Nobody who really looks into Holly Near's years of social activism and listens to her songs can doubt that she qualifies, at least on the edges...she's good enough for Seeger and several others and she has worked tirelessly to bring out the voices of people in struggle all over the world:

Her strength as a performer lead to creative collaborations with such artists as Ronnie Gilbert, Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Mercedes Sosa, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Inti Illimani, Bonnie Raitt, Cris Williamson, Jill Eikenberry, Michael Tucker, and Linda Tillery.

In 1972, Near founded Redwood Records which was a major force in alternative music for nearly 20 years. Redwood Records was dedicated to recording and promoting music by politically conscious artists from around the world. Near helped support the work of artists from Nicaragua, Chile, Australia, Canada, England, Argentina, Cuba, Uruguay, Viet Nam, El Salvador, Mexico, and The United States. She has received numerous awards for her work for social change, including honors from the ACLU, The National Lawyers Guild, The National Organization for Women, and MS Magazine (Woman of the Year). In 2000, Near received The Legends of Women's Music Award for her pioneering work in lesbian and feminist music.

To date, Holly has released 20 recordings and has appeared as a guest on many others. She sings a duet with Mary Travers on Peter, Paul and Mary's, Lifelines and does a beautiful rendition of "Quiet Early Morning" for Where Have All the Flowers Gone, a 1998 retrospective of the music of Pete Seeger.