Judy Collins
Encyclopedia
Judith Marjorie "Judy" Collins (born May 1, 1939) is an American
singer and songwriter
, known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records (which has included folk, show tunes, pop, rock and roll
and standards); and for her social activism. She is an alumna of the University of Colorado.
piano
with Antonia Brico
, making her public debut at age 13, performing Mozart's Concerto for Two Pianos
. Dr. Brico took a dim view, both then and later, of Collins's developing interest in folk music, which led her to the difficult decision to discontinue her piano lessons. Years later, when Collins had become internationally known through her music, she invited Dr. Brico to one of her concerts in Denver. When they met after the performance, Brico took both of Judy's hands in hers, looked wistfully at her fingers and said, "Little Judy—you really could have gone places." Still later, Collins discovered that Brico herself had made a living when she was younger playing jazz and ragtime piano (Singing Lessons, pp. 71–72). She also had the fortune of meeting many musicians through her blind father, a Seattle radio program host.
It was the music of Woody Guthrie
and Pete Seeger
, and the traditional
songs of the folk revival of the early 1960s, however, that piqued Collins' interest and awoke in her a love of lyrics
. Three years after her debut as a piano prodigy
, she was playing guitar
. Her music became popular at the University of Connecticut
, where her husband taught. She performed at parties and for the campus radio station along with David Grisman
and Tom Azarian. She eventually made her way to Greenwich Village
, New York City
, where she busked
and played in clubs until she signed with Elektra Records
, a record label she was associated with for 35 years. In 1961, Collins released her first album, A Maid of Constant Sorrow
, at the age of 22.
At first she sang traditional folk songs or songs written by others — in particular the protest poets
of the time, such as Tom Paxton
, Phil Ochs
, and Bob Dylan
. She recorded her own versions of important songs from the period, such as Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man
" and Pete Seeger
's "Turn, Turn, Turn." Collins was also instrumental in bringing little-known musicians to a wider public. For example, Collins recorded songs by Canadian
poet Leonard Cohen
, who became a close friend over the years. She also recorded songs by singer-songwriters such as Joni Mitchell
, Randy Newman
, Robin Williamson
and Richard Fariña
long before they gained national acclaim.
While Collins' first few albums comprised straightforward guitar-based folk songs, with 1966's In My Life
, she began branching out and including work from such diverse sources as the Beatles
, Leonard Cohen
, Jacques Brel
, and Kurt Weill
. Mark Abramson
produced and Joshua Rifkin
arranged the album, adding lush orchestration
to many of the numbers. The album was regarded as a major departure for a folk artist and set the course for Collins' subsequent work over the next decade.
With her 1967 album Wildflowers, also produced by Mark Abramson
and arranged by Rifkin, Collins began to record her own compositions, beginning with "Since You've Asked." The album also provided Collins with a major hit, and a Grammy award
, in Mitchell's "Both Sides, Now
," which reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100
.
Collins' 1968 album, Who Knows Where the Time Goes
, was produced by David Anderle
and featured back-up guitar by Stephen Stills
(of Crosby, Stills & Nash
), with whom she was romantically involved at the time. (She was the inspiration for Stills's CSN classic "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
"). Time Goes had a mellow country
sound, and included Ian Tyson
's "Someday Soon" and the title track written by the UK singer-songwriter Sandy Denny
. The album also featured Collins' composition "My Father" and one of the first covers of Leonard Cohen's "Bird on the Wire
."
By the 1970s Collins had a solid reputation as an art song
singer and folksinger and had begun to stand out for her own compositions. She was also known for her broad range of material: her songs from this period include the traditional Christian
hymn
"Amazing Grace
," the Stephen Sondheim
Broadway ballad
"Send in the Clowns
" (both of which were top 20 hits as singles), a recording of Joan Baez
's "A Song for David," and her own compositions, such as "Born to the Breed."
In the 1970s Collins guest starred on The Muppet Show
, where she sang "I Know An Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly," "Do Re Mi" and "Send in the Clowns." Collins also appeared several times on Sesame Street
, where she performed "Fishermen's Song" with a chorus of Anything Muppet fishermen, sang a trio with Biff and Sully using the word "yes," and even starred in a modern musical fairy tale skit called "The Sad Princess."
