Ruthann Friedman

Though her best-known composition was the ubiquitous soft rock hit the Association had with her breezy tune "Windy," songwriter Ruthann Friedman penned countless songs throughout the '60s and '70s, getting into more softly psychedelic and introspective territory than that elevator rock classic would suggest. Born in the Bronx in 1944, Friedman spent her youth in the suburbs of Los Angeles, eventually becoming part of the burgeoning hippie movement and taking to the road to live out that nomadic lifestyle. Some time spent in San Francisco saw her befriending scene luminaries li...