{"id":1265,"date":"2021-09-29T01:58:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-29T01:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mrzeros.com\/blog\/?p=1265"},"modified":"2021-09-29T01:58:00","modified_gmt":"2021-09-29T01:58:00","slug":"joan-baez-article-127","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mrzeros.com\/blog\/joan-baez-article-127\/","title":{"rendered":"Joan Baez: Article #127"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Not Just\u00a0A Protest Singer” Joan Baez<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr. Rox Remember When?\u00a0 Article #127: Sep 2021<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

By: RLSchwinden aka MrZerr0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

For: Twin Cities Buzz & WDGY: PsychoGello Show & Roseville Patch<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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When I was a kid growing up in Sioux City, I found I was always about 5 years behind when it came to listening to music, I always preferred\u00a0late 60s music\u00a0in the early 70s, and especially in my High School years, I hated Disco and most music\u00a0from the late 70s, none of my friends could ever understand this, but at the same time I could never understand how they liked the current music. I’m pretty sure I first heard about Joan Baez with her hit “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” on the radio at my Grandma Marge’s, my Grandma was always listening to the\u00a0radio while she cooked and baked, I would sit in the living room, in my Grandma’s recliner and listen to the radio and enjoy the smells coming from the kitchen. I also loved watching TV, however back then we only had 1 TV with only 4 channels, so pretty much I watched what my Mom wanted to watch.<\/p>\n

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I remember as a kid in Sioux City in 1972 or so seeing a TV Special on the film “Silent Running with Bruce Dern, one of my favorite actors, and it was Joan singing the theme song “Rejoice In The Sun” I remember thinking how beautiful and powerful her voice was, to this day it is one of my very favorite songs. In 1979 I saw a TV Show on “The Celebration\u00a0Of The 60s” and I heard a couple of The Byrds songs in this show, so I went right down to Woolco at the Sunset Plaza and bought the 1st 2 Byrds Albums for about $1.99 I think it was.<\/p>\n

While studing the history of The Byrds, I learned that they covered a lot of the same songs the Baez, did and Judy Collins too for that matter. Songs of Joan’s that ‘The Byrds’ covered\u00a0“John Riley” “Old Blue” “It’s All Over\u00a0Now Baby\u00a0Blue” “I Know You Rider” “Wild Mountain Thyme” “Hickory Wind” “Pretty Boy Floyd”<\/p>\n

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When I was with ‘High Fever’ in 1983 touring the midwest the Lead Guitar player Kurt V. used to sing “Diamonds And Rust” I thought it was an unusual song, he told me it’s a Joan Baez song about her relationship with\u00a0 Bob Dylan<\/p>\n

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In July ’87 she released her CD “Recently”\u00a0 I thought\u00a0it was really cool she did a cover of U2’s “MLK” in 2000 in St. Paul when I was able to\u00a0 ask her about it she had this to say “Well, I am getting too old to write new songs, I find I don’t have much inspiration to do so anymore, so I let the younger folks write the songs, and I just sing them, when I find a good one” It was about this time, I started listening to Joan Baez (and Judy Collins) I found I really liked Joan’s voice and some of her songs.<\/p>\n

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About early 2000, I was visiting my friend\u00a0Jack L. a professional Folk Singer – Songwriter\u00a0out of Sioux City and he was showing me his Joan Baez 1998 Martin 0-45JB guitar (only 59 ever made) while very rare and expensive, I was not taken by this guitar, I felt it was too small for my liking, however this day Jack showed me how to play the song “John Riley”, and English folk ballad based on Homer’s Odyssey, published in English in 1614 . When I saw Joan live for the first time she told a story about this very guitar. JB: “So Martin Guitars called me up and wanted to do a commemorative\u00a0issue of my prized 1929 Martin 45, I was flattered, and they asked if I would be willing to send my guitar to Martin so they could get exact measurements from my guitar (as they were all handmade back then so some slight differences always existed) I agreed. So after a few days I got a call from the head of Martin Guitars, he said he had something\u00a0he wanted to share with me. I asked what it\u00a0was, he asked “Have you ever had any repair work done to your guitar?” I responded “Why yes, I did, sometime in about 1969 it got damaged on the road so I had a local guy do the repair, why do you ask?” he answered “Well, when my techs were going over the guitar making the specifications for the blueprints, we found something curious on the inside of the guitar” JB: “Oh, what did you find?” MG: “A piece of paper stuck on\u00a0 the inside of the guitar that reads “Too Bad You’re A Communist” placed so that\u00a0you can read if you put a mirror inside the body” JB: “I guess that guy didn’t like my political\u00a0viewpoints.” So in keeping with the true reproduction of that guitar there is a piece of paper that has the same words”<\/p>\n

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The 1st time I saw Joan in concert was on 27 Oct 2000 in Minneapolis\u00a0at O’Shaughnessy. As usual I took my 1 Vinyl and 1 CD, never wanting to be too greedy (graphers). I walked into the auditorium and went over to the merchandise table where her Road Manager Jim was standing, I asked “Does she ever come out and sign?” Jim responded “Good, God, no, she would be mobbed, why what do you have there, an album?”\u00a0(younger people need to be reminded, NO ONE collected Vinyl again until 2010) I showed him, I brought Joan’s 1st album on Vanguard. He said “Wow, that’s an original” I replied “Yes, I got this album because it contains the song “John Riley” which I named my bird after this song, does she ever do this song in her set?”\u00a0 Jim responded “Funny you should ask she did that one about a year ago for some fan, so tell you what, go through that door, go down the hall, and out the back, there is the bus, she will be in there” I replied “I know exactly where that is” and off I went, as I walked through the door I could see Joan standing in the front of the bus looking over the parking lot, I motioned to her “Will you sign?” she waved “Hi” and disappeared. I thought “What the heck?” Then she reappeared, she went to put on her coat. She opened the bus door and said “Hi, what can I do for you?” I said “Well, I have a couple things to get signed, if you would” Joan answered “Sure” and signed my Vinyl and CD. I then said to her, “I’d like to tell you a story, you see I named my bird after the\u00a0song “John Riley”\u00a0on this album, I was talking to Jim a minute ago and he told me you played this song about a year ago, so at the risk of making it sound like you’re a lounge act, any chance you could play this one tonight?” Joan smiled and said “Wow, that’s an old one, well, it was nice to meet you” So I went inside\u00a0to the concert.<\/p>\n

