', Kopf *1978 ''

H'art Songs ''H'art Songs'' is an album by the American composer and musician Moondog, released in 1978 via Kopf. Background and recording ''H'art Songs'' was the second album Moondog made in Germany, and in comparison to the first, ''Moondog in Europe'', i ...

'', Kopf *1978 ''Moondog: Instrumental Music by Louis Hardin'', Musical Heritage Society *1979 '' A New Sound of an Old Instrument'', Kopf *1981 ''Facets'', Managarm *1986 '' Bracelli'', Kakaphone *1992 '' Elpmas'', Kopf *1994 '' Sax Pax for a Sax'' with the London Saxophonic, Kopf/

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

*1995 ''Big Band'', Trimba *2005 ''Bracelli und Moondog'', Laska Records

With Julie Andrews and Martyn Green

*1957 '' Songs of Sense & Nonsense – Tell It Again'',

Angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

Capitol Capitol, capitols or The Capitol may refer to: Places and buildings Legislative building * United States Capitol, in Washington, D.C. * National Capitol of Colombia, in Bogotá * Palacio Federal Legislativo, in Caracas, Venezuela * National Ca ...

Compilations

*1991 ''More Moondog/The Story of Moondog'', Original Jazz Classics (reissue of Prestige albums listed above) *2001 ''Moondog/Moondog 2'', Beat Goes On (reissue of the two Columbia albums issued above) *2004 '' The Viking of Sixth Avenue'', Honest Jon's *2005 ''The German Years 1977–1999'', ROOF Music *2005 ''Un hommage à Moondog'' tribute album, trAce label *2006 ''Rare Material'', ROOF Music *2007 ''The Viking Of 6th Avenue''(disc inside biographical book), Process (). Reissue, Honest Jon, 2008 *2017 ''The Viking of Sixth Ave.'', Manimal

Various artist compilations

*1954 ''New York 19'' (recorded and edited by Tony Schwartz), Folkways *1954 ''Music in the Streets'' (recorded and edited by Tony Schwartz), Folkways *1958 ''Rosey 4 Blocks'' (arrangement by Andy Forsythe), Rosey *1970 ''Fill Your Head With Rock'', CBS *1998 ''

The Big Lebowski ''The Big Lebowski'' () is a 1998 crime comedy film written, directed, produced and co-edited by Joel and Ethan Coen. It follows the life of Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski (Jeff Bridges), a Los Angeles slacker and avid bowler. He is assaulted ...

'' motion picture soundtrack, Mercury *2000 ''Miniatures 2'', Cherry Red *2006 '' DJ-Kicks: Henrik Schwarz'', K7 Records *2006 ''The Trip: Curated By

Jarvis Cocker Jarvis Branson Cocker (born 19 September 1963) is an English musician. As the founder, frontman, lyricist and only consistent member of the band Pulp (band), Pulp, he became a reluctant figurehead of the Britpop genre of the mid-1990s. Cocker h ...

and Steve Mackey'', Disc 1 Track 19: "Pastoral" *2008 '' Pineapple Express'' Motion Picture Sound Track, Track 9 "Birds Lament," Moondog & The London Saxophonic.

Performed by other musicians

*1957 ''Moondog and Suncat Suite'' by British jazz musician

Kenny Graham Kenny Graham (born Kenneth Thomas Skingle; 19 July 1924 – 17 February 1997) was a British jazz saxophonist, arranger, composer and essayist, described as "one of Britain's foremost jazz composers and arrangers", and as "a genuine, often overloo ...

features one side of interpretations of the work of Moondog *1967 "All Is Loneliness" by

, featuring

, on their self-titled first album *1968 "Moon Dog" by

on ''

'' *1968 "Spear for Moondog (parts 1 and 2)" by jazz organist

on ''

Electric Funk ''Electric Funk'' is an album by the American jazz organist Jimmy McGriff of performances recorded in 1969 and released on the Blue Note Records, Blue Note label.

