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Veteran folk singer Joan Baez couldn’t sing for US troops

Thursday, 03 May 2007

Veteran folk singer Joan Baez couldn’t sing for US troops

Veteran folk and protest singer Joan Baez claims she was prevented from singing and playing to US troops in hospital in Washington DC.

The Washington Post reported that Joan Baez said that American officials would not let her perform in the gig with fellow singer John Mellencamp, but Steve Sanderson, a spokesman for Walter Reed Medical Center explained that Joan Baez's appearance was "not in the agreement".

Steve Sanderson added that they had only received the request for Joan Baez to sing for the soldiers two days before the concert and indicated that there hadn’t been time to alter the contract for the event.

The Department of Defense as yet has made no comment.

Joan Baez, 66, is famous for her versions of anti-war songs including Bob Dylan’s Blowin' in the Wind and was actively involved in campaigning against the Vietnam war. Joan Baez has also been publicly opposed to the war in Iraq.

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