Malvina Reynolds

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Malvina Reynolds (born August 23, 1900 in San Francisco as Malvina Milder, † March 17, 1978 Berkeley ) was an American singer, composer and political activist. One of her best-known songs is Little Boxes , which was played as the theme music in the TV series Weeds .

Life

She was born to the Jewish and socialist immigrants David Milder (1876-1944) and Lizzy, née Shenson (1886-1947). In 1934 she married the carpenter William Reynolds (* 1894), a communist functionary. In 1935 they had a daughter, Nancy. Malvina Reynolds earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Berkeley , where she also earned a doctorate in 1938 .

Although she played the violin in a dance band when she was around twenty, her career as a composer only began later. She was in her late forties when she met Earl Robinson , Pete Seeger and other folk singers and "songwriters". She returned to Berkeley University, where she studied music theory. She began writing several popular songs including " Little Boxes " (a song about suburban living supposedly inspired by Daly City, California ), "What Have They Done to the Rain" recorded by The Searchers (about radioactivity), "It Isn't Nice" (an anthem dealing with civil rights), "Turn Around" (sung by Harry Belafonte ), and "There's a Bottom Below" (about depression). Reynolds was also a composer of children's songs; z. B. "Magic Penny" or "Morningtown Ride", a number 1 hit in Great Britain in December 1966, recorded by The Seekers .

There are two summaries of their music on CD, both from the Smithsonian Folkways Verlag: "Another County Heard From" (Folkways 02524) and "Ear to the Ground" (Smithsonian Folkways 40124).

Anecdotes

Malvina Reynolds once said: “I was once introduced as 'the woman who wrote so many songs that she must have composed a song every day before breakfast'. That wasn't true, but I decided to write a song before breakfast - and the result was Little Boxes . "

Pete Seeger describes his first meeting with Malvina Reynolds: “It was 1947, at a folk music festival in Los Angeles - a middle-aged woman asked me if she could speak to me. ,Why is?' I asked. - 'Well, it takes more time than we have here.' The next day she went to the place where I and my little family were staying and said, 'I'm trying to do what you do - for the union, to sing for people who are trying to make a difference for good - in her little corner of the world. ' I said, 'Well, you sure won't get rich doing it, but you meet a lot of wonderful people.' I probably told her to pick up the phone if she read about something interesting going on in the papers and tell them she had the song that went with their meeting. She was 46 or 47 then and had wonderful white hair. I was 28. I remember thinking, 'Oh, she's pretty old to start now.' But I still had a lot to learn: soon afterwards she wrote one song after the other! ”(Excerpt from a letter dated February 13, 2006)

Discography

Albums

  • Another County Heard From , 1960 (Folkway Records). CD re-edition 2000.
  • Malvina Reynolds Sings the Truth , 1967 (Columbia Records).
  • Artichokes, Griddle Cakes, and Other Good Things , 1970 (Pacific Cascade).
  • Malvina Reynolds , 1971 (Century City Records). 1977 Cassandra Records reissues, Love Records as West Coast Woman
  • Malvina , 1972 (Cassandra Records)
  • Funny Bugs, Giggleworms and Other Good Friends , 1973 (Cascade Records). With Nancy Raven .
  • Held Over , 1975 (Cassandra Records).
  • Magical Songs , 1978 (Cassandra Records).
  • Mama Lion , 1980 (Cassandra Records, Amigo)
  • Ear to the Ground , 2000 (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings). CD compilation of already published recordings.
  • Malvina Reynolds , 2007 (Omni Recording Corporation). CD reissue of the 1971 album with bonus material.
  • Malvina Reynolds ... Sings the Truth , 2008 (Omni Recording Corporation). New CD edition with bonus material.

Singles

  • Like the Miller Grinds the Wheat / It Isn't Nice , 1969 (Cassandra Records).
  • The Albatross / Tungsten , 1969 (Cassandra Records).
  • Alcatraz / Let It Be , 1969 (Century City Records).
  • Little Boxes / Cement Octopus , 1971 (Cassandra Records).
  • Casitas / Little Boxes , 1973 (Cassandra Records).
  • The Judge Said / Young Moon , 1977 (Cassandra Records).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Malvina Milder Reynolds, findagrave.com [1]
  2. ↑ Malvina Reynolds: Song Lyrics and Poems. In: people.wku.edu. Retrieved October 19, 2016 .
personal data
SURNAME Reynolds, Malvina
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Milder, Malvina (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American singer, composer and political activist
DATE OF BIRTH 23rd August 1900
PLACE OF BIRTH San Francisco
DATE OF DEATH March 17, 1978
Place of death Berkeley