Description

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Since she appeared unannounced at the 1959 Newport Folk Festival, Joan Baez has occupied a singular place in popular music. Within three years, she had recorded three best-selling albums and her voice had been described 'as lustrous and rich as old gold.' She has mentored generations of singer-songwriters, including Dar Williams, Josh Ritter, Grace Stumberg and, most famously, Bob Dylan.

But Joan Baez has always been much more than simply a singer. Even before she joined Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. on the podium at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in August 1963, she had used her gift to bring solace and hope to people who had little of either. In words and deeds, Baez has consistently championed social justice, nonviolence the guiding principle of her life, and the causes for which she has campaigned are legion. Whether playing to integrated audiences in the American south during the years of segregation, in Latin America during the years of brutal dictatorships, or Sarajevo under siege, Baez offered 'an act of love, sharing, witness and music.'

Approaching 80, she has stepped down from the stage following a worldwide farewell tour and a final, Grammy-nominated album. She is now embarked on a new chapter of life painting.

Drawing on interviews with long-time friends and musical associates, and on conversations across four decades with Baez herself, Joan Baez: The Last Leaf is a celebration of a timeless figure whose music and influence will endure long after her voice is silenced. The Discography is by Grammy-nominated music historian Arthur Levy.

*Award Winner* 2021 Association for Recorded Sound Collections Awards for Excellence in the category of Best Historical Research in Recorded Blues, Folk, or World Music: Joan Baez: The Last Leaf.

Joan Baez is the recipient of the 2020 Woody Guthrie Prize.

About the Author

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Elizabeth Thomson has written articles and interviews in newspapers and magazines around the world, including The Times and MOJO. A contributor to The New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians, Thomson is also the editor of Conclusions on the Wall: New Essays on Bob Dylan and the co-editor of The Dylan Companion.

Praise For…

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"Thomson is a sharp listener, her evocative musical descriptions sing along with her subject’s songs... she has delivered the definitive biography. Five Stars." —Mojo

"I don t think it is an exaggeration to say that this is a book destined to become the definitive word on the life and times of Joan Baez; put it on your list of this year's essential reads." —Americana Music Magazine

"A picture of a woman who has given so much to the world, to music and to activism that it is surprising how little has been written about her... Thomson's book is an excellent starting point." —Folk Radio

"She writes beautifully and covers a cram-filled, spectacular life in a very knowledgeable way... a very well sourced and a very thoughtful book." —Will Swift, Biographer

"Exhaustively researched...pack[s] a hell of a lot into its 224 pages, miraculously managing to include a comprehensive discography, filmography and bibliography and a plethora of photographs that really do enhance the text." —David Kidman, Living Tradition