AT AGE 85 (AND 36 ALBUMS LATER), JUDY COLLINS SHARES HER WISDOM
By Dr. Joshua Sherman
JUDY COLLINS is a Grammy®Award-winning singer, songwriter, writer, and poet who has played a central role in the narrative of American folk music. More than six decades after her musical journey began, Collins will take to the Tanglewood stage on Friday, August 30, for what promises to be a spellbinding performance. She will be joined by Rufus Wainwright and the Indigo Girls, two acts who were arguably both influenced by Collins’ musical contributions and artistic legacy. She is no stranger to the Berkshires, first performing here in 1968 at Tanglewood, at the Music Inn in 1973, as well as Barrington Stage and the Mahaiwe.
In between touring, practicing, and working on a new “duets” album, Collins spoke with me on the pivotal moments that defined her career, her early memories as a developing singer and songwriter, and the importance of looking forward on the path to artistic actualization.
Sherman: Thanks so much for joining us, Judy! We’re mesmerized by your newest album, Spellbound (2022), and we’re excited for your upcoming performance at Tanglewood. I always like to ask people about their early musical influences. Who were some of the people that you looked up to and were inspired by?
Collins: I was born into a family where my father was the breadwinner and had a great career in radio for 30 years. I grew up watching him get ready to work, sing, and perform. He was also a concert performer, so I was exposed to that. It's a very important learning experience to be around that and figure out how somebody does it. I was a pianist, so I was influenced by Mozart, Debussy, Beethoven, and Bach, and by my teachers—particularly Antonia Brico. She taught me for a number of years, and I played with her orchestra when I was 13. I was influenced by the classics and also by the Great American Songbook.
Sherman: Tanglewood is where the classical music world comes together every summer. Given your early classical piano studies, how does it feel to perform at Tanglewood?
Collins: The first time I was at Tanglewood was in 1968. I was there with the Modern Jazz Quartet. It was a very interesting pairing. I've been back there a number of times over the years, and it always resonates.
Sherman: Do you still enjoy sitting down and playing the piano, or do you find yourself grabbing your guitar first?
Collins: I'm a pianist, so I must be practicing as much as possible, whether it's twenty minutes or two hours. And when I'm writing songs, I'm usually at the piano. I play the guitar on stage, and that's about it.
Sherman: Throughout your career, you've really had an incredible ear for extraordinary songwriting. You've helped discover talents like Leonard Cohen, Randy Newman, and Joni Mitchell, and you performed their songs before they became famous. Are there any other songwriters from that era of folk music or singer-songwriters whose songs you frequently performed that you feel didn't get the recognition they deserved?
Collins: If you go through my discography, it includes many songwriters like Phil Ochs, Bob Dylan, and Hugh Prestwood. When someone first showed me a Randy Newman song, I was told that the songwriter was on the fence about what he was going to do with his life and his career. He heard my version of his song and decided, “Oh, I could do this. This could be a career.” I also recorded songs by Richard Fariña, who was married to Mimi Fariña. I recorded one of the songs that he wrote with Joan Baez [Mimi’s older sister]. I was always looking to find interesting songs and record them. Tom Paxton was an early part of my discography, and I recorded a number of his songs, as well. If you go through the list, you'll see that I was always bringing out artists, many of whom hadn't been recorded. One morning, I was about to record an artist’s songs, and he brought along Eric Andersen, the guy who wrote “Thirsty Boots.” Eric said, “I have to finish the song.” He went into the bathroom, came out, and played “Thirsty Boots.” I said, “I’d love to record that.” That happened a lot, because there were all kinds of people around who were writing songs. I had a contract with Elektra Records, which meant that I could record their songs quickly.
Sherman: With Wildflower (1967), you actually started recording your own compositions alongside those of other songwriters. What inspired you to expand your sound and begin recording your own material?
