Jacqueline Steiner
Encyclopedia
Jacqueline Steiner is an American folk singer
, songwriter
and social activist
. Steiner is known for having written the lyrics to the song "M.T.A.", about a man stuck on the Boston subway because he could not pay the exit fare
. "M.T.A." was co-written with Bess Lomax Hawes
as part of a Boston political campaign in 1949 and later altered slightly by the popular folk group the Kingston Trio, becoming one of their hits in 1959.
Steiner graduated from Vassar College
and attended graduate courses at Radcliffe College
. She married Arnold Berman (the couple divorced in 1954) and was active in the folk scene in the 1950s and 60s, singing (as Jackie Berman) with Pete Seeger
and others on Hootenanny Tonight!, recorded in 1954 and released by Folkways Records
in 1959. As Jacqueline Sharpe, she released an album of antiwar songs in 1966 entitled No More War. Steiner is a linguist and demonstrated this interest in 1991 with her album Far Afield: Songs of Three Continents.
Steiner joined the Norwalk, Connecticut
branch of the African American
civil rights advocacy group the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP) in 1991, serving several years as the chapter's secretary and receiving the Roy Wilkins Leadership Award for service from the state NAACP in 2010.
Folk Singer
Folk Singer is a 1964 album by Muddy Waters. Waters plays acoustic guitar, backed by Willie Dixon on string bass, Clifton James on drums, and Buddy Guy on acoustic guitar...
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and social activist
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
. Steiner is known for having written the lyrics to the song "M.T.A.", about a man stuck on the Boston subway because he could not pay the exit fare
Exit fare
An exit fare is a method of collecting ridership fees, or fare, from a transportation system where the fee is collected from passengers upon reaching their destination....
. "M.T.A." was co-written with Bess Lomax Hawes
Bess Lomax Hawes
Bess Lomax Hawes was an American folk musician, folklorist, and researcher. She was the daughter of John Avery Lomax and Bess Bauman-Brown Lomax, and the sister of Alan Lomax.-Early life and education:...
as part of a Boston political campaign in 1949 and later altered slightly by the popular folk group the Kingston Trio, becoming one of their hits in 1959.
Steiner graduated from Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
and attended graduate courses at Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was the coordinate college for Harvard University. It was also one of the Seven Sisters colleges. Radcliffe College conferred joint Harvard-Radcliffe diplomas beginning in 1963 and a formal merger agreement with...
. She married Arnold Berman (the couple divorced in 1954) and was active in the folk scene in the 1950s and 60s, singing (as Jackie Berman) with Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
and others on Hootenanny Tonight!, recorded in 1954 and released by Folkways Records
Folkways Records
Folkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
in 1959. As Jacqueline Sharpe, she released an album of antiwar songs in 1966 entitled No More War. Steiner is a linguist and demonstrated this interest in 1991 with her album Far Afield: Songs of Three Continents.
Steiner joined the Norwalk, Connecticut
Norwalk, Connecticut
Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the city is 85,603, making Norwalk sixth in population in Connecticut, and third in Fairfield County...
branch of the African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
civil rights advocacy group the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
(NAACP) in 1991, serving several years as the chapter's secretary and receiving the Roy Wilkins Leadership Award for service from the state NAACP in 2010.