Born in Minnesota and raised in Chicago, Jenny Vincent was educated at a progressive private school and Vassar College. Introduced to international folk music at an early age, she remains a performer and champion of this "music of the people."

In 1936, Jenny and her first husband visited northern New Mexico at the invitation of D. H. Lawrence's widow. Enchanted with the place and its people, they purchased a ranch that has been Jenny's home ever since.

Jenny believed strongly in social advocacy, which she expressed through song. She performed with such luminaries as Pete...