Jessica Mitford

Jessica Mitford sings on four "Don't Quit Your Day Job" Records releases: "Decca & the Dectones," "There Is a Moral to It All," the "Lit-Rock Sampler #1," and the "Stranger Than Fiction" double CD.

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Biographical Information

Decca's accomplishments included running away to Loyalist Spain during the Spanish Civil War; getting subpoenaed by the House Committee on Un-American Activities and its California counterpart, pursuant to her work in the Civil Rights Congress; and riding an elephant in the Ringling Brothers Celebrity Parade. She wrote nine books, including The American Way of Death, The American Way of Birth, Poison Penmanship: The Gentle Art of Muckraking, and Grace Had an English Heart, about the English folk heroine, Grace Darling, whose exploits are celebrated on Ms. Mitford's first single, "Decca & the Dectones." Other honors included a Guggenheim Fellowship, an honorary degree from Smith College, the Golden Gadfly Award from the San Francisco Media Alliance, and the inexpensive "Jessica Mitford Casket," created by a coffin manufacturer in response to her expose of the extravagance of U.S. funerals in The American Way of Death.

Jessica Mitford died in July, 1996.

The Ballad of Decca

1. 'Twas on the grounds of Swinbrook, there dwelt an English maid
   Pure as the air around her, of danger ne'er afraid
   A prisoner of the nursery, as bored as she could be
   So, longing for adventure, she split with Romilly -- and --

   She sailed away o'er the rolling sea, over the waters blue
   "HELP! HELP!" she could hear the cries of a cause so true
   Decca was very smart, integrity she craved
   She pulled away o'er the rolling spray, and her life she saved

2. She settled in Oakland's flatlands, accepting many a dare
   With Dinky, Bob and Benjy, determined to make things fair
   When the Unamericans rode into town,
   Decca was there with a wink and a frown
   Taking the fifth (which became a noun) she never let her comrades down -- and --

   Fearlessly she sailed into the fray -- relentlessly brave and true
   "HELP! HELP!" she could hear the cry
   That echoed around and pierced the sky
   But she was ready with her reply, "You'll never get me to testify"

3. But when she sang the Beatles, her life turned upside-down
   With Maxwell and Grace Darling she makes a lovely sound
   So madly looking forward to singing here tonight
   Let's put our hands together for England's brightest light -- as --

   She sails away o'er chorus and verse, accompanied by kazoo
   "HELP! HELP!" you can hear the cries of the Dectones, too
   With a true performer's heart, and vocals strong and brave
   She'll sing today in her dashing way
   And the show she'll save!

Other Web Sites About Jessica Mitford

• Fanciful, Musical Farewell to Mitford
  (article by Kathleen Sullivan, San Francisco Examiner)
• Jessica Mitford Memorial Site
  (curated by Steve Rubin and Karen Leonard)
• Laughter Eclipses Tears at Mitford Tribute
  (article by Charles Burress, San Francisco Chronicle)
• "Objective? I Always Have an Objective."
  (article by Joan Smith, San Francisco Examiner)
• Jessica Mitford, Barroom Belter
  (article by Patricia Holt, San Francisco Chronicle)
• The Mourning Fog
  (column by Herb Caen, San Francisco Chronicle)
• Jessica Mitford Was a Down-to-Earth Grande Dame
  (article by Patricia Holt, San Francisco Chronicle)
• Oakland Muckraker Mitford Dies at 78
  (article by Joan Smith, San Francisco Examiner)
• Celebrated Muckraker Jessica Mitford Dies
  (article by Stephen Schwartz & Charles Burress, San Francisco Chronicle)
• Jessica Mitford Burying Those Who Bury Us Thirty Years Ago, Bay Area Author Jessica Mitford Shook up the Funeral Industry with her Muckraking Book, "The American Way of Death." Now She's Back, Digging up New Dirt.
  (article by Julia Angwin, San Francisco Chronicle)