Joan Baez

Joan Baez was born on Staten Island in 1941. Her mother’s name was Joan also, and her father’s name was Vincent. She spent a part of her childhood in Iraq because her father had a job there. While she was fourteen, her family moved back to the U.S. and lived in California.

While Joan was sixteen, she performed her first act of civil disobedience by refusing to leave her high school during an aid-raid drill. Joan gained strong feelings on nonviolence and civil rights during this time.

After high school, Joan attends Boston University. However, she attended classes inconsistently and soon dropped out to have more time for her now-blossoming singing career. She began singing regularly at clubs and bars. Vanguard Recording noticed her while she was singing at Club 47. She went on to produce her first hit album: “Joan Boaz”.

She released many more albums after this, including “Joan Baez in Concert”, “Folksingers Round Harvard Square”, and “Joan Baez in San Francisco”. She also went on many national tours, most of them lasting for months at a time.

Joan was more than just a singer though. She was a very strong anti-war activist. She demonstrated her contempt for Vietnam by withholding her income taxes. This got her into some trouble with the law. She was made to pay the taxes and spent 90 days in jail.

Joan’s most famous song was “Blowing in the Wind.” It’s about the Vietnam War and how oblivious many people are to the terrible things caused by it.

How many roads must a man walk down

Before you call him a man?

Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail

Before she sleeps in the sand?

Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly

Before they're forever banned?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many times must a man look up

Before he can see the sky?

Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have

Before he can hear people cry?

Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows

That too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,