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Margarita Mimi Baez Fariña (April 30, 1945 – July 18, 2001) was an American singer-songwriter and activist, the youngest of three daughters of mother Joan Chandos Bridge and
Mexican-American Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the United State ...
physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...
Albert Baez. She was the younger sister of the singer and activist
Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (, ; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing mo ...
.


Career


Early years

Fariña's father, a physicist affiliated with
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
and
MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...
, moved his family frequently due to his job assignments, working in the United States and in international locations. She benefited from dance and music lessons, and took up the guitar, joining the 1960s
American folk music revival The American folk music revival began during the 1940s and peaked in popularity in the mid-1960s. Early folk music performers include Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Pete Seeger, Ewan MacColl (UK), Richard Dyer-Bennet, Oscar Brand, Jean Ritchie ...
. Fariña met novelist, musician, and composer
Richard Fariña Richard George Fariña (; March 8, 1937 – April 30, 1966) was an American Folk music, folksinger, songwriter, poet and novelist. Early years and education Fariña was born in Brooklyn, New York, United States, the son of an Irish mother, Ther ...
(1937–1966) in 1963, when she was 17 years old, and married him at age 18 in Paris. The two collaborated on a number of influential folk albums, most notably, ''Celebrations for a Grey Day'' (1965) and ''Reflections in a Crystal Wind'' (1966), both on
Vanguard Records Vanguard Recording Society is an American record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the so ...
. After Richard Fariña's death in a motorcycle accident on April 30, 1966 (on Mimi's twenty-first birthday), she moved to
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, where she flourished as a singer, songwriter, model, actress, and activist. She performed at various festivals and clubs throughout the
Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. The Association of Bay Area Governments ...
, including the Big Sur Folk Festivals,
the Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction film, science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in the The Matrix (franchise), ''Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Ca ...
, and the hungry i. Fariña briefly sang for the rock group the Only Alternative and His Other Possibilities. In 1967, Fariña joined a satiric comedy troupe called The Committee. That same year, she and her sister Joan Baez were arrested at a peaceful demonstration and were housed temporarily in Santa Rita Jail, personalizing the experience of captivity for her. In 1968, Fariña married Milan Melvin and continued to perform, sometimes recording and touring with either her sister Joan or the folksinger
Tom Jans Tom Jans (February 9, 1948 – March 25, 1984) was an American folk singer-songwriter and guitarist from San Jose, California. He is perhaps best known for his song " Loving Arms" (also known as "Lovin' Arms"), which was recorded initially by Kr ...
, with whom she recorded an album in 1971, entitled ''Take Heart''. Fariña and Milan divorced in 1971. Among the songs she wrote is "In the Quiet Morning (for Janis Joplin)", which her sister recorded and released in 1972 on the album ''
Come from the Shadows ''Come from the Shadows'' is the thirteenth studio album (and fifteenth overall) by Joan Baez, released in 1972. After recording for the independent label Vanguard for more than a decade, Baez signed with A&M and attempted to point her career in ...
''. The song is also included on a number of compilations, including Joan Baez's ''Greatest Hits''. By 1973, Fariña was asked to accompany her sister Joan and
B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, sh ...
when they performed for the prisoners in Sing Sing Prison. This experience, along with her arrest in 1967, led her to a desire to do more for those who are held in institutions.


