Although offered a recording contract with the major label Columbia, Joan opted to sign with the independent Vanguard label, ostensibly to retain artistic licence.   Recorded over the course of four days in a ballroom of a hotel in New York, her debut album is noticeable for its sparseness, featuring little more than Joan on guitar and vocals, with some tracks featuring a second guitar.   Released in November 1960, the album would finally chart in 1962 when her second album had begun to attract major interest, and would go on to attain gold status.