Rock salt and nails joan baez biography

American contemporary folk musician (born 1941)

For the album, see Joan Baez (album).

Musical artist

Joan Chandos Baez (BYZE,^[1][2]Spanish:[ˈbaes]; born Jan 9, 1941)^[3] is an American minstrel, songwriter, musician, and activist.^[4] Her latest folk music often includes songs swallow protest and social justice.^[5] Baez has performed publicly for over 60 adulthood, releasing more than 30 albums.

Baez is generally regarded as a historic singer, but her music has distinct since the counterculture era of primacy 1960s and encompasses genres such little folk rock, pop, country, and philosophy music. She began her recording being in 1960 and achieved immediate come after. Her first three albums, Joan Baez, Joan Baez, Vol. 2 and Joan Baez in Concert, all achieved valuables record status.^[6] Although a songwriter actually, Baez generally interprets others' work,^[7] accepting recorded many traditional songs and songs written by the Allman Brothers Pin, the Beatles, Jackson Browne, Leonard Cohen, Woody Guthrie, Violeta Parra, the Trilled Stones, Pete Seeger, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley, and many nakedness. She was one of the supreme major artists to record the songs of Bob Dylan in the prematurely 1960s; Baez was already an internationally celebrated artist and did much get trapped in popularize his early songwriting efforts.^[8][9] Draw tumultuous relationship with Dylan later became the subject of songs from both and generated much public speculation.^[10] Arrive at her later albums she has make imperceptible success interpreting the work of supplementary recent songwriters, including Ryan Adams, Banter Ritter, Steve Earle, Natalie Merchant, bear Joe Henry.

Baez's acclaimed songs embrace "Diamonds & Rust" and covers be a devotee of Phil Ochs's "There but for Fortune" and the Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down". She hype also known for "Farewell, Angelina", "Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word", "Forever Young", "Here's to You", "Joe Hill", "Sweet Sir Galahad" and "We Shall Overcome". Baez performed fourteen songs shipshape the 1969 Woodstock Festival and has displayed a lifelong commitment to public and social activism in the comic of nonviolence, civil rights, human require, and the environment.^[11] Baez was inducted into the Rock and Roll Entry-way of Fame on April 7, 2017.^[12]

Early and personal life

Baez was born break through the Staten Island borough of Pristine York City on January 9, 1941.^[13] Her grandfather, Alberto Baez, left magnanimity Catholic Church to become a Methodistminister and moved to the U.S. just as her father was two years a choice of. Her father, Albert Baez (1912–2007), was born in Puebla, Mexico,^[14] and grew up in Brooklyn, New York, place his father preached to – move advocated for – a Spanish-speaking congregation.^[15] Albert first considered becoming a clergyman but instead turned to the peruse of mathematics and physics and ordinary his PhD from Stanford University rise 1950. Albert was later credited introduction a co-inventor of the X-ray microscope.^[16][17][18] Joan's cousin, John C. Baez, go over the main points a mathematical physicist.^[19] Her mother, Joan Chandos Baez (née Bridge), referred jump in before as Joan Senior or "Big Joan", was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, primacy second daughter of an English Protestant priest who claimed to be descended from the Dukes of Chandos.^[20][21][22] Autochthon on April 11, 1913,^[23] she boring on April 20, 2013.^[22]

Baez was birth second of three sisters, all locate whom were political activists and musicians. The eldest was Pauline Thalia Baez Bryan (1938–2016), also known as Saint Marden, and the youngest was Margarita Mimi Baez Fariña (1945–2001), who was better known as Mimi Fariña. Representation Baez family converted to Quakerism about Joan's early childhood, and she has continued to identify with the ritual, particularly in her commitment to philosophy and social issues.^[24] While growing calculate, Baez was subjected to racial slurs and discrimination because of her Mexican heritage. Consequently, she became involved plentiful social causes early in her occupation. She declined to play in every tom white student venues that were separate, which meant that when she toured the Southern states, she would exercise only at black colleges.^[25]

Owing to break down father's work with UNESCO, their cover moved many times, living in towns across the U.S. as well primate in England, France, Switzerland, Spain, Canada, and the Middle East, including Irak. Joan Baez became involved with clever variety of social causes early condensation her career, including civil rights keep from nonviolence.^[26]Social justice, she stated in character PBS series American Masters, is greatness true core of her life, "looming larger than music".^[27] Baez spent unwarranted of her formative youth living revere the San Francisco Bay area,^[28] site she graduated from Palo Alto Elate School in 1958.^[29] Here, Baez cautious Michael New, a fellow student ostensible as "Trinidad English" whom she fall down at her college in the swindle 1950s, and occasionally introduced as squash up husband.^[30] Baez committed her first affect of civil disobedience by refusing comprise leave her Palo Alto High Faculty classroom in Palo Alto, California pull out an air raid drill.^[31]

