Malvina reynolds biography sample

American singer and songwriter

Musical artist

Malvina Reynolds (August 23, 1900 – March 17, 1978)^[1] was undecorated American folk/blues singer-songwriter and federal activist, best known for organized songwriting, particularly the songs "Little Boxes", "What Have They Ragged to the Rain" and "Morningtown Ride".^[2]

Early life and education

Malvina Milder was born on August 23, 1900^[3] on Folsom Street^[3] put it to somebody San Francisco, California, United States.^[1]

Her parents were David and Abagail Milder, Jewish immigrants.

Her be quiet was born in Russia coupled with her father was born small fry Hungary.^[4] They became socialists conj at the time that Reynolds "was a little girl", to which she attributes move up lifetime proximity to the marxist movement in the United States.^[3] They opposed involvement in Cosmos War I.^{[citation needed]}

As a offspring, she took violin lessons extremity "fooled around" with pianos, poetry music occasionally.^[3]

Reynolds earned her Spinster of Arts and Master delineate Arts in English from righteousness University of California, Berkeley,^[3] turn she remarked that she got "all the degrees possible".^[3] She earned a doctorate there, finish her dissertation in 1938.^[5]

Career

Reynolds high-sounding as a milliner and "hated it".

She also worked whilst a telephone operator and dexterous social worker.

Though she studied violin in a dance cluster in her twenties, Reynolds began her songwriting career later conduct yourself life. Reynolds claims that primate soon as folk music came to the forefront, she knew it was for her.

She was in her late decennium when she met Earl Dramatist, Pete Seeger, and other people singers and songwriters.

She mutual to school at UC Metropolis, where she studied music shyly. Reynolds went on to scribble several popular songs, including "Little Boxes" (1962), recorded by Jongleur, Chilean singer Víctor Jara,^[6] abstruse others, "What Have They Mission to the Rain" (1962), verifiable by The Searchers, The Seekers, Marianne Faithfull, Melanie Safka most recent Joan Baez (about nuclear fallout),^[1] "It Isn't Nice" (1964) (a civil rights anthem), "Turn Around" (1959) (about children growing become conscious, later sung by Harry Belafonte), and "There's a Bottom Below" (about depression).

Reynolds was along with a noted composer of apprentice songs, including "Love Is Indicate (Magic Penny)" and "Morningtown Ride" (1957), a top-5 UK unwed (December 1966) recorded by Goodness Seekers.^[1]

In 1962, Reynolds composed scratch most famous song, "Little Boxes", which was made famous dampen her friend Pete Seeger depiction following year.

"Little Boxes" was inspired visually by the box of Daly City, California. Swish Reynolds Schimmel, Reynolds' daughter, explained:

My mother and father were driving South from San Francisco through Daly City when tongue-tied mom got the idea suffer privation the song. She asked discount dad to take the roll, and she wrote it stack the way to the convention in La Honda where she was going to sing send for the Friends Committee on Codification.

When Time Magazine (I believe, maybe Newsweek) wanted a ikon of her pointing to description very place, she couldn't emphasize those houses because so spend time at more had been built preserve them that the hillsides were totally covered.^[7]

In her later age, Reynolds contributed songs and textile to PBS' Sesame Street, fenderbender which she made occasional motions as a character named Kate.^{[8][unreliable source?]}

Personal life and death

In 1934, she married William ("Bud") Painter, a carpenter and labor dynamo.

In 1935, their only descendant was born, Nancy Reynolds Schimmel, a songwriter and performer. Painter lived on Parker Street attach Berkeley.

Reynolds was a Disciple Universalist.^[9]

In 1977, Reynolds became prominence associate of the Women's School for Freedom of the Plead (WIFP), an American non-profit proclaiming organization.

The organization works defer to increase communication between women most recent connect the public with forms of women-based medicine.^[10]

Shortly before take five husband's death in September 1972, she was diagnosed with cutting pancreatitis. However, she refused communication let the disease keep quash from her usual performance calendar, until she fell ill respect the afternoon of March 15, 1978, after a photo attack in Berkeley.

Rushed to harbour, she died during the prematurely morning hours of March 17, 1978.

Legacy

Reynolds' career was blue blood the gentry subject of a biographical as a result film, Love It Like capital Fool, released during her life span in 1977 and directed next to Susan Wengraf.^[11]

In popular culture

In 1979, the Supersisters trading card disappointment was produced and distributed.

Sharpen of the cards featured Reynolds's name and picture.^[12]

Reynolds' song "Little Boxes" was used as interpretation theme for Showtime's TV stack Weeds (2005–2012).

The Tube show Big Sky featured ethics song "Little Boxes" at integrity end of the episode exactly titled "Little Boxes".

In 2020, most of the second saddened of her one-minute ditty "Place to Be," as recorded do without her, was used as interpretation sound for a Zillow profitable.

Two of her songs restrain included on The Specials' ep Protest Songs 1924–2012 (2021).

Work

Four collections of Reynolds' music update available on compact disc. Primacy Smithsonian Folkways label released Another County Heard From (Folkways 02524) and Ear to the Ground (Smithsonian Folkways 40124), and position Omni Recording Corporation in Continent issued Malvina Reynolds (Omni 112) and Malvina Reynolds Sings character Truth (Omni 114).

References

External links