She sang the theme song of the Rankin-Bass TV movie The Wind in the Willows
.
In more recent years Collins has taken to writing, producing a memoir, Trust Your Heart, in 1987, and a novel, Shameless. A more recent memoir, Sanity and Grace, tells of her son Clark's death in January 1992. Though her record sales are not what they once were, she still records and tours in the U.S., Europe
, Australia
, and New Zealand
. She performed at President
Bill Clinton
's first inauguration in 1993, singing "Amazing Grace
" and "Chelsea Morning
." (The Clintons have stated that they named their daughter, Chelsea
, after Collins' recording of the song.) In 2006, she sang "This Little Light of Mine
" in a commercial for Eliot Spitzer
.
In 2008 she oversaw an album featuring artists ranging from Dolly Parton
and Joan Baez
to Rufus Wainwright
and Chrissie Hynde
covering her compositions; she also released a collection of Beatles covers, and she received an honorary doctorate from Pratt Institute
on May 18 of that year. In 2010, Collins sang The Weight of the World at the Newport Folk Festival
, a song by Amy Speace
.
Collins joined the 10th annual Independent Music Awards
judging panel to assist independent musicians' careers. She was also a judge for the 7th and 9th Independent Music Awards.
.
Collins sympathized with the Yippie movement, and was friendly with its leaders, Abbie Hoffman
and Jerry Rubin
. On March 17, 1968, she attended Hoffman's press conference at the Americana Hotel in New York to announce the party's formation. In 1969, she testified in Chicago
in support of the Chicago Seven
; during her testimony, she began singing Pete Seeger's "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
," and was admonished by prosecutor Tom Foran
and judge Julius Hoffman
.
She is currently a representative for UNICEF and campaigns on behalf of the abolition of landmines
. In 1992, Collins' son, Clark Taylor, committed suicide
at age 33, after a long bout with depression
and substance abuse
; since his death, she has also become a strong advocate of suicide prevention.
In 1962, shortly after her debut at Carnegie Hall, Collins was diagnosed with tuberculosis
and spent six months recuperating in a sanitorium.
Collins later admitted suffering from bulimia after she had quit smoking in the 1970s. "I went straight from the cigarettes into an eating disorder
," she told People magazine
in 1992. "I started throwing up. I didn't know anything about bulimia, certainly not that it is an addiction or that it would get worse. My feelings about myself, even though I had been able to give up smoking and lose 20 lbs., were of increasing despair." She also talks at length, in Singing Lessons (pp. 172–190, 238–240) about her years of addiction to alcohol, the damage it did to her personal and musical life, and how it contributed to her feelings of depression. She says that, although she tried other drugs in the 1960s, alcohol was always her primary drug of choice, just as it had been for her father. She entered a rehabilitation program in Pennsylvania in 1978, and she has maintained her sobriety ever since, even through such traumatic events as the suicide of her only child, Clark, after his final relapse (previous section).
In April 1996, she married designer and fellow activist Louis Nelson. They live together in New York City.
Her sister, Holly, was married to actor James Keach
and they have a son, Kalen.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records (which has included folk, show tunes, pop, rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
and standards); and for her social activism. She is an alumna of the University of Colorado.
Musical career
Collins was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. As a child, Collins studied classicalClassical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
with Antonia Brico
Antonia Brico
Antonia Brico was a conductor and pianist.Brico was born in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. She and her foster parents immigrated to the United States in 1908 and settled in California. On leaving high school in Oakland in 1919 she was already an accomplished pianist and had experience in conducting...
, making her public debut at age 13, performing Mozart's Concerto for Two Pianos
Piano Concerto No. 10 (Mozart)
The Concerto No. 10 in E-flat major for Two Pianos, K. 365/316a, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was written in 1779. Mozart wrote it to play with his sister Maria Anna . He was 23 years old and on the verge of leaving Salzburg for Vienna....
. Dr. Brico took a dim view, both then and later, of Collins's developing interest in folk music, which led her to the difficult decision to discontinue her piano lessons. Years later, when Collins had become internationally known through her music, she invited Dr. Brico to one of her concerts in Denver. When they met after the performance, Brico took both of Judy's hands in hers, looked wistfully at her fingers and said, "Little Judy—you really could have gone places." Still later, Collins discovered that Brico herself had made a living when she was younger playing jazz and ragtime piano (Singing Lessons, pp. 71–72). She also had the fortune of meeting many musicians through her blind father, a Seattle radio program host.
