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sheshe2

(98,359 posts)
Tue May 12, 2026, 07:01 PM Tuesday

Joan Baez has announced her retirement from the stage at the age of 85.

Joan Baez has announced her retirement from the stage at the age of 85. “This is not just the end of my career.
It’s the final chapter of an entire era — an era of idealism, of protest, of songs that dared to challenge power and awaken hearts.

Charles Keener (@charleskeener.bsky.social) 2026-05-12T21:38:15.839Z




Thank you for everything.
74 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Joan Baez has announced her retirement from the stage at the age of 85. (Original Post) sheshe2 Tuesday OP
Thank you Joan malaise Tuesday #1
a fave Joan track and a great Dylan cover..... msongs Tuesday #2
She is such a gift PatSeg Tuesday #3
Thank you Joan. I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night. Botany Tuesday #4
. Sparkly Tuesday #5
Joan Baez and MLK, Jr. in my home town when they integrated my HS in 1966. walkingman Tuesday #6
Thank you for that picture, walkingman! sheshe2 Tuesday #12
Saw her in Boston. Magnificent Joinfortmill Tuesday #7
Her family moved to Belmont MA in 1958 sheshe2 Yesterday #60
I saw her on the main stage at Glastonbury in 1984, where I was stood right up front Emrys Tuesday #8
The first Joan Baez album I added to my collection was... QueerDuck Tuesday #9
I had that one too. sheshe2 Tuesday #14
Me too - - her songs said what we felt. Talitha Tuesday #41
Exactly, Talitha. sheshe2 Tuesday #42
*Sigh* A lump in my throat - There But For Fortune NBachers Tuesday #10
She had an incredible voice. sheshe2 Tuesday #15
Great choice. yorkster Tuesday #30
"It's the final chapter of an entire era -- an era of idealism, of protest, of songs that dared to challenge power sop Tuesday #11
Hard to accept BeneteauBum Tuesday #36
We need Joan now, more than ever GenThePerservering Tuesday #13
She still took the time to stand with Justin Jones in Nashville last week Tanuki Tuesday #16
That was beautiful, Tanuki. sheshe2 Tuesday #19
Wonderful malaise Tuesday #24
Joan Baez essentially passed to baton to Jesse Wells when they performed together recently Brother Buzz Tuesday #17
Wonder videos! sheshe2 Tuesday #22
Thank you. Those were gifts to my soul. Botany Tuesday #46
The second video was six months ago Brother Buzz Tuesday #54
Respect ❤️ Admiration ❤️ Love FakeNoose Tuesday #18
Thank you Joan Dave Id Tuesday #20
That voice BaronChocula Tuesday #21
Thank you, Joan Niagara Tuesday #23
I echo everyone else. Thank you, Joan; not just for your music but for showing LoisB Tuesday #25
I got to see her in concert in Europe back in the 1980s. COL Mustard Tuesday #26
My favorite...as tears come to my eyes.... allegorical oracle Tuesday #27
Here you go! sheshe2 Tuesday #28
Thank you. That is the most romantic song in the world imho.... allegorical oracle Tuesday #33
A well deserved exit from the public stage. I never met Joan, though I have FailureToCommunicate Tuesday #29
That is pretty cool, meeting her whole family... sheshe2 Tuesday #32
Yes. But she has been a constant part of my life thru her music. FailureToCommunicate Tuesday #55
Saw here fairly often in Chapel Hill, etc. Then at the vigil out of the Castro in 78 unc70 Tuesday #31
Bravo Joan Starbeach Tuesday #34
What a talent! It is amazing that she has been strong brer cat Tuesday #35
She performed publicly for over 60 years! sheshe2 Tuesday #47
Miles to go before you (we) sleep, Joan swong19104 Tuesday #37
Joan singing one of Bobby's best.. WheelWalker Tuesday #38
My favorite time seeing her was when she sang "Okie from Muskogee" with Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson & John Prine deurbano Tuesday #39
Lucky you! sheshe2 Tuesday #48
Oh that's so cool. A lot of people diss "Oakie" but I love it. Haggard had the allegorical oracle 12 hrs ago #71
This message was self-deleted by its author deurbano Tuesday #40
Thank you, Joan. Talitha Tuesday #43
She did a large amount of good in the world.🌹 Figarosmom Tuesday #44
I wish her luck tavernier Tuesday #45
Wow. Kablooie Tuesday #49
Thank you, Joan! calimary Tuesday #50
It was demolishing the Voting Rights Act KT2000 Tuesday #51
Ty, Joan, for your exceptional gift of song! SheltieLover Tuesday #52
She has earned it. I love her. She's one of those people... CousinIT Tuesday #53
I saw her at the Newport Folk Festival..63? 64? mountain grammy Tuesday #56
I listen to Joan Every day! MerryBlooms Tuesday #57
I saw her at Pete Seeger's 90th birthday concert. . . DinahMoeHum Tuesday #58
What an amazing woman!!! Devilsun Yesterday #59
St. Paul No Kings in March. nt chowmama Yesterday #61
My husband and I met Joan Baez mnhtnbb 23 hrs ago #62
"It's the final chapter of an entire era." OldBaldy1701E 21 hrs ago #63
Diamonds and Rust surfered 21 hrs ago #64
My absolute favorite tune of hers! ihaveaquestion 15 hrs ago #69
🙏 surfered 10 hrs ago #73
Joan was - and is - great... GiqueCee 21 hrs ago #65
Farewell Joan heckles65 19 hrs ago #66
Thank you for everything Wild blueberry 18 hrs ago #67
An American cultural and artistic Treasure. Martin68 17 hrs ago #68
My first concert Dr. Shepper 13 hrs ago #70
The great folk music scare in the 60s. That shit almost caught on.-----Martin Mull mjvpi 11 hrs ago #72
Beautiful voice, beautiful person, beautiful spirit La Coliniere 9 hrs ago #74

