“I
write journals and would recommend journal writing to anyone who wishes to
pursue a writing career. You learn a lot. You also remember a lot... and memory
is important.” – Judy Collins
After
starting her music career at age 13 as a piano prodigy dazzling audiences by performing
Mozart's “Concerto for Two Pianos,” Judy was seduced away from a life as a
concert pianist by the folk revival movement.
Since
then, the award-winning singer-songwriter has earned the esteem of audiences
and fellow performers and writers alike for her imaginative interpretations and
poignant original arrangements and compositions. For a taste of her songwriting style, check
out Albatross or The Fallow Way – terrific, yet heart-wrenching songs.
As
a prose writer, Judy authored several books, including the powerful and inspiring, Sanity & Grace and her extraordinary memoir Sweet Judy Blue Eyes: My Life
in Music.
“I don't think you get to good
writing unless you expose yourself and your feelings,” she said. “Deep songs
don't come from the surface; they come from the deep down. The (things) that you are suppose to write, I believe are in your heart.”
Judy Collins on May Day, her 76th birthday
Often
cited for her version of “Send in the Clowns,” a ballad written by Stephen
Sondheim for the Broadway musical A Little Night Music,
it’s her rendition of Joni Mitchell's “Both Sides Now” that I’ve always liked
best. That cover version of her landmark 1967 album Wildflowers is now in the Grammy Hall of Fame. Here’s a 1976 performance with
Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops.
Enjoy!
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