It was the music of Woody Guthrie
Woody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
and Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
, and the traditional
Traditional music
Traditional music is the term increasingly used for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. More on this is at the terminology section of the World music article...
songs of the folk revival of the early 1960s, however, that piqued Collins' interest and awoke in her a love of lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
. Three years after her debut as a piano prodigy
Child prodigy
A child prodigy is someone who, at an early age, masters one or more skills far beyond his or her level of maturity. One criterion for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 18 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding...
, she was playing guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
. Her music became popular at the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
, where her husband taught. She performed at parties and for the campus radio station along with David Grisman
David Grisman
David Grisman is an American bluegrass/newgrass mandolinist and composer of acoustic music. In the early 1990s, he started the Acoustic Disc record label in an effort to preserve and spread acoustic or instrumental music.-Biography:Grisman grew up in Hackensack, New Jersey...
and Tom Azarian. She eventually made her way to Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where she busked
Busking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
and played in clubs until she signed with Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
, a record label she was associated with for 35 years. In 1961, Collins released her first album, A Maid of Constant Sorrow
A Maid of Constant Sorrow
A Maid of Constant Sorrow is a 1961 album, the debut of Judy Collins, released by Elektra Records and featuring traditional folk songs. Collins' voice and guitar are sparsely accompanied by Fred Hellerman and Walter Raim on second guitar, Erik Darling on banjo, and Bill Lee on bass...
, at the age of 22.
At first she sang traditional folk songs or songs written by others — in particular the protest poets
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
of the time, such as Tom Paxton
Tom Paxton
Thomas Richard Paxton is an American folk singer and singer-songwriter who has been writing, performing and recording music for over forty years...
, Phil Ochs
Phil Ochs
Philip David Ochs was an American protest singer and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, political activism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and haunting voice...
, and Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
. She recorded her own versions of important songs from the period, such as Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man
Mr. Tambourine Man
"Mr. Tambourine Man" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan, which was released on his 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home. The Byrds also recorded a version of the song that was released as their first single on Columbia Records, reaching number 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and...
" and Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
's "Turn, Turn, Turn." Collins was also instrumental in bringing little-known musicians to a wider public. For example, Collins recorded songs by Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
poet Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
, who became a close friend over the years. She also recorded songs by singer-songwriters such as Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
, Randy Newman
Randy Newman
Randall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
, Robin Williamson
Robin Williamson
Robin Williamson is a Scottish multi-instrumentalist musician, singer, songwriter and storyteller, who first made his name as a founder member of The Incredible String Band.-Career:...
and Richard Fariña
Richard Fariña
Richard George Fariña was an American writer and folksinger.-Early years and education:Richard Fariña was born in Brooklyn, New York, of Cuban and Irish descent. He grew up in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn and attended Brooklyn Technical High School...
long before they gained national acclaim.
While Collins' first few albums comprised straightforward guitar-based folk songs, with 1966's In My Life
In My Life (Judy Collins album)
In My Life is an album by American folk singer Judy Collins, released in 1966. It peaked at No. 46 on the Billboard Pop Albums charts in 1967....
, she began branching out and including work from such diverse sources as the Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
, Jacques Brel
Jacques Brel
Jacques Brel was a Belgian singer-songwriter who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following in France initially, and later throughout the world. He was widely considered a master of the modern chanson...
, and Kurt Weill
Kurt Weill
Kurt Julian Weill was a German-Jewish composer, active from the 1920s, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fruitful collaborations with Bertolt Brecht...
. Mark Abramson
Mark Abramson
Mark Abramson was an American record producer and artist. He produced recordings of Judy Collins, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Bob Gibson, Love, Phil Ochs, Tom Rush, Josh White and many other artists. He produced and directed "Shoot The Actor" and early music videos of The Doors and Love. His...
produced and Joshua Rifkin
Joshua Rifkin
Joshua Rifkin is an American conductor, keyboard player, and musicologist. He is best known by the general public for having played a central role in the ragtime revival in the 1970s with the three albums he recorded of Scott Joplin's works for Nonesuch Records, and to classical musicians for his...
arranged the album, adding lush orchestration
Orchestration
Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium...
to many of the numbers. The album was regarded as a major departure for a folk artist and set the course for Collins' subsequent work over the next decade.
