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Newport 1968
Founded in 1959 by George Wein, founder of the already-well-established Newport Jazz Festival, and backed by its original board: Theodore Bikel, Oscar Brand, Pete Seeger and Albert Grossman, the Newport Folk Festival is renowned for introducing to a national audience a number of performers who went on to become major stars. But it was Joan Baez, performing at the very first festival in 1959 as an unannounced guest of Bob Gibson, who really benefited most from exposure at the fest as she played there numerous times during the 1960s and became something of a staple. The 1968 festival boasted one of the finest line-ups of new and old talent seen since the event began. Joan, by then was of course a bit of a veteran, played two sets spread across both the Friday - when she played a headline spot both solo and with sister Mimi Faina - and another on the Saturday night when she performed a short set of three songs. Other acts to feature in '68 were Janis Joplin with Big Brother & The Holding Company, Richie Havens, Joni Mitchell, Taj Mahal, Tim Buckley, Buddy Guy & Junior Wells, Pete Seeger, B.B. King and Jerry Merrick. Thankfully the entire festival in 1968 was broadcast in FM quality across the local area, and indeed synched to many other locations across the USA, a fact which allows us all to continue to enjoy this fine event in all its glory even today - and by way of this CD - particularly appreciate how Joan Baez was developing as an artist by this time in her career.