Judy Collins
b. 1 May 1939, Seattle, Washington, USA. One of the leading female singers to emerge from America's folk revival in the early '60s, Judy Collins was originally trained as a classical pianist. Having discovered traditional music while a teenager, she began singing in the clubs of Central City and Denver, before embarking on a full-time career with engagements at Chicago's Gate Of Horn and New York's famed Gerde's. Signed to Elektra Records in 1961, Collins' early releases emphasized her traditional repertoire. However, by the release of JUDY COLLINS #3, her clear, virginal soprano was tackling more contemporary material. This pivotal selection, which included Bob Dylan's Farewell, was arranged by future Byrds' guitarist Jim (Roger) McGuinn. Judy Collins' FIFTH ALBUM was the artist's last purely folk collection. Compositions by Dylan, Richard Farina, Eric Andersen and Gordon Lightfoot had gained the ascendancy, but Collins henceforth combined such talent with songs culled from theatre's bohemian fringes. IN MY LIFE embraced Jacques Brel, Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill and the then-unknown Leonard Cohen; on WILDFLOWER she introduced Joni Mitchell and in the process enjoyed a popular hit with Both Sides Now. These releases were also marked by Joshua Rifkin's studied string arrangements, which also became a feature of the singer's work. Collins' 1968 release, WHO KNOWS WHERE THE TIME GOES is arguably her finest work. A peerless backing group, including Stephen Stills and Van Dyke Parks, added sympathetic support to her interpretations, while her relationship with the former resulted in his renowned composition, Suite: Judy Blue Eyes. The singer's next release, WHALES AND NIGHTINGALES, was equally impressive, and included the million-selling single, Amazing Grace. However, its sculpted arrangements were reminiscent of earlier work and although Collins' own compositions were meritorious, she was never a prolific writer. Her reliance on outside material grew increasingly problematic as the era of classic songwriters drew to a close and the artist looked to outside interests. She remained committed to the political causes born out of the '60s protest movement and fashioned a new career by co-producing Antonia : Portrait Of A Woman, a film documentary about her former teacher which was nominated for an Academy Award. Collins did secure another international hit in 1975 with a version of Stephen Sondheim's Send In The Clowns. Although subsequent recordings lack her former perception, and indeed have grown increasingly infrequent, she remains a gifted interpreter.