My new album 'Paradise' (Wildflower Records) is out now, and includes duets with Stephen Stills and Joan Baez and a performance by emerging Wildflower artist Amy Speace. In addition to my new album, I recently contributed music to an oversized picture book called Over the Rainbow, which includes my version of the title track. I will have a residency at The Carlyle in NYC from February 15th to March 12th.
I first met Stephen Stills and Tom Paxton in the 60s. I met Tom in the very early 60s when I first recorded his song "Last Thing On My Mind" - I was actually the very first person to record it. I met Stephen in 1968 when he played in the backing band for my album 'Who Knows Where The Time Goes.' We met then and quickly began having an affair. It was around that time that he wrote "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" for me, which is of course an incredible song. The minute he played it for me in 1969 I said, "Oh, my God, this is fantastic."
We didn't stay together too long after that - we sort of drifted our own ways - but we did stay friends. We would get together and see each other, sometimes in LA, sometimes in NYC over the years, and he was always wonderfully helpful to me. In 2007, he released an album of material that was forty-years-old, recorded in the studio for 'Who Knows Where the Time Goes' one late night after we were done with our studio session. Our engineer John Haeny kept the tape rolling and Stephen recorded early versions of amazing songs like "Suite: Judy Blues Eyes," "Wooden Ships," and "Helplessly Hoping." The tape never saw the light of day for forty years, but when it did it was released in its raw form. I thought it was incredibly sweet that Stephen allowed it to be released just as it was recorded - it was sort of like a little valentine to me forty years later.
I saw Stephen in Cleveland at the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame last year, and I told him about the new album I was working on called 'Paradise.' I thought it would be great if we did a duet together because after all these years we had only collaborated a handful of times. He played in the backing band on "Who Knows Where The Time Goes" and performed at a few of my concerts during the time when Life Magazine was doing a cover story on me - so there are a few photos of us from that era - but we had never actually recorded a song together.
Stephen thought it was a great idea, so he came over to my home while he was in NYC for an event and we began working on the song. I had thought we were going to sing the beautiful song "Four Strong Winds," but when he arrived he told me he wanted to do "Last Thing On My Mind.'" I love the song, so we both sat down and played our Martin guitars and in about one hour it was done. It was absolutely wonderful - my husband was photographing us while we played, and it was a very magical, romantic experience.
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"Last Thing On My Mind" by user5957344
Direct link: http://soundcloud.com/user5957344/last-thing-on-my-mind
Beauty is often skin deep. But with you it goes clear through the soul.
Thanks, Judy, for sharing your rich talent and lovely spirit. You make the earth a more wonderful place.
Would love to hear her & Stephen do Four Strong Winds -- her cover of Ian Tyson's Someday Soon is one of my lifetime favorite songs
Your devoted fans and followers, Amnesty International, Group 48, Portland
So, yes, big THANKS for all both You and Steve did regarding confronting the Vietnam war and all your inspirational music. I was a combat field medic and in returning, I found it necessary to try and stop that needless war, stop the bleeding of our troops and the innocent Vietnamese victims. You helped me, Thanks.
Hope to hear more from You and Steve, musically and socio-politically.
a few plays. I agree that the exta background voices were not needed. Diamonds and Rust suffers far worse though; the song just does not lend itself to duets, period. There are several live takes of Judy doing D&R on youtube that are much better than her duet with Sista Joan from Judy's new album (which is pretty strong otherwise.) Wish the Folk Queens would have worked on some other songs though. They released a rare duet in the mid 60s of a Pete Seeger song that is heavenly.
Joan released a master take of "Last Thing On My Mind" on the reissued version of "Davids Album" with Jerry Reed wearing out his guitar in the back ground.
Saw JC last summer. Her voice is so well preserved that I think a Dorian Gray investigation is warrented. She looked amazing too.
Beautiful
Here's a video clip I took of one of the gorgeous songs she sang that night in San Juan Capistrano....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aTBc8ZBkxo&feature=email&email=comment_received
Judy Collins of my youth, you are more beautiful than ever. Your voice more divine. Thank you for this gift that I will share with my friends on Facebook and elsewhere.
It is thrilling to know that you will be at the Carlyle, to know that you will have a stay here and so close to all of us in NYC.
Happy New Year, Judy Collins and thank you for giving me and all your fans, a richer, more beautiful and sublime life in this world.
Please visit my art photography site and see if anything is of interest to you.
http://www.myartspace.com/viewer/gallery/?subscriberid=quy6fim0n9v0t0m1&gallery_id=rytoidsxnaiklxy1
God bless you always. It will be our privilege and joy to have you in the city.
A few years later I was a musician on the edges of the NYC folk/blues/bluegrass scene myself, with a circle of colleagues that included one of Judy's long string of excellent accompanists, Steve Mandell. In those days as now, there was more than ample gossip about what it was like to work with one big-name artist or another, but when it came to Judy the verdict was unanimous; everybody considered her both a solid professional and about as decent a person as could be found in a very tough business. I know she's had her share of crises and tragedy over the ensuring years, so it's great to see her active and still excited about her work -- it's hard to imagine anyone more deserving of a long and fruitful career encore doing what she so clearly loves.