Judy Collins

By Jone Johnson Lewis, About.com Guide

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About Judy Collins:

Dates: May 1, 1939 -

Occupation: singer, composer, activist

Known for: Judy Collins was among the 1960s singer-songwriters who re-popularized folk songs and songs of political protest. Her hits include "Amazing Grace," "Both Sides Now," and "Send in the Clowns."

Also known as: Judith Marjorie Collins, Judy Marjorie Collins

Background, Family:

Father: Charles Thomas Collins (singer and composer, radio personality)
Mother: Marjorie Byrd, homemaker
Siblings: four younger siblings

Marriage, Children:

husband: Peter Taylor in (married April 1958, divorced 1966)
- only child: Clark Collin Taylor (1959 - 1992, suicide)
husband: Louis Nelson (married February 1996)

Judy Collins Biography:

Educated as a classical pianist, young Judy Collins also enjoyed popular music. She studied with conductor Antonia Brico and at MacMurray College and the University of Colorado.

Judy Collins began playing acoustic guitar and singing folk songs publicly in 1959 at Michael's Pub in Boulder, Colorado. After appearing in several other cities, she became part of the Greenwich Village folk scene in New York City.

In 1961, she was discovered by Elekra Records and recorded her first album, Maid of Constant Sorrow, in 1961, with a mixture of traditional folk songs and songs of political protest. More albums followed, and in 1967, her album Wildflowers and her version of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" won her wider public success, and "Both Sides Now" won her a 1968 Grammy.

Judy Collins participated in political protests, and brought her anti-war sentiments to her singing. In testimony at the 1969-1970 Chicago 7 Trial, Judy Collins sang the anti-war song, "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?"

Judy Collins continued to record, extending her recordings to other vocal styles. In 1974 she helped create a documentary on her former teacher, Antonia Brico, and she wrote a steamy novel, Shameless, published in 1995. She's best known for her many albums (forty as of 2008) and her performances.

Judy Collins published Trust Your Heart, an autobiography, in 1987, and The Judy Collins Songbook: With Comments, Instructions, and Personal Reminiscences (1969) also includes musings on her life through that early part of her career.

Judy Collins married Peter Taylor in 1958; they divorced in 1966. Their son, Clark Taylor, committed suicide in 1992; her Singing Lessons: A Memoir of Love, Loss, Hope, and Healing (1998) deals with her own reactions to the loss of her only child, which she described as "like a holocaust in your life. It's total devastation, something you don't get over." One of her best-known songs is "Amazing Grace," which she also sang for her son's wedding and funeral.

Judy Collins met graphic designer Louis Nelson in 1978 at a fundraiser for the Equal Rights Amendment; they were together for many years, and married in 1996 on the 18th anniversary of their first meeting. She wrote "Wedding Song (Song for Louis)" for her second husband.