Judy Collins emerged in 1961 at age 22 as one of the pioneer voices of the American folk music movement. With her contemporaries (Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Peter Paul & Mary, Odetta, and of course, Bob Dylan) Collins helped bring folk and socially-charged music to the forefront of the American public. Her third album, Judy Collins 3, featured the first pop version of “Turn Turn Turn,” and her band at that time included Jim McGuinn, who, two years later, would emerge as Roger McGuinn, lead singer and guitarist with the Byrds. And of course, for one of their earliest chart topping hits…entire summary

Judy Collins - vocals, guitar, piano
Ken Bichelle - piano, keyboards
Lou Bolthay - guitar
Corky Hale - harp, keyboards
Warren Oates - drums
Don Payne - bass
Leslie Dorsey - vocals, clarinet
Tommy Bogdan - vocals
Dave Smith - vocals

Judy Collins emerged in 1961 at age 22 as one of the pioneer voices of the American folk music movement. With her contemporaries (Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Peter Paul & Mary, Odetta, and of course, Bob Dylan) Collins helped bring folk and socially-charged music to the forefront of the American public. Her third album, Judy Collins 3, featured the first pop version of “Turn Turn Turn,” and her band at that time included Jim McGuinn, who, two years later, would emerge as Roger McGuinn, lead singer and guitarist with the Byrds. And of course, for one of their earliest chart topping hits they did their own version of “Turn Turn Turn.”

Even when traditional folk music began to wane for the hipper, more commercially viable folk-rock, Collins endured. Her sweet and feminine voice made a breakthrough in 1967 with the release of Wildflowers, and the hit single, “Both Sides Now,” a huge radio hit written for Collins by Joni Mitchell. During the heyday of the late 1960s, Collins began circulating in rock music circles. She briefly dated Stephen Stills, who wrote the classic CSN hit, “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” for her.

By the time this show was recorded for the King Biscuit Flower Hour in 1979, Collins was trying to reestablish her folk icon image, after having a huge hit with Stephen Sondheim’s “Send In The Clowns” in 1976. “Send In The Clowns” and other Broadway and tin pan alley ballads had gradually stripped Collins of her contemporary music status. This tour, and its accompanying LP, Hard Times For Lovers, turned things around somewhat, but Collins muddied the waters by including additional middle-of-the-road material that had been used as movie themes.

Still, she returns to her folk and folk-rock roots at this high profile Roxy show in LA, with songs by Randy Newman, the Eagles, and Steve Goodman, whose classic “City Of New Orleans,” is aptly covered here by Collins.

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