Folk music legend and social activist Joan Baez visits Louisiana this month to perform a series of three concerts between November 22-24 in Lafayette, Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Now 72 years young, Baez has been performing for more than half a century and has released over 30 albums to date. She is known for her vast contributions to American music of the 1960s, but is also a dedicated peace and civil rights advocate.
Joan Baez performs in Lafayette, Baton Rouge and New Orleans, November 22-24.
Both her music and her public appearances have proven unwavering in recent years from the core values of which she sang five decades ago. 40 years after she performed at the famous Woodstock Festival, Baez released her latest album, How Sweet The Sound, with a DVD movie accompaniment, as well as re-released her autobiography, And A Voice To Sing With. Of the book, the New York Times proclaimed that it is a “revealing autobiography… Her honesty and ideals are appealing, and in her life story one can see the passage of an artistic Everyman.” Indeed, her tour roster of late is peppered with countless benefit events and fundraisers for a variety of human needs charities and causes. This 21st century appearance record, coupled with messages in even her most recent of recordings, reflect her continued commitment to the values that made she, and so many of the artists of her youth, the legends that we know.
Beyond her participation in Woodstock and the ’60s beat scene in general, Baez is noted for her rare and unique soprano voice that is difficult to mistake. A formidable songwriter in her own body of work, she is also respected as a powerful interpretive singer and guitarist. The folk artist has re-imagined songs by her contemporaries, such as Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Leonard Cohen and the Allman Brothers Band, yet has illustrated her familiarity with rock and pop music from the Rolling Stones to, more recently, Steve Earle and Natalie Merchant. Songs like “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” and “We Shall Overcome” exemplify her realistic sense of social condition and her passionate conviction of hope.
However, the New York native walked the walk just as often as she talked the talk of human rights. In a 2009 PBS American Masters television special on her life, Baez states that, “If you’re committed to singing meaningful songs, you also have to be committed to leading a life that backs that up. And that’s the life I wanted to live.” Joan Baez brings her incomparable grace and music of the American story to three Louisiana stages next weekend, where she will hopefully sing some of the Dixieland songs that made her famous.
Baez on the Bayou
Concert organizers have created an entire website devoted solely to Joan Baez performances in Louisiana, www.baezonthebayou.com, where upcoming concert information and online tickets can be found. She performs Friday, November 22 at The Feed & Seed in Lafayette; Saturday, November 23 at The Red Dragon Listening Room in Baton Rouge; and Sunday, November 24 at One-Eyed Jacks in New Orleans. Tickets are $60 and general admission. More Info: www.joanbaez.com
