Joan Baez

Joan Baez performing at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom where she led the crowd in singing "We Shall Overcome." 

Joan Baez was one of the key women that broke into the boys’ club that had formed in the mid-1950s wave of the folk revival, along with Judy Collins and Odetta. Baez established herself not as a singer-songwriter, but as an interpreter of others’ compositions. Her cover of the civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome” launched her into an important role in the movement where she became a close friend of Martin Luther King Jr.

A poster for a Joan Baez concert to benefit human rights in Chile, featuring special guest Pete Seeger.

Baez was not only committed to social justice in the United States but also made global appearances dedicated to peace and human rights. Still active today, Baez has transitioned to writing her own topical music, like the song “Nasty Man,” criticizing President Donald Trump.