Joan Baez

Baez is a folk singer, songwriter, and activist who is best known for songs like There But for Fortune, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down and Diamonds and Rust. She performed at the 1959 Newport Folk Festival and issued her first album in 1960, becoming a leading artist in the 1960s folk music revival. Baez also played an important role in popularizing the work of Bob Dylan, with whom she performed regularly in the mid-1960s. Baez performed fourteen songs at the 1969 Woodstock Festival. She has displayed a lifelong commitment to political and social activism in the fields of nonviolence, civil rights, human rights, LGBT rights, and the environment. She has performed publicly for over 60 years and released more than 30 albums. Fluent in Spanish and English, she has also recorded songs in at least six other languages. Although regarded as a folk singer, her music has diversified since the 1960s, and encompasses genres such as folk rock, pop, country, and gospel music.