walkingman

(11,132 posts)
6. Joan Baez and MLK, Jr. in my home town when they integrated my HS in 1966.
Tue May 12, 2026, 07:14 PM
Tuesday

for anyone that ever doubts how nasty white people can be, I saw some of my neighbors show their true colors. This was a small town and everybody knew everybody.

Sadly, we continue to fight these same battles 60 years later. ☮

sheshe2

(98,359 posts)
60. Her family moved to Belmont MA in 1958
Wed May 13, 2026, 12:20 AM
Yesterday

Belmont and Cambridge were the launchpad for her career!

At the time, Joan was a theater major at Boston University, but she quickly became drawn to the folk music scene in Cambridge. The Harvard Square coffeehouses and local clubs offered a vibrant acoustic community, and she soon realized she was better suited to performing than to formal education The Music Museum of New England+1. She left BU after only about six weeks, deciding to focus on music The Music Museum of New England.

Baez began playing at Club 47 in Cambridge, a venue that was originally a jazz club but became a hub for the emerging folk revival. She was one of the first folk singers to perform there, and her clear soprano voice and heartfelt renditions of folk classics quickly earned her a reputation The Music Museum of New England+1. By her late teens, she was a regular headliner at these shows.

Her breakthrough came in 1959 when Bob Gibson invited her to perform at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island, cementing her status as a rising star at age 18 History Cambridge+1. This performance helped launch her into national prominence, leading to a record deal with Vanguard Records in 1960.

In summary, Joan Baez’s time in Massachusetts—particularly in Belmont and Cambridge—was the launchpad for her career. The city’s folk music scene, Club 47, and the Newport Folk Festival all played pivotal roles in shaping her into one of America’s most influential folk artists and activists.



https://www.bing.com/search?q=Joan%20Baez%20lived%20in%20MA&qs=n&form=QBRE&sp=-1&lq=0&pq=joan%20baez%20lived%20in%20ma&sc=0-21&sk=&cvid=C597AB9019E5423586D2F36FBB85A9AA

Emrys

(9,203 posts)
8. I saw her on the main stage at Glastonbury in 1984, where I was stood right up front
Tue May 12, 2026, 07:23 PM
Tuesday

As she sang, the power and depth of her voice and its and her beauty had me in floods of tears, maybe partly because her music was an important part of my childhood as my brother and sister were around ten years older than me, and no doubt partly because I was absolutely off my face.

sheshe2

(98,359 posts)
14. I had that one too.
Tue May 12, 2026, 07:43 PM
Tuesday

Back in the day, I played the guitar and sang many of her songs. 🫶❤️

sop

(19,218 posts)
11. "It's the final chapter of an entire era -- an era of idealism, of protest, of songs that dared to challenge power
Tue May 12, 2026, 07:35 PM
Tuesday

and awaken hearts." Doesn't sound very hopeful for the future. Sadly, I think she's right.

