Holly Near (born June 6, 1949 in Ukiah, California) is an American singer-s… Read Full Bio ↴Holly Near (born June 6, 1949 in Ukiah, California) is an American singer-songwriter, teacher and social change activist. During her long career in folk and protest music, Holly Near has worked with a wide array of musicians, including Ronnie Gilbert, Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Mercedes Sosa, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Meg (Shambhavi) Christian, Cris Williamson, Linda Tillery, Joan Baez, Phil Ochs, Harry Belafonte, and many others, as well as the Chilean exile group, Inti-Illimani.
Holly Near is a unique combination of entertainer, teacher and activist. An immense vocal talent, Near's career as a singer has been profoundly defined by an unwillingness to separate her passion for music from her passion for human dignity. She is a skilled performer and an outspoken ambassador for peace who brings to the stage an integration of world consciousness, spiritual discovery, and theatricality.
Holly was born to parents from the states of North Dakota and New York. They were political activists, ranchers, and supporters of culture in the rural community of Ukiah, California. Although Holly sang publicly from the time she was eight years old, her professional career began in her early twenties when she worked as an actress in film and television. She also appeared in Hair on Broadway. Eventually music returned to become her major focus, especially that music which articulated the social conditions of the world community.
In 1971, when she was 22 years old, Holly joined Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, and other artists in the Free The Army Tour, singing to soldiers who were resisting war and racism from within the military. Near started writing and singing political songs. Following in the footsteps of such writers as Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs, Beverly Grant, and Hazel Dickens, she added newly discovered feminist perspective to anti-war songs and developed a unique and recognizable style.
Near was probably the first woman artist to start an independent record company when in 1972 she founded Redwood Records which became a major force in alternative music for nearly 20 years. Near's vision for Redwood was to promote and produce music by politically conscious artists from around the world, a mission fulfilled for almost two decades.
Finding herself at the forefront of a growing feminist movement, Near worked for world peace and multi-cultural consciousness. The world was her university and social change movements informed her songs. She sang the secrets long before such ideas found space in the major media. Near helped support the work of artists from Nicaragua, Chile, Australia, Canada, England, Argentina, Cuba, Uruguay, Vietnam, El Salvador, Mexico, and the United States. She was outspoken on such issues as gay and lesbian rights, a woman's right to choose, stopping domestic violence, and opposing nuclear war.
Holly has traveled from the fields of central California singing in support of The United Farm Workers to El Salvador where she sang for peace amidst war and conflict. Her songs were sung clandestinely in Latin American prisons and sung boldly by Irish and English women who joined together to protest war. Whether in support of nurses striking for better conditions in the emergency room or in opposition to racist violence on the police force, Holly sings a bold truth.
A peace activist and advocate for human and civil rights, Holly has linked the multitude of issues that are our lives, refusing the idea of separate "causes." When asked how she keeps her energy for this work, she smiles: "I am selfish. I reach for the world I want to live in. And I believe in leaving our best efforts as a gift to our children."
Amidst all her work for peace and human rights, Holly is a consummate singer and entertainer. When she sings show tunes or songs from the 30s, her audience knows that Ms. Near could have chosen to be a Broadway musical star or a cabaret artist. And yet, these great songs come through Holly's unique world experience and we hear them as if for the first time. Out of this gentle, vibrant woman comes a huge voice, a unique sense of humor, an unexpected theatricality and a startling power. The moment she feels trapped in a genre, she breaks into a song that challenges the boxes and stereotypes.
In an interest to document social change music, Near's papers are archived with the Schlesinger Library at Radcliff. Near teaches performance craft and song writing. She has been a cultural leader for over 35 years and now shares her experience in creative and challenging master classes. Holly reminds both students and audience alike about the importance of their lives, and whenever they are with her, they feel a sense of being welcomed home.
Both as a participant and a leader, she bears personal witness to the hugely important role that music plays in political action movements. Throughout her lengthy career, Ms. Near has used her performances to educate, challenge, and inspire. The unifying and healing quality of her work explains the diverse nature of the groups who call on her to speak and sing.
