View source for Judy Collins

{{Short description|American singer-songwriter and musician (b. 1939)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2021}}
{{Technical reasons|Judy Collins #3|the album|Judy Collins 3}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name         = Judy Collins
| image        = Judy Collins by Bryan Ledgard 2 (cropped).jpg
| caption      = Collins at the [[Cambridge Folk Festival]], 2008
| birth_name   = Judith Marjorie Collins
| birth_date   = {{birth date and age|1939|5|1}}
| birth_place  = [[Seattle, Washington]], U.S.
| origin       = [[Denver, Colorado]], U.S.
| genre        = {{hlist|[[Folk music|Folk]]|[[Americana (music)|Americana]]|[[Country music|country]]|[[rock and roll]]|pop}}
| occupation   = {{hlist|Singer|songwriter|musician}}
| instrument   = {{hlist|Vocals|piano|guitar}}
| years_active = 1959–present
| label        = {{hlist|[[Elektra Records|Elektra]]|[[Geffen Records|Geffen]]|[[MCA Records|MCA]]|Mesa Bluemoon|[[Rhino Entertainment Company|Rhino]]|[[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]]|Wildflower|[[Cleopatra Records|Cleopatra]]<ref>William Ruhlmann [https://www.allmusic.com/artist/judy-collins-mn0000294923/discography "Judy Collins – Discography"] "AllMusic.com" Retrieved October 30, 2017.</ref>}}
| website      = {{URL|judycollins.com}}
}}
'''Judith Marjorie Collins''' (born May 1, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and musician with a career spanning nearly seven decades. An [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]]-nominated documentary director and a [[Grammy Awards|Grammy Award]]-winning recording artist, she is known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records (which has included [[folk music]], [[country music|country]], [[show tune]]s, [[pop music]], [[rock and roll]] and [[Traditional pop|standards]]), for her [[social activism]], and for the clarity of her voice. [[Judy Collins discography|Her discography]] consists of 36 studio albums, nine live albums, numerous compilation albums, four holiday albums, and 21 [[single (music)|singles]].

Collins' debut studio album, ''[[A Maid of Constant Sorrow]]'', was released in 1961 and consisted of traditional [[Folk music|folk songs]]. She had her first charting single with "Hard Lovin' Loser" (No. 97) from her fifth studio album ''[[In My Life (Judy Collins album)|In My Life]]'' (1966), but it was the [[lead single]] from her sixth studio album ''[[Wildflowers (Judy Collins album)|Wildflowers]]'' (1967), "[[Both Sides, Now]]" – written by [[Joni Mitchell]] – that gave her international prominence. The single reached No. 8 on the [[Billboard (magazine)|''Billboard'']] [[Billboard Hot 100|Pop Singles chart]]<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/305342/judy-collins/chart |title=Judy Collins – Chart history |magazine=Billboard |access-date=July 30, 2015}}</ref> and won Collins her first [[Grammy Awards|Grammy Award]] for [[Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording|Best Folk Performance]].<ref name="Gram">{{cite news |publisher=National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences |url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/judy-collins/12213 |title=Judy Collins |access-date=January 19, 2021}}</ref> She enjoyed further success with her recordings of "[[Someday Soon (Ian Tyson song)|Someday Soon]]", "[[Chelsea Morning]]" (also written by Mitchell), "[[Amazing Grace]]", "[[Turn! Turn! Turn!]]", and "Cook with Honey".