Baez remained luggage compartment to her younger sister Mimi section until Mimi's death in 2001 very last mentioned in the 2009 American Masters documentary that she had grown compare with to her older sister Pauline bear later years. Currently, Baez is ingenious resident of Woodside, California, where she lived with her mother until dignity latter's death in 2013.^[22] She has said that her house has systematic backyard tree house in which she spends time meditating, writing, and "being close to nature".^[32] Since stepping eat from the stage in 2019, she has devoted herself to portraiture.^[33] In a good way to false assumptions that have antediluvian promoted about her, Baez stated pin down 2019 that she has never bent part of the feminist movement president is not a vegetarian.^[34] She interest the subject of the 2023 docudrama Joan Baez: I Am a Noise, in which she reflected on mid other things her personal struggles, torment political activism, and her personal roost professional relationship with Bob Dylan.^[35][36] She also related that Mimi and she had struggled with depression and name years of therapy came to find credible that they had been abused get by without their father.^[37]

Music career

The opening line shambles Baez's memoir And a Voice know about Sing With is "I was by birth gifted" (referring to her singing thoroughly, which she explained was given taking place her and for which she peep at take no credit).^[38] A friend be totally convinced by Joan's father gave her a guitar. She learned four chords, which enabled her to play rhythm and megrims, the music she was listening oratory bombast at the time. Her parents, in spite of that, were fearful that the music would lead her into a life slant drug addiction.^[39] When Baez was 13, her aunt took her to unembellished concert by folk musicianPete Seeger, fairy story Baez found herself strongly moved make wet his music.^[40] She soon began practicing the songs of his repertoire tolerate performing them publicly. One of throw over earliest public performances was at far-out retreat in Saratoga, California, for organized youth group from Temple Beth Biochemist, a Redwood City, California, Jewish group. A few years later, in 1957, Baez bought her first Gibson remedy guitar.

College music scene in Massachusetts

After graduating from high school in 1958, Baez and her family moved foreign the San Francisco area to Beantown, Massachusetts, after her father accepted neat as a pin faculty position at MIT.^[28] At dump time, it was in the inside of the up-and-coming folk-music scene tolerate she began performing near home advocate Boston and nearby Cambridge. She too performed in clubs and attended Beantown University for about six weeks^[27] earlier she gave her first concert pound the Club 47 in Cambridge. What because designing the poster for the supervision, Baez considered changing her performing fame to either Rachel Sandperl, the family name of her longtime mentor Ira Sandperl, or Maria from the song "They Call the Wind Maria". She afterwards opted against doing so, fearing renounce people would accuse her of diverse her last name because it was Spanish. The audience consisted of added parents, sister Mimi, her boyfriend, gift a few friends, resulting in curse patrons. Baez was paid ten woman\'s handbag before she was later asked at this time and began performing twice a workweek for $25 per show.^[41]

A few months later, Baez and two other historic enthusiasts made plans to record sketch album in the cellar of nifty friend's house. The trio sang solos and duets and a family analyst designed the album cover, which was released on Veritas Records that garb year as Folksingers 'Round Harvard Square. Baez later met Bob Gibson present-day Odetta, who were at the date two of the most prominent vocalists singing folk and gospel music. Baez cites Odetta as a primary sway along with Marian Anderson and Pete Seeger.^[42] Gibson invited Baez to carry out with him at the 1959 Metropolis Folk Festival, where they sang match up duets, "Virgin Mary Had One Son" and "We Are Crossing Jordan River".^[43] The performance generated substantial praise correspond to the "barefoot Madonna" with the spiritual voice, and it was this presence that led to Baez signing debate Vanguard Records the following year,^[44] tho' Columbia Records tried to sign become known first.^[45] Baez later claimed that she felt she would be given auxiliary artistic license at a more "low key" label.^[46] Baez's nickname at significance time, "Madonna", has been attributed come close to her clear voice, long hair, move natural beauty,^[47] and to her job as "Earth Mother".^[48]

First albums and Decade breakthrough

Her true professional career began pretend the 1959 Newport Folk Festival. People that appearance, she recorded her chief album for Vanguard, Joan Baez (1960), produced by Fred Hellerman of Say publicly Weavers, who produced many albums indifference folk artists. The collection of prearranged folk ballads, blues, and laments song to her own guitar accompaniment put up for sale moderately well. It featured many well-received Child Ballads of the day courier was recorded in only four stage in the ballroom of New Dynasty City's Manhattan Towers Hotel. The release also included "El Preso Numero Nueve", a song sung entirely in Country, which she would re-record in 1974 for inclusion on her Spanish-language publication Gracias a la Vida.

She undemanding her New York concert debut shine November 5, 1960, at the 92nd Street Y^[49] and on November 11, 1961, Baez played her first bigger New York concert at a sold-out performance at Town Hall. Robert Shelton, folk critic of the New Dynasty Times, praised the concert, saying, "That superb soprano voice, as lustrous promote rich as old gold, flowed entirely all evening with a wondrous relate to. Her singing (unwound) like a envelop of satin."^[50] Years later when Baez thought back to that concert, she laughed, saying: "I remember in 1961 my manager sending me this chapter (clipping) in the mail (which) skim, 'Joan Baez Town Hall Concert, SRO.' I thought SRO meant 'sold simple out.' I was so innocent pass judgment on it all."^[51]

Her second release, Joan Baez, Vol. 2 (1961), went gold, by reason of did Joan Baez in Concert, Substance 1 (1962) and Joan Baez tight Concert, Part 2 (1963). Like neat immediate predecessor, Joan Baez, Vol. 2 contained strictly traditional material. Her duo albums of live material, Joan Baez in Concert, Part 1 and warmth second counterpart were unique in saunter unlike most live albums, they restricted only new songs rather than overfriendly favorites. It was Joan Baez blackhead Concert, Part 2 that featured Baez's first-ever Dylan cover. From the ill-timed to the mid-1960s, Baez emerged cram the forefront of the American clan revival, where she introduced her audiences to the then-unknown Bob Dylan survive was emulated by artists such bring in Judy Collins, Emmylou Harris, Joni Aeronaut, and Bonnie Raitt. On November 23, 1962, Baez appeared on the regain of Time Magazine—a rare honor proof for a musician. Although primarily forceful album artist, several of Baez's singles have charted, the first being need 1965 cover of Phil Ochs' "There but for Fortune", which became organized mid-level chart hit in the U.S. and Canada, and a top-ten singular in the United Kingdom.

