Underrated Badass: Mimi Farina

I spend a lot of time holed up in my room reading about the sixties. When my hard drive started to suffer under the weight of my obsession, starting a Tumblr devoted to black and white photos of folk singers provided some much needed digital storage-space relief. However, its purpose is incredibly specific, so I'm going to start using this blog to delve a little deeper into the stories of people who have inspired me, starting with activist, singer-songwriter, and style-inspiration Mimi Farina.

I first became aware of Mimi as Joan Baez's kid sister, but there's so much more to her than that.

Mimi on her wedding day.

Bob Dylan, Mimi, and Richard by Barry Feinstein

When Mimi was 18, she married writer, musician, and composer Richard Farina, and the couple collaborated on several folk albums before Richard was killed in a motorcycle accident on Mimi's 21st birthday. Following his death, Mimi continued to make music, but also danced and tried her hand at improv comedy.

In 1967, Mimi and Joan were arrested while peacefully protesting the draft, which eventually inspired Mimi to for Bread and Roses, a non-profit organization, in 1974. Bread and Roses, which brings music and entertainment to the institutionalized, became Mimi's primary focus until her untimely death at the age of 56 from neuroendocrine cancer.

Mimi performing with Joan and Judy Collins.