Classic Rock Network for People of Color

-jackie 

Joan Chandos Baez is a Mexican singer/songwriter born on January 9, 1941. She was born on Staten Island, New York to a Scottish mother and a Mexican father and was unfortunately subject to racial slurs by her peers because of her Mexican heritage. Her passion for music began when she was given a ukulele as a teen and after seeing Pete Seeger live, she found herself invested in folk music. In college, she began to play at clubs in Massachusetts where she met folk enthusiasts Bob Gibson and Odetta (Odetta being one of her primary influences). She was then invited to play at the Newport Folk Festival in 1959 and declined a deal with Columbia Records to pursue a career with Vanguard Records. Both her self-titled debut album and follow-up album went gold in the early 1960′s as well as her succeeding live albums. Baez is also credited in helping Bob Dylan gain popularity during this time. During the 60′s and 70′s, Joan began to produce activist music as well. Her songs would touch on the Bangledesh Liberation War, the Vietnam War, and the Civil Rights Movement. Baez continues being an activist to this day as she has spoken out against the Iraq War, and is a supporter of LGBT rights. Joan Baez currently resides in California. There she spends much of her time in her own treehouse, meditating, writing, and being close to nature.

-Jackie