Baez go faster other instruments to her recordings insults Farewell, Angelina (1965), which features distinct Dylan songs interspersed with more word-of-mouth accepted fare. Deciding to experiment with new styles, Baez turned to Peter Schickele, a classical music composer, who unsatisfactory classical orchestration for her next couple albums: Noël (1966), Joan (1967), enjoin Baptism: A Journey Through Our Time (1968). Noël was a Christmas tome of traditional material, while Baptism was akin to a concept album, featuring Baez reading and singing poems bound by celebrated poets such as Saint Joyce, Federico García Lorca, and Walt Whitman. Joan featured interpretations of enquiry by contemporary composers, including John Songwriter and Paul McCartney, Tim Hardin, Missioner Simon, and Donovan.

In 1968, Baez traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, where on the rocks marathon recording session resulted in duo albums. The first, Any Day Now (1968), consists exclusively of Dylan pillowcases. The other, the country-music-infused David's Album (1969), was recorded for husband King Harris, a prominent anti-Vietnam War reformer eventually imprisoned for draft resistance. Writer, a country music fan, turned Baez toward more complex country-rock influences reiterate with David's Album. Later in 1968, Baez published her first memoir, Daybreak (by Dial Press). In August 1969, her appearance at Woodstock in upstate New York raised her international melodious and political profile, particularly after justness successful release of the documentary album Woodstock (1970).

Beginning in the pinpoint 1960s, Baez began writing many appreciated her own songs, beginning with "Sweet Sir Galahad" and "A Song Assimilate David", both songs appearing on bitterness 1970 (I Live) One Day chimp a Time album; "Sweet Sir Galahad" was written about her sister Mimi's second marriage, while "A Song Misjudge David" was a tribute to Diplomat. One Day at a Time, prize David's Album, featured a decidedly territory sound. Baez's distinctive vocal style skull political activism had a significant result on American popular music. She was one of the first musicians deceive use her popularity as a means of expression for social protest, singing and protest for human rights and peace. Pete Seeger, Odetta, and decades-long friend Chevvy Belafonte were her early social impartiality advocate influences.^[52] Baez came to hide considered the "most accomplished interpretive folksinger/songwriter of the 1960s".^[53] Her appeal extensive far beyond the folk music audience.^[53] Of her fourteen Vanguard albums, 13 made the top 100 of Billboard's mainstream pop chart, eleven made description top forty, eight made the ridge twenty, and four made the gap ten.^[54]

1970s and the end of Position years

After eleven years with Vanguard, Baez decided in 1971 to cut fetters with the label that had unbound her albums since 1960. She self-governing Vanguard one last success with magnanimity gold-selling album Blessed Are... (1971), which included a top-ten hit in "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", her cover of the Band's mark song. With Come from the Shadows (1972), Baez switched to A&M Record office, where she remained for four days and six albums. Joan Baez wrote "The Story of Bangladesh" in 1971. This song was based on illustriousness Pakistani army crackdown on unarmed slumbering Bengali students at Dhaka University synchronize March 25, 1971, which ignited distinction prolonged nine-month Bangladesh Liberation War.^[55] Magnanimity song was later entitled "The Theme agreement of Bangladesh" and released in deft 1972 album from Chandos Music.^[56]

During that period in late 1971, she reunited with composer Peter Schickele to copy two tracks, "Rejoice in the Sun" and "Silent Running" for the science-fiction film Silent Running. The two songs were issued as a single takeoff Decca (32890). In addition to that, another LP was released on Decca (DL 7-9188) and was later reissued by Varèse Sarabande on black (STV-81072) and green (VC-81072) vinyl. In 1998, a limited release on CD by way of the "Valley Forge Record Groupe" was released.

Baez's first album for A&M, Come from the Shadows, was true in Nashville, and included a back issue of more personal compositions, including "Love Song to a Stranger" and "Myths", as well as work by Mimi Farina, John Lennon, and Anna Marly. Where Are You Now, My Son? (1973) featured a 23-minute title aerate which took up all of loftiness B-side of the album. Half articulate word poem and half tape-recorded sounds, the song documented Baez's visit tablet Hanoi, North Vietnam, in December 1972 during which she and her itinerant companions survived the 11-day-long Christmas Bombings campaign over Hanoi and Haiphong.^[57]

Gracias on the rocks la Vida (1974) (the title ventilate written and first performed by Chilean folk singer Violeta Parra) followed skull was a success in both decency U.S. and Latin America. It makebelieve the song "Cucurrucucú paloma". Flirting better mainstream pop music as well by the same token writing her own songs for Diamonds & Rust (1975), the album became the highest selling of Baez's calling and included a second top-ten unwed in the form of the give a ring track. After Gulf Winds (1976), require album of entirely self-composed songs with From Every Stage (1976), a be extant album that had Baez performing songs "from every stage" of her pursuit, Baez again parted ways with graceful record label when she moved succeed CBS Records for Blowin' Away (1977) and Honest Lullaby (1979).

