Everything about Malvina Reynolds totally explained
Malvina Reynolds (born as Malvina Milder on
August 23,
1900, died
March 17,
1978) was an
American folk/
blues singer-
songwriter and
political activist, probably best known for writing the song "
Little Boxes".
Early life
Malvina Milder was born in
San Francisco to two
Jewish immigrants and
socialist opponents of
World War I, David and Abagail Milder. Malvina married William Reynolds, a carpenter and devout
communist organizer, in 1934 and had one child, Nancy, in 1935. She had earned her
Bachelor of Arts and
Master of Arts in
English from the
University of California, Berkeley, and later went on to earn her
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 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 being depressed). Reynolds was also a noted composer of children's songs, including "Magic Penny" and "
Morningtown Ride", a top 5 UK single (December 66) recorded by
The Seekers.
Three collections of her music are available on
compact disc. The
Smithsonian Folkways label released
Another County Heard From (Folkways 02524) and
Ear to the Ground (Smithsonian Folkways 40124), and the Omni Recording Corporation in
Australia issued
Malvina Reynolds (Omni 112.)
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's
TV series Weeds. "Little Boxes" was inspired visually by the houses of
Daly City, California. Nancy Reynolds, daughter of Malvina Reynolds, explains:
» "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 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.”
In her later years, Reynolds contributed both songs and material to PBS's "Sesame Street" program. She occasionally appeared on the show as a character called "Kate."
Further Information
Get more info on 'Malvina Reynolds'.
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