Len Chandler - Biography

Biography

Len ... uses a lot of chords ... he's really good ... he uses his fingers all over ... he has been always trying to tell me to use more chords and sing a couple of songs in minor keys...

He showed an early interest in music and began playing piano at age 8. Studying classical music in his early teens, he learned to play the oboe so he could join the high school band, and during his senior year joined the Akron Symphony Orchestra. He eventually earned his B.A. in Music Education from the University of Akron, moved to New York City, and received an M.A. from Columbia University.

By the early 1960s, Chandler began to get involved in the Civil Rights Movement. He sang at demonstrations and rallies, and won a reputation as a protest songwriter. One of his most famous songs was "Beans in My Ears", which was covered by the Serendipity Singers, as well as Pete Seeger. He also served as one of the original crew members of Seeger's CLEARWATER organization in working to save the environment around the Hudson River Valley.

Chandler was also a performer in the traveling anti-war troupe F.T.A., which was organized by Jane Fonda in 1971. With Holly Near and Rita Martinson, the group toured the United States and bases throughout the Pacific Rim. The travels were filmed, however the documentary was pulled from theatres a week after its release due to the controversy surrounding Fonda's visit to Hanoi.

After penning topical material related to the Original Black Panther Party, he began writing three topical songs a day for the KRLA radio program, The Credibility Gap, which released some of his songs, including "Soul in Ice", on their record An Album Of Political Pornography. At KRLA he also wrote and recorded the short theme song "The Chronicles of Pop" for the Pop Chronicles radio program. In the early 1970s, he formed the Alternative Chorus-Songwriters Showcase to promote new talent. He moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1970s.