With her 1967 album Wildflowers, also produced by Mark Abramson
Mark Abramson
Mark Abramson was an American record producer and artist. He produced recordings of Judy Collins, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Bob Gibson, Love, Phil Ochs, Tom Rush, Josh White and many other artists. He produced and directed "Shoot The Actor" and early music videos of The Doors and Love. His...
and arranged by Rifkin, Collins began to record her own compositions, beginning with "Since You've Asked." The album also provided Collins with a major hit, and a Grammy award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
, in Mitchell's "Both Sides, Now
Both Sides Now (song)
"Both Sides, Now" is a single by Joni Mitchell. Her recording first appeared on the album Clouds, released in 1969. She re-recorded the song in a jazz style for the album of the same name, released in 2000....
," which reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
Collins' 1968 album, Who Knows Where the Time Goes
Who Knows Where the Time Goes (Judy Collins album)
Who Knows Where the Time Goes is a 1968 album by Judy Collins. It peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard Pop Albums charts.Produced by David Anderle with numerous well-known musicians including Stephen Stills, the album had a rock-country-arthouse feel, typically eclectic for Collins, and included...
, was produced by David Anderle
David Anderle
David Anderle is a well-known record producer. His production credits include albums for Judy Collins, Rita Coolidge, Amy Grant, Delaney and Bonnie, David Ackles, Kris Kristofferson, Aaron Neville, Chris De Burgh, Rhinoceros, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Doc Holliday and the Circle Jerks...
and featured back-up guitar by Stephen Stills
Stephen Stills
Stephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash . He has performed on a professional level in several other bands as well as maintaining a solo career at the same time...
(of Crosby, Stills & Nash
Crosby, Stills & Nash (and Young)
Crosby, Stills & Nash is a folk rock supergroup made up of David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, also known as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young when joined by occasional fourth member Neil Young...
), with whom she was romantically involved at the time. (She was the inspiration for Stills's CSN classic "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
"Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" is a suite of short songs written by Stephen Stills and performed by Crosby, Stills and Nash. It appeared on the group's self-titled debut album in 1969. It was also released as a single , going to #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart...
"). Time Goes had a mellow country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
sound, and included Ian Tyson
Ian Tyson
Ian Tyson CM, AOE is a Canadian singer-songwriter, best known for his song "Four Strong Winds". He was also one half of the duo Ian & Sylvia.-Career:Tyson was born to British immigrants in Victoria in 1933, and grew up in Duncan B.C...
's "Someday Soon" and the title track written by the UK singer-songwriter Sandy Denny
Sandy Denny
Sandy Denny , born Alexandra Elene Maclean Denny, was an English singer and songwriter, perhaps best known as the lead singer for the folk rock band Fairport Convention...
. The album also featured Collins' composition "My Father" and one of the first covers of Leonard Cohen's "Bird on the Wire
Bird on the Wire
"Bird on the Wire" is one of Leonard Cohen's signature songs. It was recorded 26 September 1968 in Nashville and included on his 1969 album Songs from a Room. A May 1968 recording produced by David Crosby, entitled "Like a Bird", was added to the 2007 remastered CD...
."
By the 1970s Collins had a solid reputation as an art song
Art song
An art song is a vocal music composition, usually written for one voice with piano or orchestral accompaniment. By extension, the term "art song" is used to refer to the genre of such songs....
singer and folksinger and had begun to stand out for her own compositions. She was also known for her broad range of material: her songs from this period include the traditional Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
"Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace
"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton , published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,...
," the Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
Broadway ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
"Send in the Clowns
Send in the Clowns
"Send in the Clowns" is a song by Stephen Sondheim from the 1973 musical A Little Night Music, an adaptation of Ingmar Bergman's film Smiles of a Summer Night. It is a ballad from Act II in which the character Desirée reflects on the ironies and disappointments of her life. Among other things, she...
" (both of which were top 20 hits as singles), a recording of Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
's "A Song for David," and her own compositions, such as "Born to the Breed."
