Hay Una Mujer Desaparecida, H. Near, Ronnie Gilbert, Weavers

"When Holly Near and Ronnie Gilbert united for a series of concerts at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall in 1983, it was an historic intersection of two generations of fearless topical folksingers and songwriters.

The collaboration between Gilbert (a former member of The Weavers, the group that jumpstarted the folk movement of the Fifties and Sixties) and Near (a global peace activist and feminist music pioneer who was one of the first independent artists to start her own record label) sent a wave of excitement through the peace/feminist movement in the United States.

These women voiced the work, faith, humor and complexities of the social change movement in the United States."

To me, the most powerful performance in that 1983 concert was Near and Gilbert's performance of 'Hay Una Mujer Desaparecida' (There Is A Woman Missing), sung primarily in Spanish.

Out of that historical concert the following LP was released: Lifeline, Holly Near and Ronnie Gilbert, Redwood Records, 1983, (rrcd404).

'Hay Una Mujer Desaparecida', (as used in this video), is one of fifteen cuts issued on this original, 1983, Redwood recording.

There was also a contemporary PBS special that was broadcast of this concert in San Francisco in 1983. It was when I watched that PBS special, that I first heard Near and Gilbert sing, (a'cappella, in many parts), Hay Una Mujer Desaparecida.

I was thoroughly mesmerized by the show on PBS and went to my local record store the very next day, scouring the shelves for the recording. It took me a while to locate the LP, Lifeline, but I finally found it and have kept it all of these years.

In 2002, a recording, Lifeline Extended, was released. This reissue expands on the original and out-of-print Lifeline, to now include more songs as well as introductions, stage banter, and audience participation. (Appleseed Recordings 2002 - APR-CD-1066).

I've taken this wonderful song, from Near and Gilbert's original San Francisco performance (recorded live), shortened it a bit and posted it in recognition of missing persons all over the world, in hopes that the missing and their families & loved ones will be reunited soon.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Folk
• Song
• The
• Weavers
• Holly
• Near
• Ronnie
• Gilbert
• Spanish
• Language
• Missing
• Persons
• Protest
• Peace
• Feminism
• Activist
• greenteawoman

[greanteawoman]

Thanks to Koch Entertainment for allowing this video to remain Live. Koch owns the copyright to the audio of this song & has made available links to purchase/download the music. Please purchase this song & also check out the ads that appear on the sidebar. From what I've seen the content of the ads is very good. This will help Koch allow me to continue featuring their song & also earn some rightful revenue. Thank you again Koch & great going doing the download rather than pulling the video.

[silverbonn]

While under arrest (for civil disobedience), I approached a group of women sitting in a circle in the jail yard. They KNEW *every* name of EVERY woman (from the original) in the song! (The names go on for quite a while in the original version.) Can never hear this song w/o that memory flooding back! (Thx SO much/muchisimas gracias for the post!) Anyone out there have "Imagine My Surprise" and/or "She" ? (My LP.tape collection "died" in an arson fire.)

[greanteawoman]

Silverbonn, that is an amazing story! It must have been an experience of a lifetime. Makes the lockup 'worth it'. No problema - feliz usted tuvo gusto de la canción!

[silverbonn]

@greanteawoman: 1st, "me llamo la gringa pendeja," hablo espanol solament un poquito y mi Spanglish tan mejor.2nd, lo siento mucho que me no puedo a leer sus palabras antes de esta dia ~ un ano pasado. El lock-up estaba con 1000s de otros y MAS de 'worth it.' Estaba a protestar el nuclear reactor que se llaman 'El Canyon del Diablo.' (Estaba a un Holly concert cuando ella anunciada la protesta estaba ocurando 'ahorita' y mucha de la gente y yo salidos!) Me entiendo? "Gracias a la vida," que no?

[greanteawoman]

@silverbonn Understood perfectly and Bablefish helped me do that. I could once speak Spanish rather well and love the language. If ya don't use it - ya lose it is true, I guess. Wonderful story. Thank you for dropping back by silverbonn --- I feel that we were so lucky to 'live in the day' of the righteous protests and such for the causes of our generation. The stories I could tell myself ... ¡De nuevo, gracias!

[silverbonn]

Unsure which post (if any) will go up 1st, but... HUGE chuckle? Consid'g the subject, when I 1st saw your screenname, I thot it Spanglish wordplay -- gray-AN-tay-woman ('ante' = b4 in spanish). Ie, "b4 gray woman," my assumpt'n. Believing u 2b Chilean, due to the powerful emotions evoked by the vid, I thot "greantewoman" to be Chilean slang. I just this moment realized it's a playful spelling of "GREEN *TEA* WOMAN," no? (The above, &a reply or 2,the reasons I'd replied in Spanish! [guffaw!])

[greanteawoman]

@silverbonn You got it now ... LOL. My screen name was supposed to BE Green Tea Woman. It's was a typo and once a screen name is picked -- we're stuck with it ... Oh well, I've lived with this typo moniker for years and I'm good with it now ... HAD I known what was in store for me on YouTube, you can believe that it would have NEVER even been greenteawoman spelled right. Now 272,501 total channel upload views later ... here I sit. Nice chatting with ya!

[Seattlecarnut]

Two living legends together singing. Two beautiful voices.

[breachborn]

I learned this song 1980s

I sing it now. Amazing and Moving.

Bless All Of Our Hearts.

Peace and Thank You.

[rosieprospects]

@silverbonn have all the vinyl Imagine my surprise etc saw Holly Near in 1979 in Bellingham, WA Love to YOU and thank you FOR SPEAKING OUT

[ravenphoenix42]

We're discussing the problems of the people of Chile, Uruguay and Argentina in my Spanish VIII class. I told my dad we watched a short movie called "El Ojo en la Nuca" about the military coup in Uruguay and he remembered this song. So we looked it up. This song is so hauntingly beautiful... and so sad... this is the first song that has made me cry in such a long time. And nobody really knows about how much these people suffer. It's so terrible...

[juneaupup]

The comment that song is only about women is incorrect if you listen to the entire clip, where it also refers to men and children. But regardless, I don't see it as saying that it's "terrible that they'd do that to a 'woman" - it's saying that these women should not be forgotten. The lives of women are not as valued in some countries; there is a need to raise awareness that political violence is not only toward men - these women should not be forgotten. The song is haunting and amazing.