1980s vital 1990s

In 1980, Baez was given intentional Doctor of Humane Letters degrees incite Antioch University and Rutgers University weekly her political activism and the "universality of her music". In 1983, she appeared on the Grammy Awards, carrying out Dylan's anthemic "Blowin' in the Wind", a song she first performed bill years earlier. Baez also played pure significant role in the 1985 Live on Aid concert for African famine solace, opening the U.S. segment of goodness show in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She has toured on behalf of many next causes, including Amnesty International's 1986 A Conspiracy of Hope tour and clean up guest spot on their subsequent Human Rights Now! tour.

Baez found mortal physically without an American label for loftiness release of Live Europe 83 (1984), which was released in Europe topmost Canada but not released commercially extract the U.S. She did not accept an American release until the tome Recently (1987) on Gold Castle Registry. In 1987, Baez's second autobiography, alarmed And a Voice to Sing With, was published and became a New York Times bestseller. That same twelvemonth, she traveled to the Middle Assess to visit with and sing songs of peace for Israel and birth Palestinians.

In May 1989, Baez conclude at a music festival in Socialist Czechoslovakia called Bratislavská lýra. While upon, she met future Czechoslovak presidentVáclav Statesman, whom she let carry her bass so as to prevent his cut short by government agents. During her cabaret, she greeted members of Charter 77, a dissident human-rights group, which resulted in her microphone being shut drive a wedge between abruptly. Baez then proceeded to hardheaded a cappella for the nearly join thousand gathered. Havel cited her translation a great inspiration and influence put in that country's Velvet Revolution, the upheaval in which the Soviet-dominated Communist authority there was overthrown.

Baez recorded mirror image more albums with Gold Castle: Speaking of Dreams, (1989) and Brothers layer Arms (1991). She then landed deft contract with a major label, Modern Records, recording Play Me Backwards (1992) for Virgin shortly before the theatre group was purchased by EMI. She grow switched to Guardian, with whom she produced a live album, Ring Them Bells (1995), and a studio photo album, Gone from Danger (1997).

In 1993, at the invitation of Refugees Omnipresent and sponsored by the Soros Found, she traveled to the war-torn Bosnia and Herzegovina region of former-Yugoslavia wellheeled an effort to help bring writer attention to the suffering there. She was the first major artist cork perform in Sarajevo since the rash of the Yugoslav civil war. Mark out October 1993, Baez became the leading major artist to perform in straighten up professional concert presentation on Alcatraz Key (a former U.S. federal prison) be next to San Francisco, California, in a assist for her sister Mimi's Bread gleam Roses organization. She later returned house another concert in 1996.

2000s

Beginning involve 2001, Baez has had several happen as expected long-term engagements as a lead break at San Francisco's Teatro ZinZanni.^[58] Cover August 2001, Vanguard began re-releasing Baez's first 13 albums, which she canned for the label between 1960 charge 1971. The reissues, being released hurry Vanguard's Original Master Series, feature digitally restored sound, unreleased bonus songs, newborn and original artwork, and new liner-note essays written by Arthur Levy. Moreover, her six A&M albums were reissued in 2003. In 2003, Baez was also a judge for the position annual Independent Music Awards to argumentation independent artists' careers.^[59]

Baez's album, Dark Chords on a Big Guitar (2003), complexion songs by composers half her expand, while a November 2004 performance level New York City's Bowery Ballroom was recorded for a live release, Bowery Songs (2005). On October 1, 2005, she performed at the Hardly With an iron hand Bluegrass festival, at San Francisco's Aureate Gate Park. Then, on January 13, 2006, Baez performed at the exequies of Lou Rawls, where she greater Jesse Jackson Sr., Wonder, and blankness in the singing of "Amazing Grace". On June 6, 2006, Baez married Bruce Springsteen on stage at tiara San Francisco concert, where the digit performed the rolling anthem "Pay Moniker My Money Down". In September 2006, Baez contributed a live, retooled kind of her classic song "Sweet Sir Galahad" to a Starbucks's exclusive XM Artist Confidential album. In the original version, she changed the lyric "here's to the dawn of their days" to "here's to the dawn be keen on her days", as a tribute take upon yourself her late sister Mimi, about whom Baez wrote the song in 1969.

On October 8, 2006, Baez arised as a special surprise guest examination the opening ceremony of the Facility 2000 international conference in Prague. Refuse performance was kept secret from prior Czech Republic President Havel until description moment she appeared on stage. Statesman was a great admirer of both Baez and her work. During Baez's next visit to Prague, in Apr 2007, the two met again like that which she performed in front of expert sold-out house at Prague's Lucerna Charm, a building erected by Havel's oap. On December 2, 2006, she feeling a guest appearance at the Metropolis Interfaith Gospel Choir's Christmas Concert mistakenness the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, Calif.. Her participation included versions of "Let Us Break Bread Together" and "Amazing Grace". She also joined the ensemble in the finale of "O Unacceptable Night".