In the 1970s Collins guest starred on The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
, where she sang "I Know An Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly," "Do Re Mi" and "Send in the Clowns." Collins also appeared several times on Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
, where she performed "Fishermen's Song" with a chorus of Anything Muppet fishermen, sang a trio with Biff and Sully using the word "yes," and even starred in a modern musical fairy tale skit called "The Sad Princess."
She sang the theme song of the Rankin-Bass TV movie The Wind in the Willows
The Wind in the Willows
The Wind in the Willows is a classic of children's literature by Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. Alternately slow moving and fast paced, it focuses on four anthropomorphised animal characters in a pastoral version of England...
.
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. She performed at President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
's first inauguration in 1993, singing "Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace
"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton , published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,...
" and "Chelsea Morning
Chelsea Morning
"Chelsea Morning" is a song written by Joni Mitchell and introduced on the singer's 1969 album Clouds..The song was inspired by Mitchell's room in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. The inspiration for the first verse comes partly from the distinct décor of her apartment...
." (The Clintons have stated that they named their daughter, Chelsea
Chelsea Clinton
Chelsea Victoria Clinton is a television journalist, currently serving as Special Correspondent for NBC News, and philanthropist, working through the Clinton Global Initiative. She is the only child of former U.S...
, after Collins' recording of the song.) In 2006, she sang "This Little Light of Mine
This Little Light of Mine
"This Little Light of Mine" is a gospel children's song written by Harry Dixon Loes in about 1920. Loes, who studied at the Moody Bible Institute and the American Conservatory of Music, was a musical composer, and teacher, who wrote, and co-wrote, several other gospel songs. The song has since...
" in a commercial for Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Laurence Spitzer is an American lawyer, former Democratic Party politician, and political commentator. He was the co-host of In the Arena, a talk-show and punditry forum broadcast on CNN until CNN cancelled his show in July of 2011...
.
In 2008 she oversaw an album featuring artists ranging from Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
and Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
to Rufus Wainwright
Rufus Wainwright
Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. He has recorded six albums of original music, EPs, and tracks on compilations and film soundtracks.-Early years:...
and Chrissie Hynde
Chrissie Hynde
Christine Ellen "Chrissie" Hynde is an US musician best known as the leader of the rock/new wave band the Pretenders. She is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, and has been the only constant member of the band throughout its history.-Early life and career:Hynde is the daughter of a part-time...
covering her compositions; she also released a collection of Beatles covers, and she received an honorary doctorate from Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
on May 18 of that year. In 2010, Collins sang The Weight of the World at the Newport Folk Festival
Newport Folk Festival
The Newport Folk Festival is an American annual folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the previously established Newport Jazz Festival...
, a song by Amy Speace
Amy Speace
Amy Speace is an American singer-songwriter from Baltimore, Maryland, who is a former Shakespearean actress notable for her critically acclaimed music. National Public Radio described her voice as "velvety and achy" and compared her to Lucinda Williams. The singer was based in Jersey City, N.J. but...
.
Collins joined the 10th annual Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards is an international program that honors top-ranked independent artists and releases in more than 50 Album, Song, Music Video and Design categories....
judging panel to assist independent musicians' careers. She was also a judge for the 7th and 9th Independent Music Awards.
Activism
Like many other folk singers of her generation, Collins was drawn to social activism. Her political idealism also led her to compose a ballad entitled "Che" in honor of the 1960s icon Che GuevaraChe Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
.
Collins sympathized with the Yippie movement, and was friendly with its leaders, Abbie Hoffman
Abbie Hoffman
Abbot Howard "Abbie" Hoffman was a political and social activist who co-founded the Youth International Party ....
and Jerry Rubin
Jerry Rubin
Jerry Rubin was an American social activist during the 1960s and 1970s. During the 1980s, he became a successful businessman.-Early life:...
. On March 17, 1968, she attended Hoffman's press conference at the Americana Hotel in New York to announce the party's formation. In 1969, she testified in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in support of the Chicago Seven
Chicago Seven
The Chicago Seven were seven defendants—Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, David Dellinger, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, John Froines, and Lee Weiner—charged with conspiracy, inciting to riot, and other charges related to protests that took place in Chicago, Illinois on the occasion of the 1968...
