Martin Luther King - King, Jr. Told 'Racial Jokes', Says Baez

The veteran musician is a keen human rights activist and spent time with King, Jr. ahead of the 1963 March On Washington rally, where he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.

In an interview with Uncut magazine, Baez is asked to reveal a secret about the assassinated campaigner, and she recalls how she was stunned to hear him "ragging on" pals including Jesse Jackson and telling controversial jokes.

Baez says, "Before performing at the March On Washington I spent a lot of time with Dr. King. In private, he and his lieutenants - Jesse Jackson, Andrew Young and others - were constantly ragging on each other and telling racial jokes about themselves! Totally not PC. I'd be standing there with my mouth open thinking, 'Oh dear, we're not supposed to say these things', and they'd just be howling!

"I remember myself and Andy Young picking up Dr. King before a conference. He gets in the car and they start telling dirty jokes. They were giggling and laughing all the way to the conference... Obviously, guys like that can't afford to horse around on camera, so they save it all up for backstage. Any politician who doesn't, I sure as hell don't wanna vote for them!"