Collins: I met Leonard Cohen in 1966. He played me “Suzanne” and “Dress Rehearsal Rag.” I recorded “Suzanne,” and it became a standard in the folk-rock genre. I was the first to hear it and record it. I saw Leonard again later on, and he said, “Now you've made me a star. That's wonderful, but I'd really like to know why you're not writing your own songs.” The simple answer was I hadn't ever written my own songs, and I had never thought about it, because there were so many great songwriters everywhere. I went home, and I wrote my first song, “Since You've Asked.” Since then, I have written dozens of songs. With the last album that I recorded, Spellbound, I penned all of the songs on the album, which is something I had never done before. It's been a long journey. I've written so many songs, and I've always had a few songs of mine on my albums since Wildflower. The other day, I was looking at a fan letter that I received from Pete Seeger. He was cornered by one of the girls who was helping on the Clearwater Festival, and she was driving Pete home to Beacon, New York, where he lived. She started playing him a song of mine called, “The Fallow Way.” She made him listen to it over and over again, and he was a captive audience. He wrote me this spectacular letter about the song. It's one of my prized possessions. Writing songs has become my habit, and writing poetry is another one of those habits. I’ve been working on a new book of poetry, and the title of that book is Sometimes It’s Heaven.
Sherman: What motivates you most at this point in your career, and what made you want to release a full album of original songs at this time?
Collins: Everything is appealing. If you're a creative artist, you have to do it whenever, however, and wherever you can. If you live long enough to repeat, research, and reinvent to be fresh in your ideas, that's all the better. I don't know anything that would stop me doing what I do, except death—and I'm not dead yet.
Sherman: What are you working on now?
Collins: First up is a big “duets” album that has a lot of intriguing things on it, beginning with a song of David Crosby's called “Radio.” I think it's one of the best things he's ever written. Graham Nash and I sing that one. Rosanne Cash and I are also going to sing “Pretty Polly” on the album. That should give you a flavor of what's coming.
Sherman: What do you think is the secret to your ability to balance commercial appeal, musical versatility, personal artistry, and growth?
Collins: First of all, I try to tell the truth in my work. I tell stories in my work, and part of my grounding is writing. I've written a number of books over the course of my career about suicide, and about life, and I've even written a novel. The writing is essential in all forms that come to me.
Practicing is a foundation. You have to be at the piano, you have to be working on something all the time, and you have to take up new ideas. You have to identify when a song appeals to you to take it up and do it. My career is filled with things that I have to go back, look at, and relearn. I don't ever go halfway. I don't share anything that's not all there. I've never been forced in any way, shape, or form to do anything I didn't want to do—or sing anything I didn't want to sing. I think some people have had that problem with record labels and managers and producers. It's not something that I was burdened with. That makes a difference.
Sherman: You're known as being beautiful and elegant with a crystal-clear voice, but when I saw you perform live a few years ago, I was surprised by how funny you were. You were a bit raunchy at times in the stories you shared, and the audience loved it—including myself. How do you balance the public's image of “Judy Collins” and the reality of you as a three-dimensional human being?
Collins: I love to tell jokes. It’s very much a part of my shtick. That's what I do in my life. I like to talk, I like to share, I like to listen, and I like to be part of the group and tell stories with my family, among friends, and when I get together and schmooze. Stories just come rolling out. I think that’s the secret.
Sherman: Do you have any favorite spots or memories in the Berkshires?
Collins: I love staying at The Red Lion Inn. I love wandering around town. I have a favorite shop up there on Main Street where I can get old jewelry. It’s a wonderful, historic feeling, mysterious, lovely place to be. I look forward to that, and, of course, the theatrical experience at Tanglewood is always great. I've got friends up there, and I see them, and that's one of the best things with those concerts.
Sherman: What would your advice be to anyone who's lucky enough to live a full life and look back at it?
Collins: Don’t look back, as Dylan says. Look forward.
Judy Collins will perform at Tanglewood with Indigo Girls, Rufus Wainwright, and special guest Lucy Wainwright Roche on Friday, August 30, at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at bso.org
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