“A virtual history of the music of leftist folk.”
– All Music Guide

When Holly Near and Ronnie Gilbert united for a series of concerts at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall in 1983, it was an historic intersection of two generations of fearless topical folksingers and songwriters. The collaboration between Gilbert (a former member of The Weavers, the group that jumpstarted the folk movement of the Fifties and Sixties) and Near (a global peace activist and feminist music pioneer who was one of the first independent artists to start her own record label) sent a wave of excitement through the peace/feminist movement in the United States. These women voiced the work, faith, humor and complexities of the social change movement in the United States. 
 
Near’s dedication of an early solo album to Gilbert came at a time when Ronnie had long since retired from singing and was working as an actor and psychotherapist. Hearing that record, Ronnie realized that “here was this woman with a beautiful voice and songs about a woman’s experience that expressed very serious political beliefs with such joy. It reminded me of the kind of emotional expression The Weavers shared.” And it is no wonder – Near grew up listening to The Weavers and knew all of Ronnie’s parts. Invited by Near to rejoin the fray, Gilbert returned to the concert stage, resulting in several national tours, which included a weekend of performances at the Great American Music Hall. That weekend of shows was recorded and distilled into Lifeline, which subsequently became one of Near’s best-selling records and a milestone in contemporary folk and women’s music.

In this powerful reissue, now called Lifeline Extended, the original 16 songs expand to a 2-CD set – 23 songs plus the inclusion of wonderful stage banter. The material, carefully retrieved from the deteriorating live master tapes, includes Weavers standards like “Goodnight Irene” and “Pastures of Plenty,” as well as Near originals that have become anthems for the left, such as “No More Genocide” and “Singing for Our Lives.” They also honored other political songwriters, singing “Biko” by Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon, founder of Sweet Honey in the Rock; “Two Good Arms,” about Sacco and Vanzetti, by Charlie King; “Kid’s Song” by Ferron; “I Cried” by Ruthie Pelham, and more. A bonus track is included – “Singing with You,” taken from the 1984 live recordings by the all-star folk group HARP (Holly, Arlo Guthrie, Ronnie Gilbert and the iconic Pete Seeger).
    
In keeping with their theatrical roots, Holly and Ronnie break out of any traditional definition of folk music and include a surprising and delightful array of pop standards and show tunes, including “Stormy Weather,” “Come Rain or Come Shine,” and “Lucky to Be Me.” Ronnie performs a brilliant character piece called “Chairman of the Board,” coupled with Holly’s haunting version of a Brecht/Weill song from “The Three Penny Opera,” that leaves the audience in a chilly, breathless silence.
    
Lifeline Extended unites two powerful women of our time and offers a vibrant artistic journey through the past, present and future of folk music’s many facets on this bold, ever-relevant and joyous new release.

about Ronnie Gilbert:

A native New Yorker, Ronnie Gilbert was singing on the radio by age 12. After performing in various choral and vocal groups, Ronnie joined forces with Pete Seeger, Lee Hays and Fred Hellerman to form The Weavers in 1947. The quartet, featuring Ronnie’s soaring contralto, exposed their listeners in the late Forties, Fifties and early Sixties to traditional and newly-written folk songs ranging from early “world” music (“Wimoweh,” “Tzena, Tzena, Tzena,” “Guantanamera”) to classic, comforting standards (“On Top of Old Smokey,” “Goodnight Irene,” “Kisses Sweeter than Wine”) to idealistic social comment (“This Land is Your Land,” “If I Had a Hammer”).   

Despite the group’s commercial popularity (“Goodnight Irene” sold two million copies), the politically aware Weavers were blacklisted during the anti-Communist hysteria of the McCarthy era. With The Weavers unable to tour, Ronnie moved toward a solo career as singer and actor in the early Sixties, recording albums and appearing in plays off and on Broadway. She subsequently earned an M.A. in clinical psychology and worked as a therapist before returning to the theater. 

Drawn out of musical retirement by longtime devotee Holly Near for the series of 1983 concerts originally captured on Lifeline (now Lifeline Extended), Gilbert continued her musical partnership with Near and recorded more albums on Near’s Redwood label, including HARP – A Time to Sing! as part of the all-star H.A.R.P. quartet with Holly, Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger. Both albums were expanded into 2-CD sets when they were reissued by Appleseed. Ronnie’s version of “Empty Pocket Blues,” recorded with Robin Flower and Libby McLaren, can be found on our Where Have All the Flowers Gone: The Songs of Pete Seeger 2-CD tribute.

Another solo record was released on Abbe Alice Music, a label owned by Ronnie and her partner, Donna Korones. Ronnie’s 70th birthday tour with Holly in 1996 was celebrated with another Abbe Alice release, This Train Still Runs, which contained two songs from her one-woman theater piece based on the life of the legendary American labor activist, Mother Jones. Ronnie also wrote the lyrics and co-authored the musical play inspired by Studs Terkel’s book, “Coming of Age.” Ronnie appears from time to time with Near, but her main work now is as a writer/teacher/activist, and her participation in feminist and global peace work through workshops and lectures continues to be an inspiration for cross-generational communities. She has taken a strong role in the work of the Women In Black organization, challenging U.S. policy in the Middle East and around the world, and is also at work on her memoirs. 

other releases:

Early Warnings

HARP - A Time To Sing!

also appears on:

The Songs of Pete Seeger Vol 1 Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

The Songs of Pete Seeger Vol 3 Seeds

Sowing the Seeds - The 10th Anniversary