Holly Near - WikiHQ

Holly Near (born June 6, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, teacher, and activist.

Early life

Near was born in Ukiah, California, United States, and was

raised on a ranch

She was eight years old when she first performed publicly,

In 1970, Near was a cast member of the Broadway musical Hair. Near's record company went out of business in the mid-1990s due to financial difficulties. Later, with her sister Timothy, Near co-wrote a one-woman show based on the stories in the book. The show was presented at The San Jose Rep and in Los Angeles at The Mark Taper Forum, as well as productions in San Francisco and off Broadway in NYC. In April 2004, Near performed at the March for Women's Lives in Washington, DC where she sang "We Are Gentle Angry People" and "Fired Up" a capella.

thumb|Near at Smithsonian Folkways Tribute to [[Pete Seeger, 2014]]

As of 2019, she has a discography of 29 albums. She is still active as a performer and composer, and she has begun issuing CDs available through her website that include tracks from her out-of-print albums. Her song "Singing For Our Lives" appears in Singing the Living Tradition, the official hymnal of the Unitarian Universalist Association, under the title "We Are A Gentle, Angry People" (Hymn #170). The hymn was performed by Quaker Friends in an episode of the TV series Six Feet Under. In 2015, the same song, credited as "Singing for Our Lives" appeared in the Australian independent film The Lives We Lead, alongside its theme song "I Am Willing", another protest song written by Near.

Near hosted many of the tributes to both Pete Seeger and Ronnie Gilbert, two members of the seminal folk group The Weavers.

Near has been an honored guest at several of the GALA Choruses Festivals, a conference of GLBTQ choirs and choruses. She also appears as a soloist with several of the choruses and many of her songs have been arranged for choral singing.

In 2018, Near released a new recording titled 2018, reflecting on issues including the environment, aging, domestic violence and the unresolved storm damage in Puerto Rico as a result of Hurricane Maria. In October 2018, a documentary film titled Holly Near: Singing for Our Lives made by director Jim Brown premiered at the Mill Valley Film Festival, detailing Near's life and work.

Personal life

She has two sisters, Timothy and Laurel Near, and a brother, Fred Near.

As a result of her travels in the Pacific with the FTA show, Near became a feminist, linking international feminism and anti-war activism. In 1976, Near came out as a lesbian.

Awards and honors

In 1984, Near was one of 11 'Women of the Year' named by Ms. Magazine.

In 1989, Near received a Doctorate of Humane Letters from World College West in California.

Near was named among the "1000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize".

Near was named as an Honoree for National Women's History Month for 2015.

Television movies

Mr. and Mrs. Cop (1974), Mrs. Salmon

TV appearances

The Bold Ones: The Senator, Sylvia – in the episode "Power Play" (1970)
Room 222, Esther – in the episode "The Lincoln Story" (1970)
All in the Family, Mona – in the episode "Gloria Has a Belly Full" (1971)
The Partridge Family, Phyllis – in the episode "The Selling of the Partridges" (1973)
L.A. Law, Lucille Skerritt – in the episode "Spleen It to Me, Lucy" (1991)

References

External links

Women's Music Archives records and collected music at the Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College Special Collections