[1] She was born in Columbia, South Carolina, the daughter of Isadora Bennett and Daniel Reed, respectively a theater publicist and actor.
After she moved to New York City with her family – including her older brother Jared, who also performed – she began singing and playing the zither, harp and autoharp at private parties and for wounded soldiers convalescing in hospitals.
Although she originally aspired to becoming a painter,[2] she was discovered by Barney Josephson, owner of the Café Society club in Greenwich Village, who booked her to appear there.
[3][4][5] Her performances of folk ballads and other traditional songs found immediate success, and she appeared on radio and TV shows with Burl Ives.
[3] She established an antiques shop in Greenwich Village, and later sold ethnic handicrafts and clothes in Nyack, New York.