Spinner

Joan Baez Footage From the '50s Found in Freezer

Joan BaezAs a part of the 'American Masters' series, PBS produced a documentary on Joan Baez entitled 'How Sweet the Sound' that details the rise of the iconic folk singer through the late '50s and '60s, featuring interviews with Bob Dylan, David Crosby, Steve Earle and Baez herself. During the beginning of her career, we learn that before she'd made her breakout performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1959, she'd often play around Boston and Cambridge -- in particular at Club 47. At some point, a camera was set up and captured her in a very stark, small setting -- but the footage is clear and quite sharp.

"I can't remember any of that," Baez tells Spinner of the documentary, which debuted Wednesday. "There's a picture, briefly, of a friend Peter Robinson. He was a friend of the family that put on these concerts and he was involved in filmmaking. I know it was him setting it up, but I don't remember cameras being in there or being recorded. In the process of all their archiving, some man came up with some tapes and had a feeling a woman had some more. He found her and it was literally in her freezer."

"There were things I'd never seen before," she adds. "Who would have known that some lady would have Club 47 [footage] locked up in her freezer. That was amazing."

Despite not seeing these cameras set up, it's quite apparent that the cameras were all about getting a snapshot or sound bite during her rise as a political activist. While nowadays it's commonplace for celebrities to attract attention for any little thing they may or may not do, Baez was constantly being followed because of her involvement in the civil rights movements and political trips, such as traveling to Hanoi, Vietnam during war times. "When I was young, I was shy of them," she says. "After a while, I just got used to them."

'How Sweet the Sound' airs again this Sunday on PBS at 4PM ET. Baez joins other 'American Masters,' Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Dylan, Ella Fitzgerald, George Gershwin and Joni Mitchell, in this exclusive series.

If you can't catch the show on PBS, Razor & Tie have released a DVD and Soundtrack of 'How Sweet the Sound' this week.

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david

How good can it get, the Matriarch of the counterculture. I walked in to a little sea side restaurant in Santa Cruz one morning and Joanie was sitting with another woman having breakfast. I was so star struck I didn't even say hello. I regret that.God broke the mold when he made Joan Baez. Thanks Joanie for a lifetime of your bravery and leadership.
Namaste

March 05 2011 at 6:09 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
tim

What a life! When her close friendship with Cesar Chavez, her leading the first big college sit in @ Berkeley, Headlining @ Woodstock, the Joanie Phonie cartoon, her persuading Carter to rescue the boat people, drawing a crowd of 40 thousand to the Washington monument after the DAR kicks her out of Constitution Hall, her MONSTER big FISA file, Steve Jobst, her tax boycott, Lech Walsea, her books etc etc don't even make the cut!

October 16 2009 at 2:58 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Eric

COOL!! What a story. Now if the 27 minutes cut from Judy Garland's "A Star Is Born" could be found, there'd be even MORE rejoicing!!

October 15 2009 at 7:57 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
D.A.

Darn, wish they showed a clip of this long lost tape on here...never agreed with Joan politically, but loved her music. Would be nice to hear more from these days...just bought some of her older music on I Tunes. Timeless.

October 15 2009 at 7:35 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply