An Interview with Judy Collins

The 85-year-old folk legend talks with former music executive Cliff Chenfeld about her storied career, knowing Dylan and Leonard Cohen before their starts, still playing 100 shows a year, and more.

Left, Judy Collins. Right, Cliff Chenfeld.

Judy Collins is an American folk and pop singer-songwriter known for her soaring soprano, eclectic repertoire, and political activism. A classically trained pianist and self-taught guitarist, Collins performed in folk clubs and coffeehouses from 1959, popularizing works by such songwriters as Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, and Joni Mitchell. She also had great success with cabaret and theatrical songs by Jacques Brel, Kurt Weill, Stephen Sondheim, and Randy Newman. Her biggest hits included Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now,” Sondheim’s “Send in the Clowns,” a haunting a cappella version of the spiritual “Amazing Grace,” and “Farewell to Tarwathie,” a Scottish whaling song accompanied by recordings of humpback whales. Noted for her beauty, especially her startling blue eyes, Collins was reportedly the inspiration for “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” a hit song by Crosby, Stills, and Nash. (via Britannica). Her recent Town Hall performance of her 1967 record Wildflowers will be aired on PBS later in June.

Cliff Chenfeld co-founded and was co-CEO of Razor & Tie, an independent music company that included a label, a music publishing company and the kids’ audio brand Kidz Bop. Razor + Tie had numerous Gold and Platinum records and was one of the largest independently owned music companies in the United States. Chenfeld and his partner Craig Balsam sold Razor + Tie in 2018. He is the host of the radio show Modern Sounds on which he plays and speaks about new music for busy listeners who are looking for help in discovering new artists. Chenfeld also curates the Modern Sounds playlist on Spotify which he updates regularly with new music. He has also been the executive producer of a number of films including Joan Baez: How Sweet The Sound, Serious Moonlight and Concussion. Find him on Instagram at @cchenfeld.

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Readers,

I was thrilled when former music executive (and Modern Sounds radio host) Cliff Chenfeld told me he was interested in interviewing musicians who have longevity as recording artists for Oldster Magazine. Chenfeld—who each month provides The Oldster Top 10 for a link roundup from his Modern Sounds Spotify playlist—knows music, and the music business. And his experience as a radio host makes him a good candidate for this “job.”

I was doubly thrilled when he suggested as his second subject folk legend Judy Collins. (His first subject was Dar Williams.) I am a fan of Collins, and inspired by her talent and ongoing career. And I’m excited to watch her recent performance of her entire 1967 album, Wildflowers at The Town Hall, when it airs on PBS and its streaming app later this month.

Judy Collins

In the interview, Collins talks about the influence of her musician father, Chuck Collins; her beginnings as a classical pianist studying with Antonia Brico; her friendships with—and influence on the careers of—Bob Dylan (back when he was still going by Zimmerman) and Leonard Cohen; being the inspiration for Crosby, Stills & Nash’s “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” (she’d dated Stephen Stills); her decades of sobriety; her longevity as a performer, who at 85 still plays 100 or more concerts a year; and more. So much good stuff!

Here’s a tiny sample of Collins’ responses to Chenfeld’s questions — this bit about when she first met Leonard Cohen, whose career she helped launch, and who also influenced Collins by encouraging her to write her own songs:

JUDY COLLINS: I knew a woman who was very friendly with Leonard Cohen. She called me one day in 1966 after we had talked about this poet friend of hers who was a failure. That's what she described him as. And she said, “He wants to come and see you and sing you his songs.” And I said, “What? Bring it on!”

And so Leonard came to the door and I thought, well, I don't care if he can't write songs. He's very good looking, so maybe we'll think of something. But then we talked and he said, “I can't sing, and I don't know if this is a song, and I can't play the guitar.” And I'm thinking, “Well, I wonder why she sent him to see me.”

And then he played me “Suzanne” among others. And I said, “Leonard, that is a song.” I said, “I'm recording it in the morning,” which I basically did. And “Suzanne” became — I mean, if I open my mouth to sing that in a concert, the whole audience knows all of the lyrics. And so we sang Suzanne together [on PBS], which was fantastic. Afterwards, he came over to my apartment and he said, “Well, now you've made me famous,” as though it was some curse I’d laid at his doorstep. And I said, “Well, that sounds to me like that would be helpful, because these songs are great that you've written.” And he said, “I'd like you to be recording them all.” And I said, “I surely will,” which I have.

And then he said, “I don't understand why you're not writing your own songs.” And because Leonard was who he was, which was a thoughtful, meditative, quality human being with high standards and an incredibly deep training in his youth, he said it that way, the way the Greeks might've said it — you know, the Greek prophets and thinkers, they wouldn't say, Why aren't you? He said, “I don't know, I don't understand,” putting it on himself. “I don't understand why you're not writing songs.” And so I ran home, sat down at my Steinway, which had I started playing again, and I wrote, ‘Since You Asked’ in about 40 minutes.

Hope you enjoy the interview. Here it is:

Here is Collins performing Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne” with Cohen. Before he passed away in November, 2016, Cohen credited Collins for launching his career after she recorded “Suzanne” for her 1966 record, In My Life.:

And here’s Judy Collins performing Sondheim’s “I’m Still Here” three years ago:

Hope you enjoyed this interview as much as I have. Be sure to check out Collins’ Town Hall performance of Wildflowers on PBS or the PBS app when it airs later this month!

With thanks to Judy Collins and Cliff Chenfeld. And thanks to all of your for watching/listening, and for all your support!

-Sari

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Check out Cliff Chenfeld’s first Oldster interview, with Dar Williams:

An Interview with Dar Williams