Louis Hardin (1916–1999), known as Moondog, was a blind composer and musician born in Kansas. He moved to New York City in 1943 and adopted the name Moondog in 1947. From the late 1940s until 1974, he became an eccentric figure in New York, selling his music and performing on the streets. He recorded several works between 1949 and 1957, including the live EP On the Streets of New York (1953) and four studio albums: Moondog and His Friends (1953), Moondog (1956), More Moondog (1956), and The Story of Moondog (1957).

In the 1960s, he developed his image, dressing in a Viking-inspired costume and embracing neopagan beliefs. He shifted from jazz to classical composition and rejected the notion of originality. In 1969, producer James William Guercio approached him to record two albums for Columbia Records, with the stipulation that executives could not hear the music before recording.