Richard Fariña
March 8, 1937 – April 30, 1966
Along with being a beat writer, Richard Fariña was a folk singer-songwriter who performed and recorded with second wife, Mimi Fariña, sister of Joan Baez. As a counterculture author, Fariña had stories published in the Transalantic Review and Mademoiselle. He also wrote the critically acclaimed and cult favorite novel, Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me. Considered a protest singer, Fariña’s music career was born around 1961 in the Greenwich Village folk scene. At the time, he was married to Carolyn Hester who introduced him to Bob Dylan, thus launching a friendship that would eventually lead him to meet Joan Baez and younger sister, Mimi. After divorcing Hester, Fariña married Mimi and together they moved to the central coast of California where they began writing songs together. Mimi & Richard Fariña signed to Vanguard Records who released three albums, one of which after Richard’s untimely death. Just two days after the release of Been Down So Long, the Farinas were home celebrating Mimi’s 21st birthday. During the party, Richard got on the back of a friend’s motorcycle for a ride. Allegedly driving at a high rate of speed, the driver lost control of the bike on a windy road, causing it to crash. Richard Fariña was killed instantly at the age of 29.
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