On April 13, 1962 Joan Baez played the Lobero Theatre at just 21-years-old.
Seven years later Joan would go on to perform at Woodstock and continue on to become a prolific folk musician and activist.
After becoming a staple on the coffeehouse folk-music scene in Cambridge, Baez’s professional career began at the 1959 Newport Folk Festival. Quickly, her star rose around the world as she penned original songs about freedom and Civil Rights and deftly interpreted works by Bob Dylan, The Allman Brothers, The Beatles, Leonard Cohen and Woodie Guthrie among many, many others.
“Her superb soprano voice, as lustrous and rich as old gold, flowed purely all evening with a wondrous ease… So many students have identified themselves with the 20-year-old Miss Baez, it was gratifying to hear her speak concernedly of the world around her, yet without the cliches of the socially conscious school of folk song.” – New York Times (November 13, 1961)
Her mission has never wavered in sixty years. Joan Baez was inducted into the Rock an Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.
Today, she remains a musical force of nature, and an artist of incalculable influence.
Sources:
- http://www.joanbaez.com/bio/
- https://www.woodstock.com/lineup/joan-baez/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Baez
