From the traditional to the socially conscious and from folk to rock to country, singer/songwriter Joan Baez has covered just about every aspect of popular music throughout her professional career.

Over the past four decades, Baez has not only established herself as one of music’s most legendary and influential songwriters — she’s been called the ‘queen of folk’ — she has also established herself as one of the most politically active voices in the country, founding two humanitarian organizations, including the California-based Institute for the Study of Nonviolence, and winning numerous awards for her efforts.

A pure soprano, Baez first came to the world’s attention after her performance at the 1959 Newport Folk Festival; a year later, she released her debut effort, Joan Baez. And it was during this time — the early to mid-’60s — that Baez entered into two relationships that would change her life — one being an interest in social movements, particularly the protest movement, and the other a partnering with the then up-and-coming Bob Dylan. Both of these encounters would vastly influence Baez’s musical career, as her music took a turn from the traditional to the socially-minded folk-rock sound that was in coherence with the times, as was evidenced with her involvement in the anthem-like recording of "We Shall Overcome." In addition to a personal relationship, Baez and Dylan also worked together, with Baez playing a large role in spurring the career of Dylan, recording his songs and sharing concert billing with him on numerous occasions.

Releasing an album per year in both the ’60s and the ’70s, Baez was known as one of the hardest working performers of the day, gaining attention for her prolific and often political recordings, including 1973’s Vietnam-influenced Where Are You Now My Son?

The 1970s proved to be Baez’s most commercial period, as well, as she released two of her most popular projects, a 1971 cover of the Band’s "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" — a single that reached number three on the charts — and 1975’s "Diamonds and Rust," a hit from the album of the same name that chronicled the rise and fall of her relationship with Dylan.

According to many critics, Baez’s career suffered under the burden of her political commitments, as she instead preferred to concentrate on her humanitarian work, releasing a comparatively sparse number of albums in the past two decades. Baez is apparently on another recording upswing, however, releasing some five recordings in the past five years, including her most recent, 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Joan Baez.

Opening the show will be folk and country artist Stacey Earle, who has received rave reviews for her latest release, Dancing with Them That Brung Me.