Bread and Roses

In 1974, Fariña founded Bread and Roses, now known as Bread and Roses Presents. The organization's name came from " Bread and Roses", a 1912 poem by James Oppenheim, which is commonly associated with a 1912 garment workers strike in
Lawrence, Massachusetts Lawrence is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Merrimack River. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 89,143. Surrounding communities include Methuen, Massachusetts, Methuen ...
. Farina had just set the poem to a new tune she composed, which was an instant success, becoming the favorite of many subsequent singers, including Judy Collins, Ani DiFranco, Utah Phillips, and Josh Lucker, and it was also performed by a slowly growing crowd of workers in a moving/critical turning point scene in the 2014 movie ''
Pride Pride is a human Emotion, secondary emotion characterized by a sense of satisfaction with one's Identity (philosophy), identity, performance, or accomplishments. It is often considered the opposite of shame or of humility and, depending on conte ...
''. Bread and Roses is in its fifth decade as a non-profit organization, bringing free live music and entertainment to children, adults, and seniors who are isolated in institutional settings: children's day care and special needs schools, hospitals, adult and juvenile detention facilities, homeless shelters, adult recovery centers, senior day and convalescent homes. Bread and Roses serves isolated audiences in eight counties in the San Francisco Bay Area, and consults with other like-minded programs nationally. In 2019, Bread and Roses brought performers to play more than 600 concerts in over 120 institutions. Though she continued to sing in her later years, releasing an album in 1985 and performing sporadically, Fariña devoted most of her time to running Bread and Roses. In the late 1980s, she teamed with Pete Sears to play a variety of benefit and protest concerts. Many concerts were concerned with human rights issues in Central America, especially the U.S.-backed civil wars in
Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...
and
El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...
. They once set up to play on the abandoned railroad tracks outside the Concord Naval Weapons Center in California. Surrounded by military police, Fariña and Sears played a show for people protesting U.S. weapons being shipped to government troops in El Salvador. In 1985, she recorded her own album ''Mimi Fariña Solo''. Bread and Roses also has a CDproduced by Banana, aka Lowell Levinger, with Michael Kleffof a series of concerts that she gave with Banana in Germany in the 1980s. Fariña used her connections with the folk-singing community to elicit help in supporting Bread and Roses, including
Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and social activist. He was a fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s and had a string of hit records in the early 1950s as a member of The Weav ...
,
Paul Winter Paul Winter (born August 31, 1939) is an American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. He is a pioneer of world music and earth music, which interweaves the voices of the wild with instrumental voices from classical, jazz and world music. The ...
,
Odetta Odetta Holmes (December 31, 1930 – December 2, 2008), known as Odetta, was an American singer, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire consisted largely of American folk music, blues, jazz, and s ...
, Hoyt Axton,
Judy Collins Judith Marjorie Collins (born May 1, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and musician with a career spanning nearly seven decades. An Academy Awards, Academy Award-nominated documentary director and a Grammy Awards, Grammy Award-winning rec ...
,
Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal ( ; ; ) is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal Empire, Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his belo ...
,
Lily Tomlin Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin (born September 1, 1939) is an American actress, comedian, writer, singer, and producer. Tomlin started her career in stand-up comedy and sketch comedy before transitioning her career to acting across stage and screen. ...
,
Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the Rock music, rock band Santana (band), Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he r ...
,
Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In 1971, Raitt released her Bonnie Raitt (album), self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed Americana (mu ...
, and others.


Death and legacy

Fariña died of neuroendocrine cancer at her home in Mill Valley, California on July 18, 2001, at age 56. A memorial service was held on August 7 at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. 1,200 people attended. The life of Mimi Fariña is partially chronicled in David Hajdu's book ''Positively 4th Street''. She is alluded to in the Armistead Maupin novel '' Tales of the City'', set in San Francisco in the 1970s, and she appeared in a cameo role in the 1993
miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...
based on the novel. She is referred to by Carol Ward (
Catherine O'Hara Catherine Anne O'Hara (born March 4, 1954) is a Canadian and American actress, comedian, and screenwriter. She started her career in sketch comedy, sketch and improvisational comedy in film and television before expanding her career taking dra ...
) in the U.S. television series '' Six Feet Under'', in which it is stated that Fariña had been involved with the production of the (fictitious) ''Pack Up Your Sorrows: The Mimi Fariña Story''. She also was the subject of sister Joan Baez' 1969 song " Sweet Sir Galahad". She appears in the 2012 documentary ''Greenwich Village: Music That Defined a Generation'' and the 2023 documentary '' Joan Baez: I Am a Noise''.


Selected discography

* 1965: ''Celebrations for a Grey Day'' with
Richard Fariña Richard George Fariña (; March 8, 1937 – April 30, 1966) was an American Folk music, folksinger, songwriter, poet and novelist. Early years and education Fariña was born in Brooklyn, New York, United States, the son of an Irish mother, Ther ...
,
Vanguard Records Vanguard Recording Society is an American record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the so ...
* 1966: ''Reflections in a Crystal Wind'' with Richard Fariña, Vanguard Records * 1968: ''Memories'' with Richard Fariña, Vanguard Records * 1971: ''Take Heart'' with
Tom Jans Tom Jans (February 9, 1948 – March 25, 1984) was an American folk singer-songwriter and guitarist from San Jose, California. He is perhaps best known for his song " Loving Arms" (also known as "Lovin' Arms"), which was recorded initially by Kr ...
,
A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...
* 1985: ''Mimi Farina Solo'', Rounder Records * 2001: ''The Complete Vanguard Recordings'' with Richard Fariña, Vanguard Records * 2018: ''Mimi Fariña with Lowell Levinger'' (Banana from The Youngbloods) Grandpa Raccoon Records


References


External links


Allusions
to Richard or Mimi Fariña

Performance on ''Rainbow Quest''
News Film footage
of Joan Baez and Mimi Fariña (in the background) being released from jail October 26, 1967.
Tribute from Bread & Roses siteBread & Roses
non-profit organization founded by Mimi to bring live entertainment to those who are in institutions
Mimi Farina at Find-A-Grave
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farina, Mimi 1945 births 2001 deaths American women singer-songwriters American folk singers American musicians of Mexican descent Deaths from cancer in California Hispanic and Latino American musicians Vanguard Records artists Rounder Records artists 20th-century American singer-songwriters Musicians from Palo Alto, California Singer-songwriters from California Joan Baez 20th-century American women singers American people of Scottish descent Hispanic and Latino American women singers