Singer-songwriter and folk music icon Judy Collins will perform at 7 p.m. on Jan. 28 at the Honokaa People’s Theater. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Collins is on a four-show Hawaii tour with special guest Ari Hest in support of her latest release, “Strangers Again,” a collection of duets with some of her favorite male artists, including Don Mclean, Michael McDonald, Jeff Bridges, Willie Nelson and Jackson Browne. The Jan. 28 show in Honokaa is Collins’ lone show on the Big Island.
“These are guys that I adore and respect,” she said in a press release. “I have dreamed of playing with them.”
Collins has inspired audiences with sublime vocals, boldly vulnerable song writing, personal life triumphs, and a firm commitment to social activism. In the 1960s she evoked both the idealism and steely determination of a generation united against social and environmental injustices. Five decades later, her luminescent presence shines brightly as new generations bask in the glow of her iconic 50-album body of work, and heed inspiration from her spiritual discipline to thrive in the music industry for half a century.
The singer-songwriter is esteemed for her imaginative interpretations of traditional and contemporary folk standards and her own poetically poignant original compositions. Collins’ rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now,” from her 1967 album, “Wildflowers,” has been entered into the Grammy Hall of Fame and her version of “Send in the Clowns,” a ballad written by Stephen Sondheim for the Broadway musical “A Littler Night Magic,” won Song of the Year at the 1975 Grammy Awards. Recently, she was honored with the album “Born to the Breed: A Tribute to Judy Collins.”
Collins began her music career at age 13 as a piano prodigy dazzling audiences performing Amadeus Wolfgang Mozart’s “Concerto for Two Pianos” but the hard luck tales and rugged sensitivity of folk revival music by artists such as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger seduced her away from life as a concert pianist. The focus and regimented practice of classical music, however, would be a source of strength to her inner core as she navigated the highs and lows of the music business.
In 1961, she released her masterful debut, “A Maid of Constant Sorrow,” which featured interpretative works of social poets of the time such as Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs and Tom Paxton. This began a 35-year creative relationship with Jac Holzman and Elektra Records. Around this time, Collins became a tastemaker within the thriving Greenwich Village folk community, and brought other singer-songwriters to a wider audience, including poet/musician Leonard Cohen – and musicians Joni Mitchell and Randy Newman. Throughout the 1960s, 70s, 80s, 90s and up to the present, she has remained a vital artist, enriching her catalog with critically aclaimed albums while balancing a robust touring schedule.
Collins is as creatively vigorous as ever, writing, touring worldwide and nurturing fresh talent. She is also an accomplished painter, filmmaker, record labelhead, musical mento, and an in-demand keynote speaker for mental health and suicide prevention. She has also authored several books, including “Sanity &Grace” and “Sweet Judy Blue Eyes: My Life in Music.”
Tickets are $35 back section, $45 center, $65 Gold Circle and are available online at www.lazarbear.com or at Sound Wave Music, Kailua-Kona; Kiernan Music, Kainaliu; Waimea General Store, Kamuela; Taro Patch Gifts, Honokaa; CD Wizard, Hilo Guitar and Hilo Music Exchange, Hilo, or by calling 896-4845.
Info: www.lazarbear.com