Ronnie Gilbert, born Ruth Alice Gilbert on September 7, 1926, in Brooklyn, New
York, was an American folk singer, actress, and political activist whose
powerful contralto made her a defining voice of the Weavers. After singing with
the Priority Ramblers during World War II, she helped form the Weavers with Pete
Seeger, Lee Hays, and Fred Hellerman. The quartet recorded such folk standards
as “This Land Is Your Land” and “If I Had a Hammer” before being blacklisted
during the early 1950s. Gilbert subsequently pursued a solo career while
remaining active in political and cultural c...