She presented the 2004 Ware Lecture for the Unitarian Universalist General Assembly in Long Beach, California; delivered the keynote address for Women Change America, a conference presented by the National Women's History Project at Smith College; spoke to participants at HerbFest in Iowa and the Bioneers Conference in California; and led a Martin Luther King Day celebration in Northern California. She participated and performed at the March For Women's Lives in Washington, DC and at the Stop The War demonstration in New York, NY before the US invasion into Iraq.
In 2004, Holly joined Eve Ensler for a march in Juarez, Mexico to protest the uninvestigated killing of hundreds of young women. In Toledo, Ohio, she sat witness to the testimony of women reporting rape and other violence against women. Holly helped raise funds for 10,000 Kites, a collaborative anti-war project between young people from Israel and Palestine who in spring of 2005, flew kites over the wall that separated them.
Last year, Holly joined thousands of protesters in Columbus, Georgia to demand that the infamous School of the Americas be closed down. She will attend again this year. Dictators and military police are trained at this school in skills that are used to destroy growing democracies, skills which include repression and torture.
Near's portrait hangs at The Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio along with those of other social change artists including Paul Robeson, Marion Anderson, Pete Seeger, Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon, Joan Baez, Harry Belafonte, and Woody Guthrie. She has received numerous awards for her work for social change, including honors from the ACLU, the National Lawyers Guild, the National Organization for Women, NARAS, Ms. Magazine (Woman of the Year), and the Legends of Women's Music Award. Most recently, she was one of 1000 PeaceWomen nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005.
Holly is not resting on her laurels, but continues to write and sing political songs with grace and humor. Holly Near's integrity earns her the reputation as one of the most articulate political artists of our time. Her newest CD, Show Up, proves that she continues to sing with a power and maturity that may only come from decades of love and fear, despair and inspiration.
Holly Near is a unique combination of entertainer, teacher and activist. An immense vocal talent, Near's career as a singer has been profoundly defined by an unwillingness to separate her passion for music from her passion for human dignity. She is a skilled performer and an outspoken ambassador for peace who brings to the stage an integration of world consciousness, spiritual discovery, and theatricality.
Holly was born to parents from the states of North Dakota and New York. They were political activists, ranchers, and supporters of culture in the rural community of Ukiah, California. Although Holly sang publicly from the time she was eight years old, her professional career began in her early twenties when she worked as an actress in film and television. She also appeared in Hair on Broadway. Eventually music returned to become her major focus, especially that music which articulated the social conditions of the world community.
In 1971, when she was 22 years old, Holly joined Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, and other artists in the Free The Army Tour, singing to soldiers who were resisting war and racism from within the military. Near started writing and singing political songs. Following in the footsteps of such writers as Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs, Beverly Grant, and Hazel Dickens, she added newly discovered feminist perspective to anti-war songs and developed a unique and recognizable style.
Near was probably the first woman artist to start an independent record company when in 1972 she founded Redwood Records which became a major force in alternative music for nearly 20 years. Near's vision for Redwood was to promote and produce music by politically conscious artists from around the world, a mission fulfilled for almost two decades.
Finding herself at the forefront of a growing feminist movement, Near worked for world peace and multi-cultural consciousness. The world was her university and social change movements informed her songs. She sang the secrets long before such ideas found space in the major media. Near helped support the work of artists from Nicaragua, Chile, Australia, Canada, England, Argentina, Cuba, Uruguay, Vietnam, El Salvador, Mexico, and the United States. She was outspoken on such issues as gay and lesbian rights, a woman's right to choose, stopping domestic violence, and opposing nuclear war.
Holly has traveled from the fields of central California singing in support of The United Farm Workers to El Salvador where she sang for peace amidst war and conflict. Her songs were sung clandestinely in Latin American prisons and sung boldly by Irish and English women who joined together to protest war. Whether in support of nurses striking for better conditions in the emergency room or in opposition to racist violence on the police force, Holly sings a bold truth.
A peace activist and advocate for human and civil rights, Holly has linked the multitude of issues that are our lives, refusing the idea of separate "causes." When asked how she keeps her energy for this work, she smiles: "I am selfish. I reach for the world I want to live in. And I believe in leaving our best efforts as a gift to our children."