; during her testimony, she began singing Pete Seeger's "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
"Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" is a folk song. The first three verses were written by Pete Seeger in 1955, and published in Sing Out! magazine...
," and was admonished by prosecutor Tom Foran
Tom Foran
Thomas Aquinas Foran, deceased August 6, 2000, was a US Attorney best known as the pugnacious chief prosecutor in the Chicago Seven conspiracy trial in which seven defendants, including Jerry Rubin, Abbie Hoffman, and Tom Hayden, were charged with inciting riots at the 1968 Democratic National...
and judge Julius Hoffman
Julius Hoffman
Julius J. Hoffman was a Chicago, Illinois, attorney and judge and former law partner of Richard J. Daley who achieved notoriety for his role in the Chicago Seven trial.-Early life:...
.
She is currently a representative for UNICEF and campaigns on behalf of the abolition of landmines
Land mine
A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
. In 1992, Collins' son, Clark Taylor, committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
at age 33, after a long bout with depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
and substance abuse
Substance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
; since his death, she has also become a strong advocate of suicide prevention.
Personal life
Collins has been married twice. Her first marriage in 1958 to Peter Taylor produced her only child, Clark C. Taylor. The marriage ended in divorce in 1965.In 1962, shortly after her debut at Carnegie Hall, Collins was diagnosed with tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
and spent six months recuperating in a sanitorium.
Collins later admitted suffering from bulimia after she had quit smoking in the 1970s. "I went straight from the cigarettes into an eating disorder
Eating disorder
Eating disorders refer to a group of conditions defined by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake to the detriment of an individual's physical and mental health. Bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and binge eating disorder are the most common specific...
," she told People magazine
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
in 1992. "I started throwing up. I didn't know anything about bulimia, certainly not that it is an addiction or that it would get worse. My feelings about myself, even though I had been able to give up smoking and lose 20 lbs., were of increasing despair." She also talks at length, in Singing Lessons (pp. 172–190, 238–240) about her years of addiction to alcohol, the damage it did to her personal and musical life, and how it contributed to her feelings of depression. She says that, although she tried other drugs in the 1960s, alcohol was always her primary drug of choice, just as it had been for her father. She entered a rehabilitation program in Pennsylvania in 1978, and she has maintained her sobriety ever since, even through such traumatic events as the suicide of her only child, Clark, after his final relapse (previous section).
In April 1996, she married designer and fellow activist Louis Nelson. They live together in New York City.
Her sister, Holly, was married to actor James Keach
James Keach
James Keach is an American actor, producer, and director. He is the younger brother of actor Stacy Keach, Jr., and son of actor Stacy Keach, Sr.-Background:...
and they have a son, Kalen.
Awards and recognition
- Grammy AwardGrammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
, Best Folk Performance or Folk RecordingGrammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk RecordingThe Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording was awarded from 1960 to 1986. During this time the award had several minor name changes:*From 1960 to 1961 the award was known as Best Performance - Folk...
, "Both Sides Now," 1968 - Stephen Sondheim won a Grammy Award for Song of the Year, "Send in the Clowns," in 1975, it was believed, largely on the strength of Collins' performance of the song on her album Judith
- Nominated with Jill Godmillow for an Academy AwardAcademy AwardsAn Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for the documentary "Antonia: A Portrait of the WomanAntonia: A Portrait of the WomanAntonia: A Portrait of the Woman is a 1974 documentary about symphony conductor Antonia Brico, including her struggle against gender bias in her profession. The film was directed by Judy Collins and Jill Godmilow...
" (1975), about her classical piano instructor, conductorConductingConducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
Antonia BricoAntonia BricoAntonia Brico was a conductor and pianist.Brico was born in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. She and her foster parents immigrated to the United States in 1908 and settled in California. On leaving high school in Oakland in 1919 she was already an accomplished pianist and had experience in conducting...
. - Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts Degree from Pratt InstitutePratt InstitutePratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
, May 2009
Charted singles
| Year | Song | US Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US A.C. | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 1967 in music The summer of 1967 is "The Summer of Love" in San Francisco. It also became an important year for psychedelic rock, with releases from The Beatles The summer of 1967 is "The Summer of Love" in San Francisco. It also became an important year for psychedelic rock, with releases from The Beatles The... |
"Hard Lovin' Loser" | 97 | - | In My Life In My Life (Judy Collins album) In My Life is an album by American folk singer Judy Collins, released in 1966. It peaked at No. 46 on the Billboard Pop Albums charts in 1967.... |
| 1968 1968 in music -Events:*January 4 – Guitarist Jimi Hendrix is jailed by Stockholm police, after trashing a hotel room during a drunken fist fight with bassist Noel Redding.*January 6 – Gibson Guitar Corporation patents its Gibson Flying V electric guitar design.... |
"Both Sides, Now" | 8 | 3 | Wildflowers Wildflowers (Judy Collins album) Wildflowers is an album by Judy Collins, released in 1967. It was her highest charting album so far, reaching No 5 on the Billboard Pop Albums charts. It included her hit version of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now".... |
| 1969 1969 in music -Events:Perhaps the two most famous musical events of 1969 were concerts. At a Rolling Stones concert in Altamont, California, a fan was stabbed to death by Hells Angels, a biker gang that had been hired to provide security for the event... |
"Someday Soon Someday Soon (Ian Tyson song) "Someday Soon" is the title of a song composed by Canadian singer Ian Tyson. He recorded the song with his wife, Sylvia Tyson, as the duo Ian & Sylvia in 1964. Although this version was not released as a single, the song has been covered by Judy Collins, Moe Bandy and Suzy Bogguss, all of whom had... " |
55 | 37 | Who Knows Where the Time Goes Who Knows Where the Time Goes (Judy Collins album) Who Knows Where the Time Goes is a 1968 album by Judy Collins. It peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard Pop Albums charts.Produced by David Anderle with numerous well-known musicians including Stephen Stills, the album had a rock-country-arthouse feel, typically eclectic for Collins, and included... |
| 1969 1969 in music -Events:Perhaps the two most famous musical events of 1969 were concerts. At a Rolling Stones concert in Altamont, California, a fan was stabbed to death by Hells Angels, a biker gang that had been hired to provide security for the event... |
"Chelsea Morning Chelsea Morning "Chelsea Morning" is a song written by Joni Mitchell and introduced on the singer's 1969 album Clouds..The song was inspired by Mitchell's room in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. The inspiration for the first verse comes partly from the distinct décor of her apartment... " |
78 | 25 | (single only) |
| 1969 1969 in music -Events:Perhaps the two most famous musical events of 1969 were concerts. At a Rolling Stones concert in Altamont, California, a fan was stabbed to death by Hells Angels, a biker gang that had been hired to provide security for the event... |
"Turn! Turn! Turn!/To Everything There Is A Season" | 69 | 28 | Recollections |
| 1970 1970 in music - Events :*January 3**Davy Jones announces he is leaving the Monkees**Former Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett releases his first solo album The Madcap Laughs.... |
"Amazing Grace" | 15 | 5 | Whales & Nightingales |
| 1971 1971 in music -Events:*February 1 – after months of feuding in the press, Ginger Baker and Elvin Jones hold a "drum battle" at The Lyceum.*February 8 – Bob Dylan's hour-long documentary film, Eat the Document, is premièred at New York's Academy of Music... |
"Open The Door (Song For Judith)" | 90 | 23 | Living Living (Judy Collins album) Living is a 1971 live Judy Collins album, taken from the singer's 1970 concert tour. It peaked at No 64 on the Billboard Pop Albums charts.... |
| 1973 1973 in music -January–April:*January 9 – Mick Jagger's request for a Japanese visa is rejected on account of a 1969 drug conviction, putting an abrupt end to The Rolling Stones' plans to perform in Japan during their forthcoming tour.*January 14... |
"Cook With Honey" | 32 | 10 | True Stories and Other Dreams True Stories and Other Dreams True Stories and Other Dreams is an album by American singer Judy Collins, released in 1973. It peaked at No 27 on the Billboard Pop Albums charts.... |
| 1973 1973 in music -January–April:*January 9 – Mick Jagger's request for a Japanese visa is rejected on account of a 1969 drug conviction, putting an abrupt end to The Rolling Stones' plans to perform in Japan during their forthcoming tour.*January 14... |
