The seasonal schedule may have concluded, but the Heartwood Folk Club has a special surprise in store for Athabasca: Judy Collins is coming to town, and will be at the Nancy Appleby Theatre on May 3.
Collins is widely known for hit renditions of Ian Tysonís ìBoth Sides Nowî and ìSomeday Soon.î
Athabasca is a small town for Collins to be passing through, but the acclaimed country-folk musician said that sheíll ìsing for any group, no matter how big, no matter how small. It doesnít make any difference; I love it.î
ìItís a passion, it truly is a passion. I donít think you can do this unless itís a passion. Itís too hard otherwise,î she said.
She began her musical life on the classical piano in 1943 at the age of four, and took up the guitar when she was 14 and delved into a lifetime of folk revival, mixing with greats such as Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen.
Her influence helped single-handedly propel Cohen to stardom after she was the first person to record his music, recording his song and poem ìSuzanneî in 1969.
ìI should say Leonard (Cohen) discovered me, and found me and came to (ask me to play) his songs,î said Collins of their first encounter in 1966. ìThen I also pushed him on stage and made him sing for a concert that I was doing for a big benefit in New York in 1967,î she said.
Collinsí influence was even enough to pull the hymn ìAmazing Graceî out of the pages of hymn books and make it into a popular music hit.
ìIt was a surprise to everybody,î she said. ìMy record company sort of fell on the floor and said, ëwhat? An a cappella hymn? Thatís not going to go anywhere.í So people loved it and I was very happy about that.î
Later, she popularized composer Stephen Sondheimís Broadway ballad ìSend in the Clowns,î which she recorded in Columbia Universityís St. Paulís Chapel for itís unique acoustic properties.
Collins is widely seen performing on the guitar, but she revealed the piano is her natural instrument, since she took it up at such a young age.
She said she performs approximately 120 concerts a year.
ìI love this time of my life. This is great, travelling, doing television specials, writing books, writing songs. Iím just having a great time,î said Collins.
Her influence on hit artists around the time of the folk revival of the late 1960s is something Collins recognizes as being a ìluckyî set of circumstances.
ìI discovered them when they were unknown ó certainly Leonard (Cohen) and Joni (Mitchell) to a great extent, and I had a wonderful record label and Iíve been making records for years, and it was a great place to have your material showcased, and I was lucky enough to help many, many people get off the ground professionally, because I was a fan (of them) as well.î
ìIím always looking for a great song,î continued Collins.
ìIt doesnít matter if itís somebody whoís well known or unknown, and itís a lifetime commitment to finding great music, so I feel very strong that Iím still doing what Iíve always done, and thatís exciting,î she said.
Her tale of success and loss resonates for many, since she battled substance addiction through the 1970s. She then persevered through the loss of her only son to suicide in the early 1990s. She wrote a number of best-selling books on loss and recovery ó reflecting on the grief that fuelled her to turn to the best medical and musical instrument she knew: her voice.
ìItís hard. You have to be able to keep going and do the things that you love, and get some psychological help. I think thatís terribly important. Music I think is very healing, and itís good to be exposed to music at all points in your life, but I think particularly when youíve had serious losses,î she said.
ìThatís why art is in the world: so that it can help us get through the problems of being in the world, and all of us have these (problems). No one is exclusive,î said Collins, adding that ìsinging is a particularly healing force in the world.î
Admission to see Judy Collins perform at the Nancy Appleby Theatre April 3 is $45, or $35 to season ticket holders. Tickets can be purchased at the Athabasca Regional Multiplex or at the door.
ìI think theyíll enjoy the show,î Collins said. ìI think there will be a wonderful contrast. Weíll sing some of the hits Ö and I think (Athabascans will) have an exciting evening.î
