Soul Music
BBC Radio 4
Categories: Music
Listen to the last episode:
“Well, I'll be damned, Here comes your ghost again…”
Joan Baez, also known as the "Queen of Folk", is halfway through writing a song one day when she gets a call from Bob Dylan. It’s 1974; almost 10 years after their relationship ended. The song went on to become the iconic ‘Diamonds and Rust’, an outpouring of memories from their time together in the early sixties.
Music writer Kevin EG Perry tells the story behind Baez and Dylan’s relationship, how they shaped each other’s worlds, and how this song came into being a decade later. Folk legend Judy Collins, also a good friend of Joan Baez, shares old memories of Newport Folk Festival alongside more recent memories of performing ‘Diamonds and Rust’ with Baez at her 80th birthday. And we hear from people whose lives have been touched by the song. Classicist Edith Hall listened to ‘Diamonds and Rust’ on repeat when she ended her first marriage, on the night that the Berlin Wall fell. And writer John Stewart looks back on a heady relationship from his early twenties, which was always bound up with the lyrics of this song. Decades later, this formative time in his life continues to resonate with diamonds, rust, and gratitude.
Producer: Becky Ripley
Previous episodes
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167 - Diamonds and Rust Sat, 12 Oct 2024
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166 - Tiny Dancer Sat, 04 May 2024
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165 - Northern Sky Sat, 27 Apr 2024
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164 - I Can See Clearly Now Sat, 20 Apr 2024
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163 - Someone to Watch Over Me Sat, 13 Apr 2024
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162 - Sweet Thing Sat, 06 Apr 2024
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160 - Songs My Mother Taught Me Sat, 11 Nov 2023
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159 - Fire and Rain Sat, 04 Nov 2023
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158 - Pata Pata Sat, 28 Oct 2023
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157 - Defying Gravity from Wicked Sat, 21 Oct 2023
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156 - I Will Always Love You Sat, 14 Oct 2023
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155 - Fast Car Wed, 05 Jul 2023
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154 - I Say a Little Prayer for You Sat, 24 Jun 2023
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153 - Ghost Town Sat, 17 Jun 2023
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152 - I Only Have Eyes For You Sat, 10 Jun 2023
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150 - I Believe in Father Christmas Sat, 24 Dec 2022
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149 - Nessun Dorma Sat, 17 Dec 2022
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148 - Killing Me Softly with His Song Sat, 10 Dec 2022
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147 - Into My Arms by Nick Cave Sat, 03 Dec 2022
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146 - Chervona Kalyna Sat, 26 Nov 2022
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145 - Bruch's Violin Concerto Sat, 18 Jun 2022
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144 - Ne Me Quitte Pas Sat, 11 Jun 2022
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143 - Purple Rain Mon, 30 May 2022
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142 - Young Hearts Run Free by Candi Staton Sat, 28 May 2022
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141 - A Ceremony of Carols by Benjamin Britten Sat, 18 Dec 2021
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140 - U2 - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For Sat, 11 Dec 2021
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139 - Song To The Siren Sat, 04 Dec 2021
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138 - Unfinished Sympathy Sat, 27 Nov 2021
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137 - Some Enchanted Evening from South Pacific Sat, 20 Nov 2021
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136 - Ain't No Mountain High Enough Sat, 13 Nov 2021
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135 - Take Me Home, Country Roads Wed, 04 Aug 2021
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134 - The Parting Glass Wed, 28 Jul 2021
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133 - We've Only Just Begun Wed, 21 Jul 2021
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132 - Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat Wed, 14 Jul 2021
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131 - Sunshine on Leith Fri, 12 Feb 2021
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130 - David Bowie - Life on Mars? Sat, 09 Jan 2021
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129 - Once In A Lifetime Tue, 29 Dec 2020
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128 - I Wonder as I Wander Tue, 22 Dec 2020
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127 - Lean On Me by Bill Withers Tue, 08 Dec 2020
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126 - I Will Survive Mon, 10 Aug 2020
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125 - Harvest Moon Wed, 05 Aug 2020
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124 - Pavane Pour Une Infante Défunte by Maurice Ravel Wed, 22 Jul 2020
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123 - Feeling Good Wed, 15 Jul 2020
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122 - Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay Wed, 22 Jan 2020
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121 - Days Wed, 15 Jan 2020
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120 - Toto's Africa Wed, 08 Jan 2020
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119 - Coventry Carol Wed, 25 Dec 2019
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118 - We Are Family Wed, 18 Dec 2019
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117 - The Boxer - Simon & Garfunkel Wed, 11 Dec 2019
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116 - Farewell to Stromness Wed, 31 Jul 2019