In 1971 she joined the 'Free the Army' tour, an anti-Vietnam War variety show with Jane Fonda. She wrote the song 'It Could Have Been Me' to protest the 1970 Kent State killings. Voted Homecoming Queen in her senior year, she acted in several TV shows including 'The Partridge Family,' as well as in B films, and was a cast member in the Broadway musical 'Hair.' Not thin, she knew she would be relegated to character parts, so she began focusing on music. She rebelled early, fighting for girls to wear pants on Fridays in high school. Political activist Torie Osborne comments that Near has a gift for 'bringing radical ideas into an all-American package to audiences, and inspires them in a way no one else has.' This tribute documentary was released to commemorate Near's 70th birthday in June, but her career is ongoing, her crystalline voice lyrical as ever.īorn in Ukiah, she became involved in a local folk group at a young age. Feminist guru Gloria Steinem credits Near with enabling her to experience music both communally and as a movement. Her friend Jane Fonda observes that Near's artistry unlocks the heart.

But if you're not ready to go there, we're going to move onto the best of humanity, whether you come with us or not.' That's a succinct statement expressing the philosophy of LGBTQ feminist singer-composer-activist Holly Near, one of the founders of the 1970s Women's Music movement, profiled in a new 'American Masters' episode that premiered on PBS March 1, streamable throughout the month. 'I believe through the gentleness of song one can say, I invite you to your best self.

American masters holly near