Newport 1959: The concert that set Joan Baez’s career in motion
Festivals are often the best places to discover new music. As you’re journeying between stages or queuing for one of the very few portaloos, you might stumble upon an artist whose name you didn’t recognise on the poster but who proves to be a hidden gem. For as long as festivals have existed, it has been one of the most dependable ways for bands and soloists to secure new fans. It even kickstarted the career of folk star Joan Baez.
The Newport Folk Festival is now one of the most well-known festivals in music history. It provided a stage for Bob Dylan to make his controversial transition from acoustic to electric. During its first decade-long lifespan, it hosted Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, and countless other folk and rock icons. But in 1959, the festival was only in its infancy.
Though it was yet to acquire its legendary status, the inaugural edition of the Newport Folk Festival featured some impressive names. Protest songwriter Peter Seeger performed, rock and roll pioneer Bo Diddley performed, and banjo enthusiast Bob Gibson delivered a set that would introduce audiences to their new folk hero: Joan Baez.
At just 18 years old, the budding folk singer took to the stage at Newport Folk Festival alongside Gibson. She had no records to her name and no label to support her endeavours, but this would change almost as soon as she left the stage. Baez managed to capture the crowds with just two songs, lending her vocals to duets of ‘We Are Crossing Jordan River’ and ‘Virgin Mary Had One Son’, with Gibson.
Her wonderfully wavering vocals made an immediate impact on the festival-goers and music industry professionals. Following her impressive performance at Newport, labels were fighting for the chance to sign her and be the one to put out her debut record. They weren’t small-time labels, either. Columbia Records and Atlantic Records, the biggest names in the business, were desperate for Baez to join their roster.
But Baez wasn’t interested in signing with a big name. Instead, she opted to work with Vanguard Records, who were taking an increasing interest in folk. She recorded and released her self-titled debut album the following year, which featured covers of well-known songs like ‘House of the Rising Sun’ and ‘Wildwood Flower’. And the rest was history.
Through covers of Dylan classics, a growing interest in original songwriting, and the sheer power of her voice, Baez cemented her place as one of the most important figures in the folk movement. Even now, the sublime vocal control she exhibits in every song and every performance continues to leave listeners in awe, just as it did in Newport back in 1959.
It wouldn’t be long before Baez returned to Newport, but she certainly wouldn’t be making a short guest appearance this time. In 1963, just four years after she had made her debut at the festival and became an overnight sensation, she appeared on the lineup alongside fellow greats like Dylan, Judy Collins and Peter, Paul and Mary. She played several more times in the years following.
Baez clearly felt a connection to Newport, one that endured as her career grew to new heights. Though the initial run of the festivals came to a close in 1969, Newport returned in the mid-1980s and, as if calling back to that first year, included Baez on the lineup. She was there again in 1987, and then in 1990, and then in 1992… In fact, she even played the 2024 edition of the festival.
It’s easy to see why Baez keeps returning – without that first opportunity, she may never have become the mammoth folk star she is now known as.
