Nat Hentoff

In a career that spanned seven decades, Nat Hentoff distinguished himself as a radio host, essayist, reporter, novelist, music critic, and activist. He's one of the very few writers to become equally renowned for covering both music and politics. Born June 10, 1925 in Boston, Massachusetts, Hentoff had a top-shelf education that included Harvard and a Fulbright scholarship at the Sorbonne. He worked as a jazz radio host in the 1940s and segued into writing about jazz in the '50s, working as both writer and editor for Down Beat magazine, starting The Jazz Review, and in 1955, releasing the first of his many books about music, Hear Me Talkin' To Ya. Hentoff became a columnist for The Village Voice in 1958, a position that he would occupy into the 21st century, writing about both jazz and politics. On the sociopolitical side, Hentoff became known not only for his sharp insights but his refusal to adhere to dogma. He was a tireless defender of free speech and a multitude of traditionally "progressive" causes but he also espoused some philosophies most commonly associated with conservatism, such as his anti-abortion stance. Hentoff had a broad view of music as well, and was able to write as authoritatively about country music as jazz. He published dozens of books over the years, with his discography encompassing fiction and commentary, music and politics. After more than 50 years at The Village Voice, Hentoff was laid off from the paper in 2009, which caused a huge outcry among his admirers, but he relocated his column to the Wall Street Journal. In 2013, he was the subject of the documentary The Pleasures of Being Out of Step. Hentoff passed away at the age of 91 on January 7, 2017 in his longtime hometown, New York City.