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On this specific\u00a0tour Joan performed 2 sets, the 1st set being 45 min. and the 2nd set about 65 min. (I have a recording of this specific show). Joan performed the 1st set and took a 20 min break. When she came back out, she started off with “I met a young man in the hallway earlier that reminded me, that before I was a “Protest Singer” I was a “Folk Singer” and he asked me about this next song, I sure hope he is out there tonight, because this one is for him, this is “John Riley” and she performed the song. For Me. She followed it up with “So it wasn’t perfect, but I haven’t\u00a0played that song in a very long time” So as I was walking out of O’Shaughnessy I walked past the merch table to thank Jim. And he shouted excitedly “Were you there? Did you hear it? She sang that just for you!” I responded “I sure did” True Story.<\/p>\n

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And the 2nd time I saw Joan in concert was in March 2003 again at O’Shaughnessy this time with Roger McGuinn of The Byrds as an opening act. As I am walking down the hallway to the door into the auditorium, I hear “St. Paul, St. Paul!” I looked around and it was Joan’s Manager Jim, calling to me. I responded, “Yes, I am from St. Paul” Jim says “No to us you are St.Paul, that’s what\u00a0 we call you anyway, sorry we didn’t remember your name, you see the last time we were here Joan played that song for you and that was the last time she ever did that for anyone, you are a legend in the Joan community, we talk about you all the time, I hope you\u00a0 know how lucky you are, that she did that for you” I responded “Yea, I think I do” here’s the setlist for this show.<\/p>\n

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13 Mar 2003 O’Shaughnessy; St. Paul, MN.\u00a0<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Pretty Boy Floyd
\nRexroth’s Daughter
\nReunion Hill
\nNight They Drove Old Dixie Down
\nDeportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)
\nChristmas in Washington
\nJoe Hill
\nMotherland
\nThere but for Fortune
\nDink’s Song (Fare Thee Well)
\nElvis Presley Blues
\nLily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts
\nJerusalem<\/em><\/p>\n

Lily of the West
\nGracias a la vida<\/em><\/p>\n

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She was born Joan Chandos Baez on 9 January 1941 in Staten Island, New York,<\/p>\n

In the 50s she released 1 album. In the 60s she released 14 Albums. In the 70s she released 17 Albums. And some 27 CDs after that. Joan has released some 35 Singles from 1961 to 1997. The 1st<\/sup> time Joan play the Twin Cities was on 1 May 1964 Northrop Aud. MPLS.<\/p>\n

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One thing I hate about “Actual Music\u00a0History” vs. “Remembered Music History” is, the songs that were actually\u00a0hits at the time, vs. the trend of what people like today, and choose to<\/u><\/em> remember. So with that, here are Joan’s Actual “Hits”<\/p>\n

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“We Shall Overcome”\u00a0#90: Nov 1963<\/p>\n

“There But For Fortune” #50: Oct 1965<\/p>\n

“Love Is Just A Four Letter Word”\u00a0#86: May 1969<\/p>\n

“The Night They Drove Old Dixie” #3: Oct 1971<\/p>\n

“Let It Be” #49: Dec 1971<\/p>\n

“In The Quiet Morning”\u00a0#69: Sep 1972<\/p>\n

“Blue Sky” #57: Aug 1975<\/p>\n

“Diamonds And Rust” #35: Nov 1975<\/p>\n

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On 19 Sept\u00a0 2021, I did my radio show on Joan here is the program:<\/p>\n

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Mr. Zer0’s PsychoGello Show:<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Episode #206: Joan Baez<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

John Riley: Oct 1960<\/p>\n

Old Blue: Sep 1961<\/p>\n

Daddy You’ve Been On My Mind: Oct 1965 (for Oblieon)<\/p>\n

Children Of Darkness: Aug 1967<\/p>\n

Love Minus Zero: Dec 1968<\/p>\n

Long Black Veil: Jan 1970 (for Michael The Record Guy)<\/p>\n

Salt Of The Earth: July 1971<\/p>\n

Rejoice In The Sun: Mar 1972<\/p>\n

Diamonds And Rust: Apr 1975 (#35 Hit)<\/p>\n

Let Your Love Flow: July 1979<\/p>\n

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Catch my weekly Radio Show 7am Sundays on WDGY: 740AM, Streaming, FM: 92.1, 103.7, 107.1, Since June 2021<\/p>\n

Hear Past Shows\u00a0@ www.MrZeroS.Com<\/a> \u2013Podcast (90 back episodes)<\/p>\n

Articles at: Roseville Patch .Com and Twin Cities BUZZ .Com (126 so far)<\/p>\n

Hear Mr.Zer0’s Evolation Show: 32 programs and “Hits And History Shows” 17 Programs at www.MixCloud.Com<\/a><\/p>\n

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And there you have it folks, another installment from MrZerr0, so catch me next time … MrZerr0<\/p>\n