Joan Baez

Joan Baez is a singer, songwriter, and activist recognized for her influence in American music, particularly in folk music and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for more than 60 years and has released over 30 albums. While generally regarded as a folk singer, her music has expanded to include folk rock, pop, country, and gospel genres. She made her major performance debut at the Newport Folk Festival and quickly achieved commercial success, earning gold records and appearing on the cover of Time magazine. Her first three albums—"Joan Baez," "Joan Baez, Vol. 2," and "Joan Baez in Concert"—all achieved gold record status.

From the beginning of her career, Baez combined her music with activism, advocating for civil rights, pacifism, and human rights. She sang "We Shall Overcome" at the March on Washington, an event that also featured Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Baez continued her social justice work throughout the 1960s, marching alongside King, supporting César Chávez in the movement for migrant worker rights, and founding the Institute for the Study of Nonviolence. She became active in anti–Vietnam War demonstrations and was arrested in Oakland, California, for protesting at the Armed Forces Induction Center. Baez delivered Christmas presents and mail to American prisoners of war in Hanoi during a bombing campaign, later documenting the experience on the album "Where Are You Now, My Son?"

Baez's musical catalog spans a wide range of material and collaborators. Although she writes songs, Baez is known for interpreting the work of others, recording 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 others. Her version of The Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" reached the Top 10 in the United Kingdom and the Top 5 in the United States. Her album "Diamonds & Rust" is often cited as a standout in her discography. Other notable recordings include "Very Early Joan," "Speaking of Dreams," "Play Me Backwards," "Gone from Danger," "Bowery Songs," "Day After Tomorrow," and "Whistle Down the Wind." Baez has also authored two autobiographical works: "Daybreak" and "And a Voice to Sing With."

Baez has received multiple honors for her contributions to music and human rights, including three BAMMY Awards, seven Grammy nominations, the Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award, and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Amnesty International honored her by creating the Amnesty International Joan Baez Award for Outstanding Inspirational Service in the Global Fight for Human Rights. She was jointly awarded the Ambassador of Conscience Award by Amnesty International and Ai Weiwei. The American Academy of Arts and Sciences elected her to fellowship, and she has been recognized by the Kennedy Center Honors.

After retiring from active touring, Baez has focused on visual art, particularly the "Mischief Makers" series of paintings, which features portraits of individuals who have contributed to social change, such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Bob Dylan, the Dalai Lama, and Patti Smith. She is the subject of the documentary "Joan Baez: I Am a Noise," which incorporates home movies, artwork, diaries, therapy tapes, and audio recordings. Baez also released an autobiographical poetry collection, "When You See My Mother, Ask Her to Dance." Through her work in music, visual art, and literature, Baez continues to be recognized for her enduring impact on folk music, activism, and American culture.