"Secret Gardens" | 122 | - | True Stories and Other Dreams True Stories and Other Dreams True Stories and Other Dreams is an album by American singer Judy Collins, released in 1973. It peaked at No 27 on the Billboard Pop Albums charts.... |
| 1975 1975 in music -January–April:*January 2 - New York City U.S. District Court Judge Richard Owen rules that former Beatle John Lennon and his lawyers can have access to Department of Immigration files pertaining to his deportation case.... |
"Send In The Clowns" | 36 | 8 | Judith Judith (album) Judith was Judy Collins' best-selling album from 1975. It peaked at No 17 on the Billboard Pop Albums charts.It includes Collins' hit recording of Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns", as well as material by Steve Goodman, Jimmy Webb, the Rolling Stones, and the standard "Brother, Can You Spare... |
| 1977 1977 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1977.-January–February:*January 1 – The Clash headline the gala opening of the London music club, The Roxy.... |
"Send In The Clowns" (re-release) | 19 | 15 | Judith Judith (album) Judith was Judy Collins' best-selling album from 1975. It peaked at No 17 on the Billboard Pop Albums charts.It includes Collins' hit recording of Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns", as well as material by Steve Goodman, Jimmy Webb, the Rolling Stones, and the standard "Brother, Can You Spare... |
| 1979 1979 in music See also:Record labels established in 1979* 1979 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1979.-January–February:*January 1... |
"Hard Times For Lovers" | 66 | 16 | Hard Times for Lovers Hard Times for Lovers Hard Times For Lovers is an album by Judy Collins, released on Elektra Records in 1979.Collins' first album of new material since Bread and Roses in 1976, some extra publicity was earned as a result of the back cover of the Francesco Scavullo-photographed sleeve art, depicting most of a nude... |
| 1984 1984 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1984.-Janury-March:*January 21 – "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood reaches number one in the UK singles chart, despite being banned by the BBC; it spends a total of forty-two weeks in the Top 40.*January 27 – Michael Jackson's... |
"Home Again" (duet with T.G. Sheppard) | - | 42 | Home Again Home Again (Judy Collins album) Home Again is an album by Judy Collins, released in 1984 by Elektra/Asylum Records. The album was produced by Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen – except for the song Home Again, which was produced by Michael Masser. It reached No... |
| 1990 1990 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1990.-Events:*January 21 – MTV's Unplugged premieres on cable television with British band Squeeze... |
"Fires Of Eden" | - | 31 | Fires Of Eden |
Filmography
- Baby's Bedtime (1992)
- Baby's Morningtime (1992)
- JuniorJunior (film)Junior is a 1994 American comedy film written by Kevin Wade and Chris Conrad and directed by Ivan Reitman. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as a scientist who undergoes a male pregnancy as part of a scientific experiment.-Plot:...
(1994), playing the operator of a spa for pregnant women opposite Arnold SchwarzeneggerArnold SchwarzeneggerArnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011.... - Christmas at the Biltmore Estate (1998)
- A Town Has Turned to Dust (1998), telefilm based on a Rod Serling science-fiction story
- The Best of Judy Collins (1999)
- Intimate Portrait: Judy Collins (2000)
- Judy Collins Live at Wolf Trap (2003)
- Wildflower Festival (2003) (DVD with guest artists Eric AndersenEric AndersenEric Andersen is an American singer-songwriter.-Biography:In the early 1960s, Eric Andersen was part of the Greenwich Village folk scene in New York...
, Arlo GuthrieArlo GuthrieArlo Davy Guthrie is an American folk singer. Like his father, Woody Guthrie, Arlo often sings songs of protest against social injustice...
, and Tom RushTom RushTom Rush is an American folk and blues singer, songwriter, musician and recording artist.- Life and career :Rush was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. His father was a teacher at St. Paul's School, in Concord, New Hampshire. Tom began performing in 1961 while studying at Harvard University after...
)
External links
- Judy Collins web site
- Wildflower Records
- audio interview with Judy Collins
- Audio interview, Minnesota Public Radio 7 Apr 2009
- Basking in the Afterglow of a Tribute Album by John Soeder, Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 24, 2009
- Listen or Watch Woodsongs archived show 549: Performs and is interviewed by Michael Johnathon before a live audience on October 12, 2009; 83 minutes.