Judy Collins
b. 1939
Recording
Artist
"Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" was a
contemporary hit for Crosby Stills Nash and Young in 1969.
Stephen Stills wrote it as a love ballad for Judy Collins
as their love affair was coming to an end. The sixties were
coming to an end and if there was ever a time in American
history where music played a dominant role it  would
have to be the sixties. The folk music scene began in the
fifties but it peaked in the early to mid-sixties. Judy Collins
played a major role as probably the most recognizable female
singer during this era.
Judy Collins was born in Seattle on May
1, 1939. Her mother claimed that she was born singing. Even
as a child singing was as natural to Judy as eating or getting
up in the morning. Her father, Charles Collins, was Judy's
hero and she adored him. A well known pioneer of the golden
age of radio, he had a beautiful baritone voice, a great personality
and a warm sense of humor which brought him notoriety and
fame over the airwaves in the greater Seattle area. Charles
truly loved being Irish-American. In her book "Singing
Lessons" Judy talks about her father and grandfather;
"Frank Collins was an Irishman and Daddy loved and admired
him so much that he considered himself entirely Irish and
named his firstborn son Michael Collins." Charles did
have a handicap as he went blind at the age of four. Always
an optimist he never let the handicap interfere with any of
his goals.
Many of Judy's first songs were from her
fathers repertoire of Irish ditties that Charles would sing
around the house such as "Kathleen Mavourneen",
"Danny Boy" and "I'll Take You Home Again,
Kathleen" all Irish standards of the day. Judy's mother,
Marjorie, also had some Irish blood in her but they were mostly
descended from the Engish Quakers who had settled in Tennessee
prior to 1700. Her mother also had a beautiful voice and along
with her husband always encouraged and supported Judy throughout
her career in music. Recognizing her talent Judy began taking
music lessons while she was only four years old.
Later she took piano lessons from Dr. Antonia
Brico. Besides her parents Brico would prove to be a major
influence in Judy's life. By the time Judy started studying
piano with her, Brico was an internationally renowned musician.
Brico was demanding of Judy and her talents. Judy loved to
play and the family purchased a grand piano for her to play
and practice on. By fourteen Judy had memorized the famous
Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto. She was now playing
in Brico's symphony, giving recitals and through her father's
radio show was meeting many of the great musician's of the
day such as George Shearing and Arturo Toscanini. But something
was missing. Judy loved to sing and classical piano wasn't
as fulfilling to her as singing on her father's radio show
which she had done a few times.
A defining moment in Judy's life came when
she heard Jo Stafford singing the folk ballad "Barbara
Allan" on the radio. She decided to study folk music
and discovered that all the Irish songs that she loved from
her father such as "The Kerry Dancer" and "When
Irish Eyes Are Smiling" were also folk songs. In her
junior year of high school, 1955, Judy won a talent contest
put on by the Kiwanis Club. It was the beginning of the folk-music
boom with the radio playing The Kingston Trio, Harry Belafonte
and the Weavers. Judy also became aware of her political conscience,
working melodies into politics seemed natural to her. She
married and had her only child, Clark in 1958. She began working
the folk club circuit around Denver and the midwest.
There were more opportunities for gigs on
the East Coast and Judy soon become a welcome favorite. She
played with all the great folk artists of the time including
Bob Dylan, Chad Mitchell Trio, Arlo Guthrie, Tom Paxton and
Ramblin' Jack Elliot. She sang with The Clancy Brothers and
Tommy Makem at an awards dinner for President Kennedy and
also gave her first performance at Carnegie Hall. She began
recording and on her first record she sang "The Rising
of the Moon" and "The Bold Fenian Men". In
1964 she played on the big stage at the Newport Folk Festival
and also joined the board of directors of this famous fest.
She also hosted her own radio show where she brought singer-songwriters
onto the show such as the McPeake family from Northern Ireland.
From1967 to 1979 Collins made the top 100
eleven times. Her "Both Sides Now", written by Joni
Mitchell reached the #8 spot in November 1968. By the 1970's
she had come to be identified as much as an art song singer
as a folksinger and had also made a mark as a composer. She's
recorded 26 albums over a career that spans over 40 years.
She has written several books. Her son's suicide was a great
loss for Judy but she continues to sing and tour. Her renditions
of "Send in the Clowns" and "Amazing Grace"
remain classics. She was also nominated for an academy award
in 1974 for her direction of Antonia: A Portrait of the
Woman,a documentary on her mentor, Dr Antonia Brico
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