Born in Staten Island, New York, Joan Baez began her career singing in coffeehouses around Cambridge, Massachusetts in the 1950s. In 1959 she performed at the Newport Folk Festival, attracting national attention. Her early records of folk songs each sold over a million copies. During the 1960s and '70s Baez became politically active, particularly in protest against the Vietnam War.

Basically straight, but has written and spoken about a one-time lesbian affair. Her 1987 autobiography, "And a Voice to Sing With," discusses her same-sex love affairs.