Why did Michael Hurley call himself Snock? Acclaimed folk singer passes away at 83

Singer-songwriter Michael Hurley passed away on April 3, 2025, at age 83. The cause of death has not been confirmed. Known for albums like Have Moicy! and Watertower, Hurley’s passing was announced by his record label, No Quarter Records, through an Instagram post featuring a performance photo and a statement from his family expressing their grief.

“The “Godfather of freak folk” was for a prolific half-century the purveyor of an eccentric genius and compassionate wit. He alone was Snock. There is no other. Friends, family, and the music community deeply mourn his loss.”

Hurley was mostly known as Snock over the years and used many other names for himself, including Doc Snock, Elwood Snock, and Hi Fi Snock, as per Perfect Sound Forever.

In an interview with Seven Days magazine in 2015, Hurley was questioned about the origin of the word Snock, and he said in his response:

“It’s just a nickname. It’s like when you knock claves together or break a clam shell. Snock.”

Mike Quinn, the founder of No Quarter Records, described Michael Hurley as an “American treasure”, adding that they were thankful to have known him over the years. The company also said that Michael had completed a new album before his death, which was mastered a week ago, and it is expected to be released soon.

Michael’s survivors include his five children: Jordan, Colorado, Daffodil, Rolin, and Wilder. The first three kids were born from Michael’s marriage to Marjorie, also known as Pasta Hurley, in the past.

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Michael Hurley was known as Snock: Journey in the music industry

The Bucks County, Pennsylvania native worked with various record labels over the years, including Rounder, Folkways, and Bellemeade Phonics. Hurley’s father was also associated with the musical world, and Michael spent most of his early days in Florida and California until his family members settled down in Bucks County, as per a report by Arthur magazine in 2013.

Michael Hurley also developed an interest in music since his childhood and began writing lyrics at the same time. He later formed a group called The Three Blues Doctors with two of his close friends, Steve Weber and Robin “Rube” Remaily.

Hurley told Arthur magazine that they played in bars and had an opportunity to meet a lot of people. Michael also came to be known as Snock at the same time, and he said during the conversation that it started happening from the ‘60s after he heard “snocky” music on one occasion.

“I’d always read about the Indians who go out and fast until they get a vision and take a new name. They go out in the hills somewhere and starve themselves until they get a vision. Might be a bear or something. I was kinda following that idea. I heard this music and I kinda saw it too, over an ocean wave, like the surf coming in. The surf was coming in just like this snocky classical music. That was it.”

Michael Hurley continued playing at different places when he came to Manhattan, and after being hospitalized for a few months due to health issues like liver damage, Michael met an archivist named Fred Ramsey Jr.

In between spending a lot of time at Fred’s house, Michael and Ramsey Jr. ended up recording the former’s debut album, First Songs. The album was released under the record label Folkways, and this was followed by Armchair Boogie and Hi Fi Snock Uptown under Raccoon/Warner Bros.

Apart from his solo career, Michael Hurley also collaborated with two bands, The Unholy Modal Rounders and The Clamtones, alongside Jeffrey Frederick, for an album titled Have Moicy! The album had 13 songs in the soundtrack and also received a positive response.

Michael continued releasing many other albums over the next few years, and his last major project was The Time of the Foxgloves, which came out back in 2021. Other albums in his credits included Wolfways, Parsnip Snips, Blueberry Wine, Ida Con Snock, Fatboy Spring, Redbirds at Folk City, and Living Ljubljana.