Baez was born in the Staten Island borough of New York City on January 9, 1941. Her grandfather, Alberto Baez, left the Catholic Church to become a Methodist minister and moved to the U.S. when her father was two years old. … See more

The opening line of Baez's memoir And a Voice to Sing With is "I was born gifted" (referring to her singing voice, which she explained was given to her and for which she can take no credit). A friend of Joan's father gav… See more

In 1956, Baez first heard Martin Luther King Jr. speak about nonviolence, civil rights and social change in a speech that brought tears to her eyes. Several years later, the two became friends, with Baez participating in many of the … See more