Amidst all her work for peace and human rights, Holly is a consummate singer and entertainer. When she sings show tunes or songs from the 30s, her audience knows that Ms. Near could have chosen to be a Broadway musical star or a cabaret artist. And yet, these great songs come through Holly's unique world experience and we hear them as if for the first time. Out of this gentle, vibrant woman comes a huge voice, a unique sense of humor, an unexpected theatricality and a startling power. The moment she feels trapped in a genre, she breaks into a song that challenges the boxes and stereotypes.
In an interest to document social change music, Near's papers are archived with the Schlesinger Library at Radcliff. Near teaches performance craft and song writing. She has been a cultural leader for over 35 years and now shares her experience in creative and challenging master classes. Holly reminds both students and audience alike about the importance of their lives, and whenever they are with her, they feel a sense of being welcomed home.
Both as a participant and a leader, she bears personal witness to the hugely important role that music plays in political action movements. Throughout her lengthy career, Ms. Near has used her performances to educate, challenge, and inspire. The unifying and healing quality of her work explains the diverse nature of the groups who call on her to speak and sing.
She presented the 2004 Ware Lecture for the Unitarian Universalist General Assembly in Long Beach, California; delivered the keynote address for Women Change America, a conference presented by the National Women's History Project at Smith College; spoke to participants at HerbFest in Iowa and the Bioneers Conference in California; and led a Martin Luther King Day celebration in Northern California. She participated and performed at the March For Women's Lives in Washington, DC and at the Stop The War demonstration in New York, NY before the US invasion into Iraq.
In 2004, Holly joined Eve Ensler for a march in Juarez, Mexico to protest the uninvestigated killing of hundreds of young women. In Toledo, Ohio, she sat witness to the testimony of women reporting rape and other violence against women. Holly helped raise funds for 10,000 Kites, a collaborative anti-war project between young people from Israel and Palestine who in spring of 2005, flew kites over the wall that separated them.
Last year, Holly joined thousands of protesters in Columbus, Georgia to demand that the infamous School of the Americas be closed down. She will attend again this year. Dictators and military police are trained at this school in skills that are used to destroy growing democracies, skills which include repression and torture.
Near's portrait hangs at The Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio along with those of other social change artists including Paul Robeson, Marion Anderson, Pete Seeger, Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon, Joan Baez, Harry Belafonte, and Woody Guthrie. She has received numerous awards for her work for social change, including honors from the ACLU, the National Lawyers Guild, the National Organization for Women, NARAS, Ms. Magazine (Woman of the Year), and the Legends of Women's Music Award. Most recently, she was one of 1000 PeaceWomen nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005.
Holly is not resting on her laurels, but continues to write and sing political songs with grace and humor. Holly Near's integrity earns her the reputation as one of the most articulate political artists of our time. Her newest CD, Show Up, proves that she continues to sing with a power and maturity that may only come from decades of love and fear, despair and inspiration.
