JOAN BAEZ

BACKGROUND  Joan Baez was born on January 9 th And she is now 73 years old  A friend of her fathers gave her a ukulele and she learned how to play four cords which started her music career  She first began to perform publicly in 1957  She play guitar, ukulele, piano and sings  Fluently speaks Spanish and English

CAREER  She began her carrier performing in coffee houses in Boston and Cambridge  She rose to fame when she first played at the 1959 Newport folk festival but refused record deals to continue coffeehouse singing  She began her recording carrier after attending the Newport Folk Musical in 1960

FIRST ALBUMS Her first three albums, Joan Baez, Joan Baez, Vol. 2, and Joan Baez in Concert all achieved gold record status, and stayed on the charts of hit albums for two years Baez has had a popular hit song with "Diamonds & Rust"

DIAMONDS AND RUST   Listen for: Swing in her voice, picking style

WOODSTOCK  Her songs "Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word", "Sweet Sir Galahad" and "We Shall Overcome“ three of her most popular songs at the 1969 Woodstock Festival that helped to bring the songs of Bob Dylan to national prominence, and has displayed a lifelong commitment to political and social activism in the fields of nonviolence civil rights, human rights and the environment.

LOVE IS JUST A FOUR LETTER WORD   Listen for: Ukulele, picking technique, long note holds,

ADVOCATE  Many of her songs talk about with social issues.  Civil Rights: “We Shall Overcome”  War : “Christmas Bombing” and "Joe Hill"  Death Penalty: “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”  Gay and Lesbian Right: "Altar Boy and the Thief“

LEGACY  Nearly 50 albums in her carrer  Joan’s most famous song was “Blowing in the Wind.” It’s about the Vietnam War and how oblivious many people are to the terrible things caused by it.  On March 18, 2011 Joan Baez was honored by Amnesty International at their 50th Anniversary Annual General Meeting in San Francisco. The tribute to Joan Baez was the inaugural event for the Amnesty International Joan Baez Award for Outstanding Inspirational Service in the Global Fight for Human Rights.

BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND 

SOURCES  Baez, Joan. Daybreak. New York: Dial, Print.  Baez, Joan. And a Voice to Sing With: A Memoir. New York: Summit, Print.