Joan Baez: The Last Leaf

★★★★★ Elizabeth Thomson PALAZZO EDITIONS. £12

An inspiring and definitive biog of The Queen of Folk.

Joan Baez’s unwavering dedication encouraged humanity’s angels with inseparable artistry and activism. As Bob Dylan noted, Baez was blessed with a soprano “like a siren off some Greek Island”. A folk music star from the age of 19, she was dubbed Queen of Folk in the ’60s and was crucial in helping Dylan start his royal ascendency. A favourite of Martin Luther King, she sang at 1963’s March on Washington, civil rights being a defining passion. She was there for historic outbreaks of peace (Woodstock ’69) and war (Sarajevo ’93), retiring from the road in 2019, aged 78. Author Thomson is a sharp listener, her evocative musical descriptions singing along with her subject’s songs. As a young girl she was inspired by Baez, and with decades of personal access has written the definitive biography.