It Could Have Been Me
Holly Near Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'It Could Have Been Me' by these artists:
Sami Jo Holding you as music softly playin, Sounds of people's whis…
The Call It could have been me Living in that house With all those…
The Struts Don't wanna live as an untold story Rather go out in…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Holly Near:
1000 Grandmothers Send in a thousand grandmothers They will surely volunteer W…
99 Miles from L.A. Keeping my eyes on the road, I see you Keeping my…
Carousel Carnivals and cotton candy Carousels and calliopes Fortune…
City of New Orleans Riding on the City of New Orleans, Illinois Central Monday m…
Didn't You Mean To Say Didn't you mean to say you assassinate your enemies Didn't y…
Don't Let The Singer Down I saw an eagle fly across the sun The flags came…
Don't You Worry Oh Mary don't you weep for me Oh Mary just you…
Dream a Little Dream of Me Stars shining bright above you Night breezes seem to whispe…
El arado Aprieto firme mi mano Y hundo el arado en la tierra Hace…
Family Band When life gets busy and I can't slow down I get…
Fired Up Fired up ain′t gonna take it no more Tied up ain't…
Fired Up! Fired up ain't gonna take it no more Tied up ain't…
Foolish Notion Why do we kill people who are killing people To show…
Guantanamera The words mean, I am a truthful man From the land…
How Bold How bold! We′ve hardly met and already we are naked How…
I Ain't Afraid I ain't afraid of your Yahweh I ain't afraid of your…
I Am Willing I am open and I am willing To be hopeless would…
I Can't Give You Anything But Love Gee, but it's tough to be broke, kid. It's not a…
I Want You Gone Too You been telling big time lies And you been stealing money I…
Icicle Blue Icicle blue, day sky blue Blue, almost silver blue eyes Lo…
If I Were Alone If I were alone in the world All alone in the…
If It Were Up to Me Maybe it's the movies, maybe it's the books Maybe it's the…
Imagine My Surprise Imagine my surprise! I love that I have found you But…
Isn't This a Lovely Day The weather is frightening. The thunder and lightning Seem…
It Won't Take Long They said, "Some men would be warriors And some men would…
Jacob's Ladder We are climbing Jacob's ladder We are climbing Jacob's ladde…
Kids Are Gonna Love He is an Arab, she is a Jew And they don't…
Love Is Here To Stay It's very clear, our love is here to stay Not for…
Mountain Song/Kentucky Woman I have dreamed on this mountain Since first I was my…
Nicaragua Night We are dancing in the moonlight, in a Nicaragua night For…
Nina Oh Nina, where does your heart take you today To play…
Oh Mary Don't You Weep Oh Mary don't you weep for me Oh Mary just you…
Old Devil Moon I look at you and suddenly Something in your eyes I…
Over The Rainbow Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high There's a land that…
Planet Called Home Can you call on your imagination As if telling a myth…
Put Away You dressed in gym socks and tennis shoes So you could…
Quiet Early Morning Don't you know it's darkest before the dawn And this thought…
Room For Me Old man sunshine listen you Never tell me dreams come true J…
Samba Lando Sobre el manto de la noche Esta la luna chispeando Así brill…
She Just Wants to Dance When the music starts a playin' and she slides out…
Show Up I don't feel good, love is gone Lost all hope by…
Sing to Me the Dream When you speak the language of your life I do not…
Singer in the Storm A dove flies free from the prison bars And lights the…
Singing For Our Lives We are a gentle, angry people and we are singing, singing…
Somebody's Jail Just walking along, shopping for food Stepping out of the li…
Sun Won't Stop Children ran to the river bank Left their shoes and swam…
Sway Other dancers may be on the floor Dear, but my eyes…
The Nest Is Yet to Come Out of the tree of life I just picked me…
The Promise Can′t you see a promise just makes us feel good…
There's a Meeting Here Tonight There is a meetin' hmm There is a meetin' hmm There is…
Think About Your Troubles Sit beside the breakfast table Think about your troubles P…
Uh Huh I feel so sad I feel so bad I feel so mad Breathe…
Voices Listen to the voices of the old women Calling out the…
What About Me? You poisoned my sweet water You cut down my green trees Th…
Where Or When It seems we stood and talked like this before We looked…
Wrap The Sun Around You Wrap the sun around you like a rainbow Let the mighty…
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@joanbalway2286
Holly Near is one of my favorite singer.The content of her songs are true and its happening around world. Also with tracy chapman I like their song of liberation
@jasoncarpp7742
Two of my favourite singers, Holly Near and Tracy Chapman.
@georgesmith1466
Holly should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her many years of dedication to the cause.
@pamelamanke6563
Peter, Paul, & Mary too!!
@saritaholley4362
Holly has inspired me since I heard her
@saritaholley4362
I am still in love
@lasnuggs2284
Agree
@linspire1107
I saw Holly sing this live at a free concert at Kent State when I was a student. I was blown away by her incredible voice, let alone the content of the lyrics. This song gets to the heart of activism and inspired many.
@egoldstein5907
A walk down memory lane. I had this album in the '70s. As terribly relevant now as then. Thank you, Holly.
@BN-cd4ok
I still have this album. And I got it signed by Holly after a performance that she gave in the summer of 1988 in Seneca Falls at an outdoor concert to commemorate the start of the women's suffrage movement there.
A treasure that I will keep forever!