Moondog

In addition to being an American composer, musician, performer, music theorist, poet, and musical instrument creator, Louis Thomas Hardin was also known by his stage name, Moondog. His prolific work, which was mostly self-taught, took influence from a wide range of musical genres, including jazz, classical, Native American music that he had grown up listening to, and Latin American music. Later minimal music artists, particularly American composers Steve Reich and Philip Glass, were affected by his aggressively rhythmic, contrapuntal compositions and arrangements.

Moondog was inspired by a wide range of musical genres as he developed his skills as a composer. His early compositions were directly influenced by the music he had heard at pow wow events when he was a young boy; as his career advanced, his music also incorporated elements from bebop, swing, rumba, modernism, and Renaissance music. He referred to it as having "snaketime" and described it as having "a slithery rhythm, in moments that are not usual".

Moondog was born blind and has been so since the age of 16. From the late 1940s through 1972, he resided in New York City, where he frequently busked, sold records, and recited poems on Sixth Avenue between 52nd and 55th Streets. Thousands of onlookers and locals who were unaware of his musical profession identified him as "the Viking of Sixth Avenue" since he frequently appeared wearing a cloak and a horned helmet.

Detailed information:
Born: 26 May 1916
Died: 8 September 1999
Nationality: American
Notable works:

• "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" (c. 1953), SMC