Malvina Reynolds

Malvina Reynolds (born as Malvina Milder in 1900, died 1978) was an American folk/blues singer-songwriter and political activist, probably best known for writing the song Little Boxes. She began her music 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 the University of California at Berkeley, where she studied music theory. She went on to write several popular songs, including Little Boxes (about suburban living, said to be inspired by Daly City, California), What Have They Done To The Rain (about nuclear fallout), It Isn't Nice (a civil rights anthem), Turn Around (sung by Harry Belafonte), and There's a Bottom Below (about being depressed). Only two collections of her music are available on compact disc, both on the Smithsonian Folkways label, Another Country Heard From (Folkways 02524) and Ear to the Ground (Smithsonian Folkways 40124). A film biography, Love It Like a Fool, was made a few years before she died in 1978. Reynolds' most famous song, Little Boxes, has enjoyed renewed popularity by being featured in Showtime's TV series Weeds.