Last week’s PBS rebroadcast of “How Sweet the Sound,” the 2009 “American Masters” profile of Joan Baez, was a nice treat.

That got me thinking about her as one of four female folk troubadours who came to prominence in — and helped shape the music of — the 1960s.

Joan Baez
So, we’ll start with Joan, whose music and life were intertwined with Bob Dylan. Her haunting autobiographical song, “Diamonds and Rust,” gives one view of their pained and strained relationship.

And my favorite recording of hers is this version of the Dylan song “Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word.”

Judy Collins
Judy Collins introduced the work of several future high-profile artists, hitting the big time in 1968 with her recording of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now,” which won a Grammy.

She also popularized Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne” and delivered a stunning version of Stephen Sondheim’s “Send In the Clowns,” which helped him win a Grammy.

Collins also sang at Bill Clinton’s first inauguration in 1993, and her recording of Mitchell’s standard, “Chelsea Morning,” is believed to be the inspiration for the Clintons’ decision to name their daughter Chelsea.

Two of my other Collins favorites are “Sunny Goodge Street” and “Cook With Honey.”

Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, probably better known for the songs she wrote than the ones she charted, gave us some of the most enduring songs of the era. My favorite: “The Circle Game.” Here is her live performance of that song, combined with “Both Sides Now.”

Then check out her “Chelsea Morning,” as well as her first hit single, “You Turn Me On I’m a Radio” — a great extended-metaphor song,  and the enduring “Big Yellow Taxi” (which did a lot better the second time it charted).

Buffy Sainte-Marie
Buffy Sainte-Marie has the most eclectic career description of them all. She’s billed as a “Cree singer-songwriter, musician, composer, visual artist, pacifist, educator, social activist and philanthropist.”  

Her two most compelling compositions, for my money, are the still-timely anti-war song “Universal Soldier,” which became a bigger hit for both Donovan and Glen Campbell, and the ballad “Until It’s Time for You to Go.”