Anne Feeney, the influential folk musician and labor activist whose “Have You Been to Jail for Justice” has served as the anthem for activists worldwide, died of Covid-19 on Wednesday. She was 69.
Her daughter, Amy Sue Berlin, confirmed the news Wednesday night. “It is with a heavy heart that we must announce the passing of our brave, brilliant, beautiful mother, Anne Feeney,” Berlin wrote on Facebook. “We were very lucky that she fought hard enough to open her eyes and give us a few days to be with her before she finally decided it was time to let go.”
A fixture on the folk circuit, Feeney gave more than 4,000 shows in the US and Europe. Many of her performances include sets in union halls, for workers on strike and at rallies. In 2004 she starred in March for Women’s Lives in Washington, DC and her performance in 1999 during the World Trade Organization protests in Seattle was featured in the documentary, This is what democracy looks like.
Feeney released 12 albums and worked regularly with Pete Seeger, John Prine and Peter, Paul and Mary. Her “Have You Been to Jail for Justice”, often sung at demonstrations, was covered by Peter, Paul and Mary.
“Anne Feeney was a very dedicated songwriter / activist in the great tradition of Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie,” said Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary in a statement. She was cheerful and fervent in her determination to use her music to uplift those most marginalized and to push for more justice in the country. For Annie it was a way of life. Her song ‘Have You Been to Jail for Justice’, which our trio recorded, was an anthem for all of us who took part in ‘the good fight’ with Annie. “
Her dedicated activism started in her youth. She was inspired by her grandfather, William Patrick Feeney, a first generation Irish immigrant, miner organizer and violinist. In 1969, when she was still a teenager, she performed in public for the first time, singing a Phil Ochs song during a protest against the Vietnam War.
She graduated from the University of Pittsburg School of Law in 1978 and worked as a trial attorney for 12 years, representing mostly refugees and survivors of domestic violence. Feeney was president of the Pittsburgh Musician’s Union from 1981 to 1997, the first and only woman to hold that position. She served on the board of directors of the Pennsylvania division of the National Organization for Women (NOW), and was also an active member of the American Federation of Musicians and the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW).
“The great folk musician Anne Feeney was a fearless and formidable force for justice and workers’ rights on stage, in the studio and on the picket,” Tom Morello said in a statement. “By her art and by her example, our IWW comrade will remain a beacon of hope and solidarity for future generations.”