'' *1970 "Be a Hobo" by

on ''Hoboken Saturday Night'' *1978 ''Moondog : Instrumental music by Louis Hardin'' by Gavin Black, Guy Carmichael, Dave Kamien, Moondog, Pannonia Quartet, Fritz Storfinger, rereleased with additional tracks 2025 *1978 ''Canons on the Keys'' by Paul Jordan, unreleased *1983 ''Here's to John Wesley Hardin'' by R. Stevie Moore, unreleased *1985 "Theme and Variations" performed by John Fahey on the album '' Rain Forests, Oceans and Other Themes'' *1990 '' Love Child Plays Moondog'', EP, ''

Forced Exposure ''Forced Exposure'' was an independent music magazine founded by Jimmy Johnson and Katie The Kleening Lady (Goldman) (zine). It was published sporadically out of Boston from 1982 to 1993, edited by Jimmy Johnson and Byron Coley. It was printed o ...

'' *1990 "Moondog" by

on Jordan: The Comeback *1993 "All is Loneliness" by

Motorpsycho Motorpsycho may refer to: * Motorpsycho (band) Motorpsycho is a Norwegian rock band from Trondheim. Their music can generally be defined as progressive or psychedelic rock, but they also mix in elements from alternative, jazz, post-rock, po ...

on ''

Demon Box (album) ''Demon Box'' is the third full-length studio album by Norwegian rock-band Motorpsycho. Released on double vinyl and single CD formats (the original CD-edition omitting the tracks "Mountain", "Gutwrench" and "Mr. Who?") in February 1993, it saw t ...

'' and ''Roadwork Vol. 4: Intrepid Skronk'' *1995 ''Alphorn of Plenty'' by Hans Kennel, Hat Art *1997 "Synchrony Nr. 2" by

Kronos Quartet The Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet based in San Francisco. It has been in existence with a rotating membership of musicians for 50 years. The quartet covers a very broad range of musical genres, including contemporary classical musi ...

*1998 ''Trees Against the Sky'' compilation album, SHI-RA-Nui 360° *1998 "Paris" by

NRBQ NRBQ is an American rock band founded by Terry Adams (piano), Steve Ferguson (guitar) and Joey Spampinato (bass). Originally the "New Rhythm and Blues Quintet", the group was formed circa 1965. Adams disbanded it for a time, and the group re ...

, live, on ''You Gotta Be Loose'' and ''NRBQ: High Noon - A 50-Year Retrospective'' *1999 "Get a Move On" (structured around samples from "Bird's Lament (In Memory of Charlie Parker)") by

on '' Keep It Unreal'' *2004 ''Bracelli und Moondog'' CD Ensemble Bracelli, Germany w Stefan Lakatos. LASKA records *2005 "All Is Loneliness" by

, live *2005 ''Sidewalk Dances'' by

Joanna MacGregor Joanna Clare MacGregor (born 16 July 1959) is a British concert pianist, conductor, composer, and festival curator. She is Head of Piano at the Royal Academy of Music and a professor of the University of London. She was artistic director of t ...

Britten Sinfonia Britten Sinfonia is a chamber orchestra ensemble based in Cambridge, UK. It was created in 1992, following an initiative from Eastern Arts and a number of key figures including Nicholas Cleobury, who recognised the need for an orchestra in the ...

, Sound Circus SC010 *2006 ''Moondog Sharp Harp'' by Xenia Narati, Ars Musici *2007 "Paris" by

Jens Lekman Jens Martin Lekman (; born 6 February 1981) is a Swedish musician. His music is guitar-based pop with heavy use of samples and strings, with lyrics that are often witty, romantic, and melancholic. His work is heavily influenced by Jonathan Ri ...

, live *2009 "Rabbit Hop" by

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble Hypnotic Brass Ensemble is an eight-piece, Chicago-based brass ensemble consisting of eight sons of the jazz trumpeter Phil Cohran. Their musical style ranges from hip hop to jazz to funk and rock, including calypso and gypsy music. They call t ...

