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Moondog

Moondog (1916-1999) was an American avant-garde composer, musician, and poet who was born in Marysville, Kansas. He was a street performer and was known for his unique appearance, wearing a cloak and a Viking helmet. He is also known as the “Viking of Sixth Avenue”. He was an influential figure in the American music scene, and was a major influence on musicians such as Philip Glass, La Monte Young, and Steve Reich.

Moondog released several studio albums throughout his career, the most notable of which include The Story of Moondog (1953), Moondog (1969), and Moondog 2 (1974). He also released several singles and EPs, including "Bird's Lament" (1959), "Stamping Ground" (1965), and "The Viking of Sixth Avenue" (1972).

An interesting fact about Moondog is that he was one of the first artists to make use of a technique called “phasing”, which is an effect used in modern electronic music to create unique sound textures. He was also known to perform on the streets of New York City with a wide variety of homemade instruments, including a “snakering”, which is a type of handmade percussion instrument.