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Biography
Infobox musical artist| name = Malvina Reynolds| image = Malvina Reynolds.jpg| alt =| caption =| image_size =| background = solo_singer| birth_name = Malvina Milder| alias =| birth_date = birth date|1900|8|23| birth_place = San Francisco , California | death_date = dda|1978|3|17|1900|8|23| death_place =| genre = Folk music , blues | alma mater = University of California, Berkeley | occupation = Singer, songwriter, political activist| instrument =| years_active = | label =| associated_acts =| notable_instruments = Malvina Reynolds (August 23, 1900 – March 17, 1978) was an United States|American folk music|folk / blues singer-songwriter and activism|political activist , best known for her song-writing, particularly the songs " Little Boxes " and " Morningtown Ride ". http://www.wku.edu/~smithch/MALVINA/homep.htm Biography at Western Kentucky University by Charles H. Smith and Nancy Schimmel - Accessed Nov 2006
Early life
Malvina Milder was born in San Francisco to David and Abagail Milder, Jew ish and socialist immigrants, who opposed involvement in World War I .
She married William ("Bud") Reynolds, a carpenter and labor organizer, in 1934. They had one child, Nancy Reynolds Schimmel (a songwriter and performer in her own right), in 1935. She had earned her Bachelor of Arts and Master's degree|Master of Arts in English language|English from the University of California, Berkeley , and later earned a Doctor of Philosophy|doctorate there, finishing her dissertation in 1938.
Music career
Though she played violin in a dance band in her twenties, she began her songwriting career late in life. She was in her late 40s when she met Earl Robinson , Pete Seeger , and other folk singers and songwriters. She returned to school at UC Berkeley, where she studied music theory . She went on to write several popular songs, including " Little Boxes ," " What Have They Done to the Rain ," recorded by The Searchers (band)|The Searchers and Joan Baez (about nuclear fallout ), "It Isn't Nice" (a civil rights anthem), "Turn Around" (about children growing up, later sung by Harry Belafonte ), and "There's a Bottom Below" (about depression). Reynolds was also a noted composer of children's songs, including "Magic Penny" and " Morningtown Ride ," a top five UK single (December 1966) recorded by The Seekers .
Four collections of her music are available on compact disc . The Folkways Records|Smithsonian Folkways label released Another County Heard From ( Folkways Records|Folkways 02524) and Ear to the Ground (Smithsonian Folkways 40124), and the Omni Recording Corporation in Australia issued Malvina Reynolds (Omni 112) and "Malvina Reynolds Sings the Truth" (Omni 114).
A film biography, Love It Like a Fool , was made a few years before she died in 1978. Reynolds' most famous song, " Little Boxes " (made famous by Pete Seeger ), has enjoyed renewed popularity by being featured in Showtime (TV network)|Showtime 's television program|TV series Weeds (television)|Weeds . "Little Boxes" was inspired visually by the houses of Daly City, California . Nancy Reynolds Schimmel, daughter of Malvina Reynolds, explained:
"My mother and father were driving South from San Francisco through Daly City when my mom got the idea for the song. She asked my dad to take the wheel, and she wrote it on the way to the gathering in La Honda where she was going to sing for the Friends Committee on National Legislation|Friends Committee on Legislation . When Time Magazine (I think, maybe Newsweek ) wanted a photo of her pointing to the very place, she couldn't find those houses because so many more had been built around them that the hillsides were totally covered." http://music.homegrownseries.com/? p=5 "Malvina Reynolds", Weeds (TV series)|Weeds : Artist Spotlight (website), 2007. Accessed 2007-10-16
In her later years, Malvina Reynolds contributed songs and material to PBS's Sesame Street , on which she made occasional appearances as a character called "Kate."
References
External links
Portal|Biography
http://www.sisterschoice.com/mal-bio.html Biography at Sister's Choice
http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/unitarians/reynolds.html Memories of her mother, by Malvina Reynolds' daughter
Persondata|NAME = Reynolds, Malvina |ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Milder, Malvina |SHORT DESCRIPTION = American folk singer |DATE OF BIRTH = August 23, 1900 |PLACE OF BIRTH = San Francisco, California |DATE OF DEATH = March 17, 1978 |PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Reynolds, Malvina Category:1900 births Category:1978 deaths Category:People from San Francisco, California Category:Jewish American musicians Category:American folk singers Category:Songwriters from California Category:Musicians from the San Francisco Bay Area