*2009 "New Amsterdam" by

Pink Martini Pink Martini is an American band founded in 1994 by pianist Thomas Lauderdale in Portland, Oregon. Group members call it a little orchestra that crosses several styles, such as Classical music, classical, Latin music, Latin, traditional pop, and ...

on ''

Splendor in the Grass ''Splendor in the Grass'' is a 1961 American period drama film produced and directed by Elia Kazan, from a screenplay written by William Inge. It stars Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty (in his film debut) as two high school sweethearts, navigati ...

'' *2010 ''The Orastorios - Moondog rounds'' by Stefan Lakatos/Andreas Heuser, Makro *2011 ''Making Moonshine - Moondog Songs by Moondog Fans'' by Various Artists, SL Records *2011 ''Chaconne 1'' & ''Viking 1'' by R. Stevie Moore, unreleased *2013 ''Seeds of Immortality'' Spirit of Moondog w Stefan Lakatos. Moondog music for saxophones. *2013 ''tRío lucas - homage to Moondog in the introduction of the song ''desintegración de la antimateria'' by tRío lucas'' *2013 ''Moondog Mask'' by Hobocombo *2014 ''Perpetual Motion (A Celebration of Moondog)'' by Sylvain Rifflet &

Jon Irabagon Jon Irabagon is a Filipino-American saxophonist, composer, and founder of Irabbagast Records. Winner of the 2008 Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition and one of '' Time Outs "25 essential New York City jazz icons", Irabagon is known for the breadth ...

*2015 ''Beyond Horizons'' Moondog Piano/Percussion by Mariam Tonoyan and Stefan Lakatos and friends. CD Moondogscorner.de/Rockwerk records *2015 ''Cabaret Contemporain Plays Moondog'' by Cabaret Contemporain *2016 ''A Tribute To Moondog'' by Condor Gruppe (2016) on Condor Men Records – Format: Vinyl, LP, Mini-Album *2017 ''New Sound'' by Ensemble Minisym (2017) on Association Bongo Joe Records (Genève) – Format : Vinyl, CD, LP *2018 ''Moondog'' by Katia Labèque & Triple Sun *2018 ''Erk-Moondog'' Ensemble Bracelli w Stefan Lakatos. CD Moondogscorner.de/Rockwerk records Germany *2019 ''The Witch of Endor'' by Kreiz Breizh Akademi #7 "Hed" (Brittany, France) *2019 ''Moondog Piano Trimba'' by Dominique Ponty and Stefan Lakatos, SHIIN Records CD (France) *2019 ''Moondog - The Stockholm 1981 Recordings'' Moondog & Stefan Lakatos w friends. Vinyl LP brus&knaster KNASTER 048. Sweden *2022 ''Seahorse'' by Moondog. Album: ''Lost & Found'' by Sean Shibe *2022 ''Pastoral'' by Moondog. Album: ''Lost & Found'' by Sean Shibe *2022 ''High on a Rocky Ledge (Second Movement)'' by Moondog. Album: ''Lost & Found'' by Sean Shibe *2023 ''New Amsterdam'' by Moondog. Album: ''An American Rhapsody'' by Calefax Reed Quintet. Music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTt8QFvfYPY * 2023 '' Songs and Symphoniques: The Music of Moondog'' by

and Ghost Train Orchestra

References

External links

Moondog – The Official Website

Moondog discography
at

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

Moondog: the Man on the Street
WBAI; ubu.com
Moondog's Artist Page on Spotify
{{Authority control 1916 births 1999 deaths 20th-century American inventors 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American poets 20th-century American jazz composers Adherents of Germanic neopaganism American blind people American former Christians American expatriates in Germany American expatriates in West Germany American experimental musicians American male jazz composers American modern pagans American street performers Blind musicians Blind poets Inventors of musical instruments Minimalist composers Modern pagan poets Musicians from Kansas Musicians from New York City Musicians from Wyoming Musicians from Missouri American outsider musicians People from Marysville, Kansas People from Uinta County, Wyoming Performers of modern pagan music Street people American writers with disabilities American musicians with disabilities

Biography and career

Early life

New York City

Germany

Music

Inventions

Legacy

Personal life

Discography

Singles

EPs

Albums

With Julie Andrews and Martyn Green

Compilations

Various artist compilations

Performed by other musicians

References

Further reading

Articles

Books

External links