Greta Gaines is an American singer, songwriter, and

cannabis rights Cannabis rights or marijuana rights (sometimes more specifically cannabis consumer rights or stoner rights) are individual civil and human rights that vary by jurisdiction. The rights of people who consume cannabis include the right to be free f ...

activist, who became prominent competitor in the early years of the development of snowboarding as a sport.

Activism

Gaines is active in the legalization of

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternative ...

in the United States. She owns and operates The Hempery, and is an outspoken supporter of

Women Grow Women Grow is an organization founded in 2014 in Denver, Colorado focused on female leadership in the cannabis industry. The organization's primary goal is to turn legal cannabis into the first female-led, billion dollar industry. History The org ...

. She sits on the advisory board of

NORML The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML ) is a social welfare organization based in Washington, D.C., that advocates for the reform of marijuana laws in the United States regarding both medical and non-medical use. Acc ...

Personal life

Greta is the daughter of novelist, screenwriter and outdoorsman Charles Gaines, author of ''

Pumping Iron ''Pumping Iron'' is a 1977 American docudrama about the world of professional bodybuilding, with a focus on the 1975 IFBB Mr. Universe and 1975 Mr. Olympia competitions. Directed by George Butler and Robert Fiore and edited by Geof Bartz and L ...

'', and ''

Stay Hungry ''Stay Hungry'' is a 1976 American comedy-drama film by director Bob Rafelson from a screenplay by Charles Gaines (adapted from his 1972 novel of the same name). The story centers on a younscionfrom Birmingham, Alabama, played by Jeff Bridges, ...

'', and inventor of the game of

Paintball Paintball is a competitive team shooting sport in which players eliminate opponents from play by hitting them with spherical dye-filled gelatin capsules called paintballs that break upon impact. Paintballs are usually shot using low-energy a ...

. Her mother is painter, sculptor and former Miss Alabama contestant, Patricia Ellisor Gaines, and her brothers are artist Shelby Gaines and actor

Latham Gaines Latham Gaines (born February 3, 1964) is an American composer, actor, artist and inventor. He is the son of the novelist Charles Gaines and artist Patricia Ellisor Gaines. Composing and Musical Sculptures As 1/2 of the duGAINES Gaines and ...

. She was previously married to musician Bucky Baxter. She graduated from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

Snowboarding, sports, television and musical career

In the early years of snowboard development she began using a prototype created by designer

Jake Burton Carpenter Jake Burton Carpenter (April 29, 1954 – November 20, 2019), occasionally also known as Jake Burton or Jakie, was an American snowboarder founder of Burton Snowboards and one of the inventors of the modern day snowboard. A native of New York ...

, and was the only female participant in the first World Extreme Snowboard Championship in 1992, competing against 19 men, and thus, by default, the first Women's champion in that sport. In 1997 she began hosting MTV’s ''Sports and Music Festival'', and her song "Mikey Likes It" was used as the show's theme song. In 1999 the

Oxygen Network Oxygen (branded on air as Oxygen True Crime) is an American television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming unit of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast, through its Cable Entertainment Group subsidiary. The channel primar ...

created ''Freeride with Greta Gaines''. She later hosted

ESPN 2 ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%). ESPN2 was initially f ...

''s "Basscenter" and "The New American Sportsman." She released her first album of music, ''Greta Gaines'', in 1999. Her song "Firefly" received extensive radio play and rose to the tops of the MP3.com charts, after which she performed at

Lilith Fair Lilith Fair was a concert tour and travelling music festival, founded by Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan, Nettwerk Music Group's Dan Fraser and Terry McBride, and New York talent agent Marty Diamond. It took place during the summers of 1997 ...

with Sheryl Crow and

Sarah McLachlan Sarah Ann McLachlan OC OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is '' Surfacing'', for which she won two Grammy Awards (ou ...

, and had gigs opening shows for

Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...

and Alanis Morissette.

References

External links

*
Profile at ''MTV artists''

"Indie Spotlight: Greta Gaines" in ''BMI News'' (7 June 2013)

Biographic profile at ''AllMusic.com''

"Greta Gaines" (17 August 1999) sound samples from her first album

"Guitar Girl'd: Greta Gaines Talks New Album, 'Lighthouse & The Impossible Love'" in ''Guitar World'' (6 June 2013)

Profile at ''Women Grow''

''Sudden Exposure'' (1999), a documentary on the first World Extreme Snowboard Championship in 1992
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaines, Greta American cannabis activists American female snowboarders American women singers American women songwriters Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) Georgetown University alumni 21st-century American women