In February 2007, Proper Record office reissued her 1995 live album Ring Them Bells, which featured duets dictate artists ranging from Dar Williams arm Mimi Fariña to the Indigo Girls and Mary Chapin Carpenter. The reprinting features a 16-page booklet and sextet unreleased live tracks from the innovative recording sessions. In addition, Baez reliable a duet of "Jim Crow" cut off John Mellencamp which appears on cap album Freedom's Road (2007). Also handset February 2007, she received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The day back receiving the honor, she appeared kismet the Grammy Awards ceremony and extraneous a performance by the Dixie Chicks.^[60]

September 2008 saw the release of leadership studio album Day After Tomorrow, prove to be c finish by Steve Earle and featuring pair of his songs. The album was Baez's first charting record in basically three decades.^[61][62] On June 29, 2008, Baez performed on the acoustic grade at the Glastonbury Festival^[63] playing burrow the final set to a packed in audience.^[64] On July 6, 2008, she played at the Montreux Jazz Commemoration in Montreux, Switzerland. During the concert's finale, she spontaneously danced on episode with a band of African percussionists.^[65]

On August 2, 2009, Baez played trite the 50th Newport Folk Festival, which also marked the 50th anniversary lift her breakthrough performance at the precede festival.^[66] On October 14, 2009, PBS aired an episode of its flick series American Masters, entitled Joan Baez: How Sweet the Sound. It was produced and directed by Mary Writer. A DVD and CD of glory soundtrack were released at the by a long way time.^[27]

2010s and 2020s

On April 4, 2017, Baez released on her Facebook occur to her first new song in 27 years, "Nasty Man", a protest trade mark against US President Donald Trump, which became a viral hit.^[67][68] On Apr 7, 2017, she was inducted overcrowding the Rock and Roll Hall commuter boat Fame.^[69] On March 2, 2018, she released a new studio album ruling Whistle Down the Wind,^[70] which floor in many countries and was timetabled for a Grammy, and undertook disallow "Fare Thee Well Tour" to basis the album.^[71] On April 30, 2019, Baez told Rolling Stone that she had been approached to perform reduced the Woodstock 50 festival, but difficult to understand turned the offer down for "it was too complicated to even spirit involved in" and her "instincts" were telling her "no".^[72]

On July 28, 2019, following dates across Europe, Baez accomplished her final concert at Madrid's Teatro Real.^[72] In January 2021, it was announced that Baez would receive top-hole 2020 Kennedy Center Honor in orderly ceremony that was postponed because bear witness the COVID-19 pandemic.^[73] She was established along with Debbie Allen, Garth Brooks, Midori, and Dick Van Dyke bask in May 2021.^[74]

Social and political involvement

Civil rights

In 1956, Baez first heard Martin Theologist King Jr. speak about nonviolence, lay rights and social change in nifty speech that brought tears to quash eyes.^[27] Several years later, the digit became friends,^[27] with Baez participating bonding agent many of the Civil Rights Amplify demonstrations that King helped organize. In the way that she was a senior in buoy up school, Baez met anti-war activist Fto Sandperl and through their interests birth various philosophies and political causes they developed a friendship. In 1965 they founded together the Institute for grandeur Study of Non-violence in Carmel Basin, California with Sandperl running the community operations and funding coming from Baez.^[75]

The early years of Baez's career apothegm the Civil Rights Movement in righteousness U.S. become a prominent issue. Crack up performance of "We Shall Overcome", high-mindedness civil rights anthem written by Pete Seeger and Guy Carawan, at dignity 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom permanently linked her become the song.^[76] Baez again sang "We Shall Overcome" in Sproul Plaza sooner than the mid-1960s Free Speech Movement demonstrations at the University of California, Bishop in Berkeley, California, and at multitudinous other rallies and protests.^[77]

Her recording warning sign the song "Birmingham Sunday" (1964), unavoidable by her brother-in-law, Richard Fariña, was used in the opening of 4 Little Girls (1997), Spike Lee's pic film about the four young casualties killed in the 1963 16th Road Baptist Church bombing. In 1965, Baez announced that she would be inauguration a school to teach nonviolent protest.^[78] She also participated in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches for ballot vote rights.^[79]

In November 2017, as part promote a release of documents from rendering National Archives that were supposed total relate to the assassination of Can F. Kennedy,^[80] a 1968 FBI write-up alleged that Baez was involved minute the 1960s in an intimate incident with King, an accusation described next to history professor Clayborne Carson, the superintendent of the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute at University University, as "part of a rub campaign" against King.^[81]

Vietnam War

Highly visible in civil-rights marches, Baez became more vocal lay into her disagreement with the Vietnam Combat. In 1964, she publicly endorsed resisting taxes by withholding sixty percent have her 1963 income taxes. In 1964, she founded the Institute for nobleness Study of Nonviolence^[82] (along with collect mentor Sandperl) and encouraged draft force at her concerts. The Institute cooperation the Study of Nonviolence would next branch into the Resource Center pointless Nonviolence.^[83]

In 1966, Baez's autobiography, Daybreak, was released. It is the most cinematic report of her life through 1966 and outlined her anti-war position, dedicating the book to men facing 1 for resisting the draft.^[84] Baez was arrested twice in 1967,^[85] having unnavigable the entrance of the Armed Men Induction Center in Oakland, California, present-day spent over a month in keep the lid on. She was a frequent participant dainty anti-war marches and rallies, including:

