Joan Chandos Baez is an American singer, songwriter, musician and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest or social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing over 30 albums. Fluent in Spanish and English, she has also recorded songs in at least six other languages. Baez is generally regarded as a folk singer, but her music has diversified since the counterculture era of the 1960s and encompasses genres such as folk rock, pop, country and gospel music. She began her recording career in 1960 and achieved immediate success. Her first three albums, Joan Baez, Joan Baez, Vol. 2 and Joan Baez in Concert, all achieved gold record status. Although a songwriter herself, Baez generally interprets other composers' work, having recorded songs by the Allman Brothers Band, the Beatles, Jackson Browne, Leonard Cohen, Woody Guthrie, Violeta Parra, the Rolling Stones, Pete Seeger, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley, and many others.
Birth name: | Joan Chandos Baez |
Born: | January 9, 1941, Staten Island, New York, U.S. |
Genres: | Folk, folk rock, Americana, country folk, gospel, Latin |
Occupation(s): | Singer, songwriter, musician, activist |
Instruments: | Vocals, guitar |
Years active: | 1958–present |
Labels: | Vanguard, RCA Victor, A&M, Portrait/CBS, Gold Castle, Virgin, Guardian, Koch, Razor & Tie |
Associated acts: | Jackson Browne, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Judy Collins, Donovan, Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, Mimi Fariña, Grateful Dead, Janis Ian, Indigo Girls, Ennio Morricone, Odetta, Pete Seeger, Paul Simon, Dar Williams, Phil Ochs |
Twitter: | Joan Baez's Twitter profile |
Facebook: | Joan Baez's Facebook profile |
IMDb: | Joan Baez's IMDb |
About Joan Baez
Folk singer best known for songs such as "Diamonds & Rust," "We Shall Overcome," and "Joe Hill." She was also a political activist.
Before Fame
She performed often while attending Boston University. One of her first instruments was the ukelele, which was given to her by a friend of the family.
Achievement
Led Zeppelin covered her song "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You."
Family Life
She married David Harris on March 26, 1968 and after having a son named Gabriel, they divorced on February 15, 1974.
Associations
She sang "Buddha's Delight" and "Slam" for the Music and Lyrics soundtrack, as well as dueting with Hugh Grant on "Way Back into Love."
Information related to Joan Baez
- Musicians from Palo Alto, California
- Order of Arts and Letters of Spain recipients
- Razor & Tie artists
- 20th-century Quakers
- Palo Alto High School alumni
- American anti–death penalty activists
- Vanguard Records artists
- Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners
- American folk rock musicians
- American anti–Iraq War activists
- Spanish-language singers of the United States
- Anti-racism activists
- Anti-poverty advocates
- American pacifists
- American acoustic guitarists
- Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners
- Hispanic and Latino American musicians
- American anti–Vietnam War activists
- Political music
- American sopranos
- American human rights activists
- American humanitarians
- A&M Records artists
- American tax resisters
- Nonviolence advocates
- American folk guitarists
- Feminist musicians
- Virgin Records artists
- American Quakers
- RCA Victor artists
- American civil rights activists
- American female country singers
- American folk singers
- American environmentalists
- American women activists