Collins experienced the biggest success of her career with her recording of [[Stephen Sondheim]]'s "[[Send in the Clowns]]" from her tenth studio album ''[[Judith (album)|Judith]]'' (1975). The single peaked at No. 36 on the ''Billboard'' Pop Singles chart in 1975 and then again in 1977 at No. 19, spending 27 non-consecutive weeks on the chart and earning her a Grammy Award nomination for [[Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance|Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female]], as well as a Grammy Award for Sondheim for [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]].<ref>{{cite news |publisher=National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences |url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/stephen-sondheim/12557 |title=Stephen Sondheim |access-date=January 19, 2021}}</ref> ''Judith'' also became her best-selling studio album; it was certified [[Music recording certification|Gold]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]] in 1975 for sales of over 500,000 copies and [[Music recording certification|Platinum]] in 1996 for sales of over 1,000,000 copies.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{Cite certification |region=United States|certyear=2014|type=album|artist=Judy Collins}}</ref>

In 2017, Collins' rendition of the song "[[Amazing Grace (song)|Amazing Grace]]" was selected for preservation in the [[National Recording Registry]] by the [[Library of Congress]] as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref name="Library of Congress">{{cite web | url=https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-17-029/ | title=National Recording Registry Picks Are "Over the Rainbow" | work=Library of Congress | date=March 29, 2016 | access-date=March 29, 2016}}</ref> That same year, she received a Grammy Award nomination for [[Grammy Award for Best Folk Album|Best Folk Album]] for ''[[Silver Skies Blue]]'' with [[Ari Hest]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2017/music/features/singer-judy-collins-grammy-nomination-1201979543/ |title=Judy Collins Talks Her First Grammy Nomination in 40 Years: 'I've Been Working All This Time |work=Variety.com |date=February 8, 2017 |access-date=October 27, 2017}}</ref> In 2019 at the age of 80, she scored her first No. 1 album on an American ''Billboard'' chart with ''[[Winter Stories (Judy Collins, Jonas Fjeld and Chatham County Line album)|Winter Stories]]'', a duet album with Norwegian singer, songwriter, and guitarist [[Jonas Fjeld]] featuring [[Chatham County Line]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/8546731/judy-collins-first-career-billboard-number-one-winter-stories/item/prn-17-029/ | title= Judy Scores First Career Number 1 | magazine= Billboard | date=June 13, 2020 | access-date=March 29, 2016}}</ref> In 2022, she released her first studio album of all original material, titled ''[[Spellbound (Judy Collins album)|Spellbound]]'', and it earned her another Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album.

==Early life==
Collins was born the eldest of five siblings in [[Seattle]] where she lived for the first ten years of her life. Her father, Chuck Collins (a [[visual impairment|blind]] singer, pianist, and radio show host) took a job in [[Denver]] in 1949 and the family moved there. Her grandfather on her father's side was Irish.<ref>{{cite news |first=Ellie |last=O'Byrne |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/arid-30977085.html |title=The songs that matter most to Judy Collins from her 60-year career |newspaper=[[Irish Examiner]] |issn=1393-9564 |location=Cork |language=en-ie |date=January 22, 2020 |access-date=March 8, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.irishmusicdaily.com/blog/judy-collins-on-her-love-of-irish-music |title=Judy Collins speaks about her love of Irish music |first=Patrick |last=Kehoe |date=November 29, 2021 |website=irishmusicdaily.com}}</ref> 

Judy Collins contracted [[polio]] at the age of 11 and spent two months in isolation in a hospital.<ref>{{cite web|author=Interview by Wendy Schuman|url=http://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainment/Celebrities/Judy-Collins-Tell-The-Truth-No-Matter-How-Hard.aspx|title=Judy Collins tells Beliefnet how she used meditation and prayer to cope with illness and her son's suicide.|publisher=Beliefnet.com|date=February 17, 2011|access-date=October 16, 2012}}</ref> She grew up listening to the [[Irish traditional music|traditional Irish music]] her father sang. She did not know what folk music was when she was young. She said, "I just thought it was probably [[Rodgers and Hart]]. Those were the songs he (her father) sang on the radio. I didn't understand until I discovered [[The Whistling Gypsy|''The Gypsy Rover'']] and [[Barbara Allen (song)|''Barbara Allen'']] when I was 15. I didn't realize I had been singing ''[[Danny Boy]]'' all of that time... ''Danny Boy'' was a folk song.”<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://irishmusicdaily.com/blog/judy-collins-on-her-love-of-irish-music |title=Judy Collins Speaks About Her Love of Irish Music|first=Patrick|last=Kehoe|date=November 29, 2021|access-date=June 6, 2024|website=irishmusicdaily.com}}</ref>