Tanuki

(16,501 posts)
16. She still took the time to stand with Justin Jones in Nashville last week
Tue May 12, 2026, 07:45 PM
Tuesday

and lend her voice to the fight against racist redistricting, voter suppression, and White supremacy.

https://www.instagram.com/brotherjones_/reel/DX8GOrthNwU/?hl=en

Brother Buzz

(40,366 posts)
17. Joan Baez essentially passed to baton to Jesse Wells when they performed together recently
Tue May 12, 2026, 07:49 PM
Tuesday
?si=prZWABdaMq7lq-2r
?si=8-hD_5pFiRlT67Uc

Botany

(77,806 posts)
46. Thank you. Those were gifts to my soul.
Tue May 12, 2026, 09:38 PM
Tuesday

The top video was less than 2 months ago. Joan had a life well lived.

Brother Buzz

(40,366 posts)
54. The second video was six months ago
Tue May 12, 2026, 10:14 PM
Tuesday

Folk legend Joan Baez made a surprise appearance at Jesse Welles’ sold-out show at The Fillmore in San Francisco on November 4, 2025, performing a duet of his protest song "No Kings" and the Dylan classic "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right". This collaboration served as a symbolic "passing of the torch".

Jesse made the sojourn from Arkansas to Joan Baez’ backyard with his patented smile and a bounce in his step and let the magic happen.

FakeNoose

(42,316 posts)
18. Respect ❤️ Admiration ❤️ Love
Tue May 12, 2026, 07:50 PM
Tuesday

Thank you Joan Baez! One of the greatest folk singers ever - with the voice of an angel!!!

Dave Id

(325 posts)
20. Thank you Joan
Tue May 12, 2026, 07:51 PM
Tuesday

for all of you gifts in your activism and beautiful voice. You are cherished in our hearts.

BaronChocula

(4,711 posts)
21. That voice
Tue May 12, 2026, 07:52 PM
Tuesday

I'll even sing along to "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down." But it's ok. It was written by a Canadian.

LoisB

(13,396 posts)
25. I echo everyone else. Thank you, Joan; not just for your music but for showing
Tue May 12, 2026, 07:55 PM
Tuesday

up against injustices for so many years.

COL Mustard

(8,371 posts)
26. I got to see her in concert in Europe back in the 1980s.
Tue May 12, 2026, 08:03 PM
Tuesday

Damn glad I did. She has been an amazing force for almost my entire life.

I love you Joan!

FailureToCommunicate

(14,620 posts)
29. A well deserved exit from the public stage. I never met Joan, though I have
Tue May 12, 2026, 08:17 PM
Tuesday

seen her perform countless times. I did get to meet her sisters and brother in law and her delightful parents. What a terrific loving family. No wonder she has always been on the correct side of civil rights, and justice, and not afraid to sing about it!

unc70

(6,513 posts)
31. Saw here fairly often in Chapel Hill, etc. Then at the vigil out of the Castro in 78
Tue May 12, 2026, 08:23 PM
Tuesday

She sang at the candlelight vigil from The Castro for Milk and Moscone back in 1978 in San Francisco. We were all so young.

swong19104

(659 posts)
37. Miles to go before you (we) sleep, Joan
Tue May 12, 2026, 08:48 PM
Tuesday

A few days ago, I was chatting with some 30-somethings and I mentioned Arlo Guthrie’s Alice’s Restaurant. They never heard it or of it. I really wonder how many of the folk songs of the 60s and 70s are being listened by the younger generations.

I was also at a nightclub (of sorts) and the band was playing American standards like Route 66, Spanish Eyes, etc. Then they played CCR’s Have You Ever Seen The Rain. CCR among the standards??

deurbano

(3,008 posts)
39. My favorite time seeing her was when she sang "Okie from Muskogee" with Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson & John Prine
Tue May 12, 2026, 08:52 PM
Tuesday

in 2010 at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, CA. Kristofferson (one of my all-time faves) opened for Haggard (one of my all-time faves), and Kris came back out to sing/play with Haggard at the end... and then (in a huge surprise), John (one of my all-rime faves) and Joan (one of my all-time faves) joined them! Not sure there was anyone alive at that moment I wanted to see more than the four of them....or anywhere I would rather have been! (And I had seen them all separately several times.) Transplendent!

