In 1983, Holly Near teamed up with Ronnie Gilbert, formerly with the legendary folk group the Weavers, for the first of several albums.  The duo also collaborated with another former Weaver, Pete Seeger plus Arlo Guthrie in a group called HARP, named after the initials in their first names. 

(January 2014)

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And Joan Baez was there beginning in 1960 when the folk music revival was in its heyday; and she wasn’t political at all in the beginning.  Folk music has always been fairly gender-balanced – besides Joan, Judy Collins and Joni Mitchell were leading lights who went on to have long careers.  The folk groups often had at least one woman – there was Mary Travers in Peter, Paul and Mary, and Ronnie Gilbert in the Weavers. 

(February 2014)