7. Malvina ReynoldsMalvina Reynolds Sings The Truth

She was a brilliant musician and activist in the US. The first time I heard of her was after hearing Joan Baez singing her song ‘What Have They Done To The Rain?’ from 1962 [a song about acid rain after nuclear testing]. It was the first environmental song, really – people say that was Joni’s ‘Big Yellow Taxi’, and her line about paving paradise and putting up a parking lot, but it wasn’t. Malvina was just extraordinary, her voice, her playing, everything about her. I seem to be drawn to the minor stars of American folk revival. I also absolutely Mimi Fariña, Joan Baez’s sister. I love her voice – it’s got a blues quality that her sister lacks.