JOAN BAEZ

Joan Baez – Joan Chandos Baez (born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist.

Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice.

Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more than 30 albums. She is fluent in Spanish and English.

She began her career performing in coffeehouses and clubs in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and then rose to prominence in the early 1960s as a part of the folk music scene in Greenwich Village, New York City. Her debut album, the self titled ‘Joan Baez’, reached number 15 on the Billboard pop charts and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA. The album featured her renditions of several traditional folk songs, as well as two of her own compositions. Although generally associated folk, her musical style has shifted to include rock and pop since the 1980s.

In 1964, she released her second album, Joan Baez in Concert, which peaked at number three on the Billboard pop charts. The album featured live renditions of several of her most popular songs, including “We Shall Overcome” and Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin'”.

Baez continued to release new music throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including the albums Diamonds & Rust (1975) and Honest Lullaby (1979). In the 1980s, she also began to experiment with different musical styles, incorporating elements of rock and pop into her folk-based sound. This change in style was most evident on the album Gone from Danger (1997), which featured a duet with rock singer-songwriter David Crosby.

In recent years, Baez has continued to tour and release new music, including the album Day After Tomorrow (2008) and the live album Live in Japan (2011). She has also been active in support of various social and political causes, including Amnesty International and Occupy Wall Street.

Backing Tracks – The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down