Joan Baez

Joan Baez is a folk singer, songwriter and activist known for her distinctive vocal style and her lifelong commitment to human rights, manifest in her music and her performances at and support for civil rights, anti Vietnam and Iraq war, pro gay rights and anti death penalty rallies and marches. She committed her first act of civil disobedience at age 16, for which she was ostracised for being a ‘Communist infiltrator’. She says that social justice is the true core of life, looming larger than music. She was honoured in 2011 with the presentation of the Amnesty International Joan Baez Award. Again, it’s difficult to pick just one Joan Baez song, but here is she performing China, The Altar Boy and the Thief and We Shall Overcome.