While conversing with friends at a Renaissance faire, I happened to mention that I learned many folk songs from listening to Joan Baez albums in the Sixties and Seventies. A paid performer at the faire, this fellow, probably a couple of decades younger than my fiftysomething, immediately pulled such a face and repeated her name with pure disgust. Now, I like this person very much, but I practically grabbed him by his beard and began a soapbox oratory about what she had done for folk/traditional music. At college, I think every student had a copy of at least one of her albums, alongside Carole King's "Tapestry" and that foldout Crosby, Stills & Nash (& maybe Young~a debate that continues, per my brother-in-law). Oh, yeah... Add in "Woodstock" and the beginning-to-wear-out "Sgt. Pepper's..." Many of you probably know that collection~some Bob Dylan, The Byrds, and the mixture of sounds that was the Sixties/early Seventies.

Anyway, while trying to retain our friendship, I did make it known that I would remain loyal to Joan Baez whose voice and beauty I coveted from the moment I encountered that first album. Gosh! I even remember the Baez/Dylan romance! I tried very hard to learn guitar, but what I now know was the early stages of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome put an end to that. When I started attending events with a day at Bristol Renaissance Faire, I came across a costumed girl seated under a tree, an admiring youth nearby, singing~ta daa!~"The Silkie". Years later, when I was deciding whether or not to purchase a bowed psaltery, the first tune I played was "The Silkie". In sharing circles, I've sung "Matty Groves" and "The Trees They Grow High".

I shall always be a fan of this amazing lady. When I recently watched "Woodstock", my mother and I were moved to tears by her performances. It's a tossup whose voice I want most: Joan's or Judy Collin's. That's a tough call!

By the way, she's older than I would have guessed, heading for her 67th birthday in January. I thought she was much closer to my age (nearly 56). This is a bit of bio from Wikipedia:

Joan Chandos Baez (born January 9, 1941) is an American folk singer and songwriter known for her highly individual vocal style. She is a soprano with a three-octave vocal range and a distinctively rapid vibrato. Many of her songs are topical and deal with social issues.

She is best known for her 1970s hits "Diamonds & Rust" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" -- and to a lesser extent, "We Shall Overcome" "Sweet Sir Galahad" and "Joe Hill" (songs she performed at the 1969 Woodstock festival). She is also well known due to her early and long-lasting relationship with Bob Dylan and her even longer-lasting passion for activism, notably in the areas of nonviolence, civil and human rights and, in more recent years, the environment. She has performed publicly for nearly 50 years, released over 30 albums and recorded songs in over eight languages. She is considered a folksinger although her music has strayed from folk considerably after the 1960s, encompassing everything from rock and pop to country and gospel. Although a songwriter herself, especially in the mid-1970s, Baez is most often regarded as an interpreter of other people's work, covering songs by Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Jackson Browne, Paul Simon, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder and myriad others. In more recent years, she has found success interpreting songs of diverse songwriters such as Steve Earle, Natalie Merchant and Ryan Adams.