Joan Baez

Joan Baez is one of the most influential performers in folk music history. She was a leading light in the musical protest movement led by Pete Seeger. This brought her into contact with an up-and-coming young troubadour named Bob Dylan, whom she met in 1961 in New York’s Greenwich Village. Her self-titled debut album, Joan Baez, brought her to public attention following her discovery at the 1959 Newport Folk Festival – her first professional engagement coinciding with the first festival.

A plainly produced, live-sounding vocal and guitar album featuring a repertoire of traditional folk songs, it put Joan firmly on the map. In 2007 she finally picked up a Grammy for lifetime achievement.