American folk music legend Joan Baez retired from touring in July 2019 after circling the world for decades as a performer and activist for causes that included civil rights, LGBTQ rights, the environment, prison reform and world peace, to name a few.

Joan Baez's Background

Joan Chandos Baez was born in Staten Island, New York, on January 9, 1941. Her interest in music began with plucking rhythm and blues songs on a ukulele but took a new direction after seeing folk musician Pete Seeger perform.

Baez's father was born in Mexico, while her mother came from Scotland. The Baez family became Quakers when Joan was a child, which is probably the foundation of her views on many social issues.

The family moved frequently to cities all over America and the world because of her father's job with UNESCO.

In 1958, after leaving Palo Alto, California, the Baez family settled in Belmont, Massachusetts, when her father accepted a job at MIT. PBS says Baez attended Boston College for about six weeks before she gave her first concert in Cambridge.

Folk Icon Joan Baez Found Her Voice In Massachusetts
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The Boston Public Library (BPL) says Baez "Was a self-taught singer and guitarist who fell in love with folk music when she was in high school in Belmont, Massachusetts."

"She started to play at local clubs, usually appearing with other local folk musicians, though as her star rose she became the headliner to these shows," says BPL.

Joan Baez's Journey to Stardom

Baez was only 18 when she made her debut on a national stage appearing at the Newport Folk Festival in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1959. In August 1969, Joan Baez performed at Woodstock, which made her an international star.

Baez's romance with an up-and-coming Bob Dylan is legendary. She did much to help launch his musical career.

The opening line of Baez's memoir And a Voice to Sing With is, "I was born gifted."

Baez was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.

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