I saw Joan at a benefit tribute (to her) concert at the Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco (with other amazing legends) last year, and then at a No Kings rally in SF last fall. She has always been (and continues to be) an inspiration!

https://www.kqed.org/arts/13971571/joan-baez-review-masonic-san-francisco-sweet-relief

allegorical oracle

(6,568 posts)
71. Oh that's so cool. A lot of people diss "Oakie" but I love it. Haggard had the
Wed May 13, 2026, 04:28 PM
12 hrs ago

greatest pipes ever. And Kristofferson was a fabulous composer who was often overlooked.

Response to sheshe2 (Original post)

tavernier

(14,502 posts)
45. I wish her luck
Tue May 12, 2026, 09:36 PM
Tuesday

But I’m still singing and protesting and carrying on. It’s not over,
And so say my kids and grandkids.

calimary

(90,695 posts)
50. Thank you, Joan!
Tue May 12, 2026, 09:58 PM
Tuesday

You’ve been such an inspiration over the years!

And you’re only retiring. That means you’re still here! I take great comfort in that.

KT2000

(22,207 posts)
51. It was demolishing the Voting Rights Act
Tue May 12, 2026, 09:59 PM
Tuesday

that did it. The hard work - and she did work hard - and now watching those successes being dismantled. Her heart is broken. I am sad about this.
So many gave so much back when it was cool to be better people instead of the garbage dwellers we are surrounded by now.

CousinIT

(12,733 posts)
53. She has earned it. I love her. She's one of those people...
Tue May 12, 2026, 10:09 PM
Tuesday

….I want to wrap in bubble wrap and put her on a high shelf so I can keep her safe forever. Of course no one lives that long.

Here she is singing “Nasty Man”. You can guess who it’s about. She’s a jewel of a human being.

?si=E23vFN8UH3rN4iwD

mountain grammy

(29,178 posts)
56. I saw her at the Newport Folk Festival..63? 64?
Tue May 12, 2026, 10:55 PM
Tuesday

it started to rain while the Paul Butterfield band was playing and they were plugged in so they had to stop..

Joan came out and did a couple of songs, no power.. acoustic guitar and her voice. She's a small woman and she was dancing around the stage soaking wet. We had seats when she played. We watched Dylan from the parking lot.

DinahMoeHum

(23,670 posts)
58. I saw her at Pete Seeger's 90th birthday concert. . .
Tue May 12, 2026, 11:09 PM
Tuesday

in Madison Square Garden,NY; leading the audience in "Jacob's Ladder"

Before that, I saw her in 2009 at the 50th anniversary of the Newport Folk Festival.

She did "Diamonds And Rust" as a duet with Judy Collins.

Her performance had me feel like my feet were firmly screwed to the ground and my skin prickled with goose bumps.

mnhtnbb

(33,491 posts)
62. My husband and I met Joan Baez
Wed May 13, 2026, 05:28 AM
23 hrs ago

when we joined a cruise in 2012 sponsored by The Nation magazine. She performed at a private concert for the group one night, and allowed us to take photos before she started singing.



Another evening, a reception was held in her honor and we got to chat with her a bit. Both she and my husband grew up in Palo Alto.
Amazing woman with a unique voice.

OldBaldy1701E

(11,501 posts)
63. "It's the final chapter of an entire era."
Wed May 13, 2026, 07:41 AM
21 hrs ago

Yes.

Too bad we decided to squander that era.

That is the part that really sucks as far as I am concerned.

GiqueCee

(4,683 posts)
65. Joan was - and is - great...
Wed May 13, 2026, 08:22 AM
21 hrs ago

... and her sister, Mimi, was married to Richard Fariña, a songwriter and author who died tragically in a motorcycle accident on the night of a party celebrating the publication of his book, Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me. Mimi played autoharp to Richard's guitar, and one of their better known songs was Pack Up Your Sorrows.

Wild blueberry

(8,366 posts)
67. Thank you for everything
Wed May 13, 2026, 10:53 AM
18 hrs ago

And thank you, DUers who posted so many gorgeous songs.
Thank you.

La Coliniere

(1,987 posts)
74. Beautiful voice, beautiful person, beautiful spirit
Wed May 13, 2026, 08:03 PM
9 hrs ago

Loved her version of Mary Chapin Carpenter’s Stones in the Road. She was one of the first woke artists who inspired me as a kid in the late 60s.

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