Pittsburgh s hellraising labor singer Anne Feeney gets the party she deserves at Mr Smalls wyep.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wyep.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Anne Feeney
Feeney performed for striking workers on countless picket lines, in union halls, and at many major labor movement events, including the WTO demonstrations in Seattle, Solidarity Day in Washington, D.C., and the 2004 March for Women’s Lives.
Over the course of her career, she released 12 albums, played more than 4,000 shows across North America and Europe, and shared stages with Pete Seeger, Loretta Lynn, John Prine, Toshi Reagon, The Mammals, Dan Bern, the Indigo Girls, and Billy Bragg. Her biggest hit, “Have You Been to Jail for Justice?,” was also recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary. She was a regular at the Oregon Country Fair and other festivals. Feeney served as president of the Pittsburgh Musician’s Union from 1981 to 1997, the first and only woman to hold that position.
Feeney for the people
By Bill Knight
Anne Feeney’s fiery, flowing red hair somehow contrasted with her silky singing as she played a rousing set of protest songs, folk and bluegrass and other numbers from the back of a truck.
And from the heart.
She was full of fun and fury.
That was in 1995 at a Decatur demonstration following a march of hundreds of Auto Workers, Rubber Workers, Paperworkers and supporters protesting Caterpillar, Bridgestone/Firestone and A.E. Staley.
Now, her strong voice is silent.
Last week, the popular 69-year-old troubadour died from COVID-19 at a Pittsburgh hospital.
She and I crossed paths a few times over the decades, but the hard-working musician activist was inspiring for many people for many years.
Anne Feeney, a folk singer and an impassioned activist who fought for workers' and women's rights, died Wednesday in Pittsburgh of COVID-19 complications.
Rolling Stone Anne Feeney, Influential Folk Musician and Activist, Dead at 69
Singer’s anthem “Have You Been to Jail for Justice” is sung at protests around the world
By Julie Leonardsson
Anne Feeney, the influential folk musician and labor activist whose “Have You Been to Jail for Justice” has served as an anthem for activists worldwide, died of Covid-19 on Wednesday. She was 69.
Her daughter, Amy Sue Berlin, confirmed the news on Wednesday night. “It is with a very heavy heart that we must announce the passing of our courageous, brilliant, beautiful mother, Anne Feeney,” Berlin wrote on Facebook. “We were very lucky that she fought hard enough to open up her eyes, and give us a couple days to be with her before she finally decided it was time to let go.”