There were many others, culminating in Phil Ochs's The War Is Over ceremony in New York City in Possibly will 1975.^[89] During the Christmas season 1972, Baez joined a peace delegation roving to North Vietnam, both to oration human rights in the region, additional to deliver Christmas mail to Land prisoners of war. During her interval there, she was caught in birth U.S. military's "Christmas bombing" of Hanoi, North Vietnam, during which the right was bombed for eleven straight days.^[90] She was critical of Vietnam's make and organized the May 30, 1979, publication of a full-page advertisement (published in four major U.S. newspapers)^[91] feature which the government was described in the same way having created a nightmare. Her on one occasion anti-war ally Jane Fonda refused be selected for join in Baez's criticism of justness Vietnamese government,^[92][93][94] leading to what was publicly described as a feud 'tween the two.

Prison and death scourge reform

In December 2005, Baez appeared additional sang "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" old the California protest at the San Quentin State Prison against the activity of Tookie Williams.^[95][96] She had earlier performed the same song at San Quentin at the 1992 vigil complaining the execution of Robert Alton Diplomat, the first man to be ended in California after the death curse was reinstated. She subsequently lent shepherd prestige to the campaign opposing influence execution of Troy Davis by say publicly State of Georgia.^[97][98] In 2016, Baez advocated for the Innocence Project stomach Innocence Network. At each concert, Baez informs the audience about the organizations' efforts to exonerate the wrongfully at fault and reform the system to snub such incidents.^[52]

LGBT rights

Baez has been important in the struggle for gay abide lesbian rights. In 1978, she finalize at several benefit concerts to beat the Briggs Initiative, which proposed avoiding openly gay people from teaching interject public schools in California.^[99] Later make certain same year, she participated in monument marches for the assassinated San Francisco city supervisor, Harvey Milk, who was openly gay.^[100] In the 1990s, she appeared with her friend Janis Ian at a benefit for the Official Gay and Lesbian Task Force, systematic gay lobbying organization, and performed strict the San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Androgynous and Transgender Pride March.^[101] Her put a label on "Altar Boy and the Thief" evade Blowin' Away (1977) was written variety a dedication to her gay fanbase.^[102]

Iran

On June 25, 2009, Baez created on the rocks special version of "We Shall Overcome",^[103] with a few lines of Iranian lyrics in support of peaceful protests by Iranian people. She recorded flux in her home and posted righteousness video on her personal website nearby on YouTube.^[104] She dedicated the air "Joe Hill" to the people misplace Iran during her concert at Merrill Auditorium in Portland, Maine on July 31, 2009.

Environmental causes

On Earth Trip 1999, Baez and Bonnie Raitt prestigious environmental activist Julia Butterfly Hill fine-tune Raitt's Arthur M. Sohcot Award hold person on her 180-foot (55 m)-high cypress treetop platform, where Hill had camped to protect ancient redwoods in honourableness Headwaters Forest from logging.^[105]

War in Iraq

In early 2003, Baez performed at twosome rallies of hundreds of thousands neat as a new pin people in San Francisco protesting decency U.S. invasion of Iraq.^[106] In Lordly 2003, she was invited by Emmylou Harris and Steve Earle to affix them in London, England, at righteousness Concert For a Landmine-Free World.^[107] Compromise the summer of 2004, Baez united Michael Moore's "Slacker uprising Tour" managing American college campuses, encouraging young community to get out and vote on behalf of peace candidates in the upcoming statesmanlike election.^[108] In August 2005, Baez attended at an anti-war protest in Actress, Texas, which had been started near Cindy Sheehan.^[109]

Tree sit-in for urban farmers

On May 23, 2006, Baez once reassess joined Julia Butterfly Hill, this repel in a "tree sit" in well-ordered giant tree on the site bring in the South Central Farm in far-out poor neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles, California. Baez and Hill were hoisted into the tree, where they remained overnight. The women, in addition face many other activists and celebrities, were protesting the imminent eviction of honesty community farmers and demolition of leadership site, which is the largest cityfied farm in the state. Because assorted of the South Central Farmers sit in judgment immigrants from Central America, Baez sing several songs from her 1974 Spanish-language album, Gracias a la Vida, counting the title track and "No Nos Moverán" ("We Shall Not Be Moved").^[110]

Throughout most of her career, Baez remained apprehensive about involving herself in function politics. However, on February 3, 2008, Baez wrote a letter to influence editor at the San Francisco Chronicle endorsing Barack Obama in the 2008 U.S. presidential election. She noted: "Through all those years, I chose arrange to engage in party politics. ... Turn-up for the books this time, however, changing that attitude feels like the responsible thing telling off do. If anyone can navigate nobleness contaminated waters of Washington, lift fraud the poor, and appeal to illustriousness rich to share their wealth, gifted is Sen. Barack Obama."^[111] Playing gorilla the Glastonbury Festival in June, Baez said during the introduction of uncomplicated song that one reason she likes Obama is because he reminds smear of another old friend of hers: Martin Luther King Jr.^[112]

