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Joan Baez

Some stars' contributions to causes may seem a little suspect - not that they don't care, but because they may be motivated by a need to give back something.  That's a noble and human response, and many do a great deal of good.

Then there are those whose passion to help others is either inborn or instilled at an early age, and whose artistry is driven by that need.  Such is the case with one singer.   This by Ann Landers was published in the Miami Herald on Labor Day, September 4th, 2001:

"Dear Ann Landers: 

Never have I felt so moved as when I read the letter from "Former Classmate in Illinois." I, too, have avoided attending my high school reunions. And with good reason.

It was 45 years ago, and I had just come to America from Europe. My English was not good, and the "in crowd" didn't think I had the right clothes or hairstyle. Everything about me was wrong. I had to endure their snickering, and I always ate alone at lunchtime. I once got up the nerve to invite six girls to my 16th birthday party. Only one girl came, and she left early. My parents never knew that I cried myself to sleep that night. 

In my junior year, something wonderful happened. Another girl saved me from despair. We became friends instantly, and she began to join me at lunch. She was also ignored by the "in crowd," but she didn't care. She marched to a different drummer. She had her own music.

She came to my home one afternoon and brought her little sister to play with mine. We became great friends. She played her guitar and sang like an angel. Soon she invited me to join her as she visited USO clubs and sang for the soldiers. She was a big hit wherever she appeared. One night on the way home from a USO club, I bet her $10 she would become famous -- and she did.  Her name is Joan Baez. -- Rosie Herz (now Rita Violette) of Sun City, Calif."

Ann Lander's answer:   "Dear Rosie: 

What a heartwarming story. I hope Joan Baez sees this column or that someone who knows her will bring it to her attention. We now know that in addition to her marvelous voice, Joan Baez is a beautiful person with a loving and generous heart."

Moms, Dads and Grandparents, introduce this singer to the kids.  Give them her biography to read.  It's a primer for peaceful protest and dedicating one's life to making this a better world.  Much of it is like a step back into time.  A lot more is current - the Middle East, Ireland and other trouble spots plus AIDS and other current causes.   It proves that old adage that the more things change the more they stay the same.   There's new disks and albums that either include her earlier work or feature her newer offerings.

Joan Baez was one of the rallying points for civil rights, for pulling out of the Vietnam war, for peace in any and every corner of the world, and against violence, poverty, misery and hunger in any form.  Listen to her "Ain't going to let nobody turn me around", performed in the South during the fight for equal rights, and you will have no doubt of her power.  And she still is doing her part.    And she sings ballads, love songs and modern laments, too.

Don't necessarily believe that the kids will abandon rap, hip-hop and etc. to listen to Joan Baez right now.  But if you buy some of her stuff, and play it, maybe on your CD player in the kitchen (you have one there, don't you?) while the kids help with mealtime preparation and clean-up,  it will - little by little - make an impression, especially if they have read the story of her life.  

Print out her biography so the kids can to read it to you while you're cooking and listening to Baez's songs.  Talk about what some of the songs meant, and what they could mean today.  You and the kids can learn something together.

• Positively 4th Street : The Lives and Times of Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Mimi Baez Farina, and Richard Farina by David Hajdu