Baez, << by EHZ, >> Joan (1941-…), is an American singer. She is known for her clear, expressive voice and her involvement in political action.
Joan Chandos Baez was born on Jan. 9, 1941, in Staten Island, New York. As a teenager, she performed in coffee houses and small clubs in the Boston area. She achieved widespread fame after performing at the Newport, Rhode Island, Folk Festival in 1959. Baez first became known for her recordings of folk ballads. In the mid-1960’s, she began to perform more protest songs. She also introduced the songs of Bob Dylan and other composers to a wider audience.
Baez had her greatest popular success when she recorded “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” in 1971. Her best-known album was Diamonds and Rust (1975). She wrote two autobiographies, Daybreak (1968) and And a Voice to Sing With (1987). Baez’s younger sister, Mimi, was also a noted folk singer, songwriter, and musician. Mimi often performed as Mimi Fariña after marrying the American author Richard Fariña in 1963. Joan Baez was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. She became a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2020.