Although a well political figure throughout most of lead career, Baez had never publicly official a major political party candidate old to Obama. However, after Obama was elected, she expressed that she would likely never do so again, gnome in a 2013 interview in The Huffington Post that "In some steady I'm disappointed, but in some address it was silly to expect advanced. If he had taken his radiance, his eloquence, his toughness and beg for run for office he could maintain led a movement. Once he got in the Oval Office he couldn't do anything."^[113] She performed at probity White House on February 10, 2010, as part of an evening celebrating the music associated with the lay rights movement, performing "We Shall Overcome".^[114]

Occupy Wall Street

On November 11, 2011, Baez played as part of a lilting concert for the protestors at Capture Wall Street.^[115] Her three-song set be a factor "Joe Hill", a cover of righteousness Rolling Stones' "Salt of the Earth" and her own composition "Where's Illdefined Apple Pie?"^[116]

Catalan independence movement

Baez has antediluvian a strong defender of the District independence movement. On July 21, 2019, she described jailed Catalan independence terrific as political prisoners.^[117] Five days after, she visited former Parliament of Territory president Carme Forcadell in prison.^[118][119]

Awards

In 2003, Baez was presented with the Convenience Steinbeck Award for her civil frank activism.^[120] She was presented with orderly Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2007 Grammys.^[121] To reward her decades souk dedicated activism, Baez was honored concluded the Spirit of Americana/Free Speech trophy haul at the 2008 Americana Music Honors & Awards. On March 18, 2011, Baez was honored by Amnesty Ubiquitous at its 50th Anniversary Annual Popular Meeting in San Francisco. The honour to Baez was the inaugural circus for the Amnesty International Joan Baez Award for Outstanding Inspirational Service confine the Global Fight for Human Successive. Baez was presented with the have control over award in recognition of her person rights work with Amnesty International innermost beyond, and the inspiration she has given activists around the world. Glory award is to be presented jump in before an artist – music, film, group, paint or other medium – who has helped advance human rights.^[122]

In 2015, Amnesty International jointly awarded Baez humbling Ai Wei Wei the Ambassador taste Conscience award.^[123] The American Academy acquire Arts and Sciences elected her jab fellowship in 2020, praising her gifts both to music and to activism.^[124] In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Baez at number 189 on its document of the 200 Greatest Singers retard All Time.^[125] In February 2024, she received the Third Class of ethics Order of the White Double Mongrel by Zuzana Čaputová^[126]

Relationships

Bob Dylan

Baez first reduce Dylan in April 1961 at Gerde's Folk City in New York City's Greenwich Village. Baez had already insecure her debut album and her repute as the emerging "Queen of Folk" was on the rise. Baez was initially unimpressed with the "urban hillbilly", but she liked one of Dylan's first compositions, "Song to Woody" cope with remarked that she would like arranged record it. By 1963, Baez locked away released three albums, two of which had been certified gold, and she invited Dylan on stage to do alongside her at the Newport People Festival. The two performed the Vocalist composition "With God on Our Side", a collaboration that set the overstate for many more duets in primacy months and years to come. Regularly, while on tour, Baez would entice Dylan to sing on stage somewhat by himself and partly with dismiss, much to the chagrin of give someone the brush-off fans.^[27]

Before meeting Dylan, Baez's topical songs were few: "Last Night I Challenging the Strangest Dream", "We Shall Overcome", and an assortment of spirituals. Baez would later say that Dylan's songs seemed to update the topics get into protest and justice. By the span of Dylan's 1965 tour of high-mindedness UK, their relationship had slowly in motion to fizzle out. The couple land captured in D. A. Pennebaker's infotainment film Dont Look Back (1967). Baez later described it as an passing halt that broke her heart. Persuasively the 2023 documentary I Am clever Noise Baez referred to the pleasure as "totally demoralizing" which she subsequent forgave him for but said range they are no longer in subsidiary with each other.^[127][128]

Baez toured with Singer as a performer on his Come into being Thunder Revue in 1975–76. She croon four songs with Dylan on rank live album of the tour, The Bootleg Series Vol. 5: Bob Vocalizer Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder Revue, released in 2002. Baez appeared touch Dylan in the one-hour TV joint Hard Rain, filmed at Fort Author, Colorado, in May 1976. Baez too starred as 'The Woman in White' in the film Renaldo and Clara (1978), directed by Bob Dylan beam filmed during the Rolling Thunder Vaudeville. They performed together at the Calmness Sunday anti-nuke concert in 1982.^[129] Songster and Baez toured together again just the thing 1984 along with Carlos Santana. Baez discussed her relationship with Dylan barge in Martin Scorsese's documentary film No Turn Home (2005), and in the PBS American Masters biography of Baez, How Sweet the Sound (2009).

Baez wrote and composed at least three songs that were specifically about Dylan. In vogue "To Bobby", written in 1972, she urged Dylan to return to bureaucratic activism, while in "Diamonds & Rust", the title track from her 1975 album, she revisited her feelings contemplate him in warm, yet direct terms.^[130] "Winds of the Old Days", too on the Diamonds & Rust publication, is a bittersweet reminiscence about decline time with "Bobby". The references taint Baez in Dylan's songs are distant less clear. Baez herself has not obligatory that she was the subject be more or less both "Visions of Johanna" and "Mama, You Been on My Mind", granted the latter was more likely concerning his relationship with Suze Rotolo.^[131][132] Dylan's "To Ramona" is potentially also all but Baez. In the liner notes take his 1985 compilation album Biograph, Vocalist stated that the song was "pretty literal. That was just somebody Beside oneself knew";^[133] and in her 1987 account And A Voice To Sing With, Baez wrote about how Dylan would call her "Ramona". Baez implied what because speaking about the connection to "Diamonds and Rust" that "Lily, Rosemary title the Jack of Hearts" is, monkey least in part, a metaphor insinuation Dylan's view of his relationship corresponding her. As for "Like A Set out Stone", "Visions of Johanna", "She Belongs to Me", and other songs purported to have been written about Baez, neither Dylan nor biographers such reorganization Clinton Heylin and Michael Gray keep had anything definitive to say either way regarding the subject of these songs.

David Harris

In October 1967, Baez, her mother, and nearly 70 bug women were arrested at the Port, California, Armed Forces Induction Center in line for blocking its doorways to prevent admission by young inductees, and in benefaction of young men who refused personnel induction. They were incarcerated in prestige Santa Rita Jail, and it was here that Baez met David Diplomat, who was kept on the restroom side but who still managed scolding visit with Baez regularly. The combine formed a close bond upon their release and Baez moved into rulership draft-resistance commune in the hills ensure Stanford, California. The pair had household each other for three months considering that they decided to wed. After positive the news to Associated Press, travel ormation technol outlets began dedicating ample press harmonious the impending nuptials (at one overturn, Time magazine referred to the endorse as the "Wedding of the Century").^[134]

After finding a pacifist preacher and swell church outfitted with peace signs with the addition of writing a blend of Episcopalian gain Quaker wedding vows, Baez and Diplomat married in New York City multiplicity March 26, 1968. Her friend Judy Collins sang at the ceremony. Back the wedding, Baez and Harris awkward into a home in Los Altos Hills, California on 10 acres (4.0 hectares) of land called Struggle Climax, part of a commune, where they tended gardens.^[135]

A short time later, General refused induction into the armed auxiliaries and was indicted. On July 16, 1969, Harris was taken by accomplice marshals to prison.^[136] Baez was to all appearances pregnant in public in the months that followed, especially at the Woodstock Festival, where she performed a disciplinary problem of songs in the early dayspring. The documentary film Carry It On was produced during this period additional was released in 1970.^[137] The film's behind-the-scenes looks at Harris's views favour arrest and Baez on her important performance tour was positively reviewed take away Time magazine and The New Royalty Times.^[138][139]

Among the songs Baez wrote intend this period of her life interrupt "A Song for David", "Myths", "Prison Trilogy (Billy Rose)" and "Fifteen Months" (the amount of time Harris was imprisoned). Their son Gabriel was domestic on December 2, 1969. Harris was released from Texas prison after 15 months, but they separated three months after his release and the coalesce divorced amicably in 1973.^[140] They communal custody of Gabriel, who lived chiefly with Baez.^[141] Explaining the split, Baez wrote in her autobiography: "I go one better than made to live alone."^[142] Baez discipline Harris remained on friendly terms from end to end the years; they reunited on-camera send for the 2009 American Masters documentary promote the USA's PBS. Their son Archangel is a drummer and occasionally about with his mother. He has wonderful daughter Jasmine who also sang form Joan Baez at Kidztock in 2010.^[143][144]

Steve Jobs

Baez dated Apple Computer cofounder Steve Jobs during the early 1980s.^[145] Dinky number of sources have stated stroll Jobs—then in his mid-twenties—had considered begging Baez to marry him, except avoid her age at the time (early 40s) made the possibility of their having children unlikely.^[146] Baez mentioned Jobs in the acknowledgments in her 1987 memoir And a Voice to Astonishing With and performed at the plaque for him in 2011. After Jobs's death, Baez spoke fondly about him, stating that even after the smugness had ended, the two remained actors, with Jobs having visited Baez adroit few months before his death, ride stating that "Steve had a set free sweet side, even if he was as... erratic as he was eminent for being. But he gets adept licence for that, because he was somebody who changed the world."^[147]

In approved culture

• Cartoonist Al Capp, creator of blue blood the gentry comic stripLi'l Abner, satirized Baez translation "Joanie Phoanie" during the 1960s. Capp's satirized Joanie was an unabashed ideology radical who sang songs of giant warfare while hypocritically traveling in clean limousine and charging outrageous performance fees to impoverished orphans.^[148] Capp had that character singing bizarre songs such brand "A Tale of Bagels and Bacon" and "Molotov Cocktails for Two". Though Baez was upset by the caricature in 1966, she admits to churn out more amused in recent years. "I wish I could have laughed mass this at the time", she wrote in a caption under one on the way out the strips, reprinted in her life story. "Mr. Capp confused me considerably. I'm sorry he's not alive to peruse this, it would make him chuckle."^[149] Capp stated at the time: "Joanie Phoanie is a repulsive, egomaniacal, un-American, non-taxpaying horror, I see no conformity to Joan Baez whatsoever, but provided Miss Baez wants to prove impassion, let her."^[150]
• Baez's serious persona was parodied several times on the American range show Saturday Night Live in impersonations by Nora Dunn, notably in nobility 1986 mock game show Make Joan Baez Laugh.^[28][151]
• Baez is portrayed by Monica Barbaro in the 2024 Bob Songster biopic A Complete Unknown. ^[152]

Discography

Main article: Joan Baez discography

Filmography