==Career==
===Beginnings===
[[File:Judy Collins Hootenanny 1963.jpg|thumb|upright|Collins during a 1963 appearance on ''[[Hootenanny (TV series)|Hootenanny]]'']]
Collins studied classical piano with [[Antonia Brico]], making her public debut at age 13 performing [[Piano Concerto No. 10 (Mozart)|Mozart's Concerto for Two Pianos]]. She also played [[Frédéric Chopin|Chopin]], [[Claude Debussy|Debussy]], and [[Sergei Rachmaninoff|Rachmaninoff]] as a child.<ref>{{cite news|first=Ellie|last=O'Byrne |url=https://irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/arid-30977085.html|title=The Songs that Matter Most to Judy Collins from Her 60-year Career|newspaper=[[Irish Examiner]]|issn=1393-9564 |location=Cork|language=en-ie|date=January 22, 2020|access-date=June 6, 2024}}</ref> Brico took a dim view of her developing interest in folk music, which led her to the difficult decision to discontinue her piano lessons. Years later, after she became known internationally, she invited Brico to one of her concerts in Denver. When they met after the performance, Brico took both of Collins' hands into hers, looked wistfully at her fingers and said, "Little Judy—you really could have gone places." Still later, she discovered that Brico herself had made a living when she was younger playing [[jazz]] and [[ragtime]] piano (''Singing Lessons'', pp.&nbsp;71–72). 

In her early life, Collins met many professional musicians through her father.<ref>{{cite book|last=Malkoski|first=Paul A.|title=The Denver Folk Music Tradition: An Unplugged History, from Harry Tuft to Swallow Hill and Beyond|year=2012|publisher=The History Press|isbn=978-1609495329|page=52}}</ref>

It was the music of [[Woody Guthrie]] and [[Pete Seeger]] and the [[Folk music|traditional]] songs of the [[American folk music revival|folk revival]] of the early 1960s, however, that kindled Collins' interest and awoke in her a love for [[lyrics]]. Three years after her debut as a piano [[Child prodigy|prodigy]], she was playing guitar. Her first public appearances as a folk artist after her graduation from Denver's East High School were at Michael's Pub in [[Boulder, Colorado]] and the folk club Exodus in Denver. Her music became popular at the [[University of Connecticut]], where her husband taught. She performed at parties and for the campus radio station along with [[David Grisman]] and Tom Azarian.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,526497,00.html|title=Time "Striking a Chord"|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=August 20, 2021|archive-date=March 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319133053/https://time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,526497,00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===1960s===
Collins eventually made her way to [[Greenwich Village]], [[New York City]] where she played in clubs like Gerde's Folk City until she signed with [[Elektra Records]], a label she was associated with for 35 years. In 1961, she released her debut studio album, ''[[A Maid of Constant Sorrow]]'', at age 22.<ref>{{cite news|title=Reviews of new albums|date=November 27, 1961|magazine=Billboard|page=28}}</ref>

At first, Collins sang traditional folk songs or songs written by others–in particular the protest songwriters of the time, such as [[Tom Paxton]], [[Phil Ochs]], and [[Bob Dylan]]. She recorded her own versions of important songs from the period, such as Dylan's "[[Mr. Tambourine Man]]" and [[Pete Seeger]]'s "[[Turn! Turn! Turn!]]". She was also instrumental in bringing little-known musicians to a wider public. For example, she recorded songs by Canadian poet [[Leonard Cohen]], who became a close friend over the years. She also recorded songs by singer-songwriters such as [[Eric Andersen]], [[Fred Neil]], [[Ian Tyson]], [[Joni Mitchell]], [[Randy Newman]], [[Robin Williamson]], and [[Richard Fariña]] long before they gained national acclaim.<ref>{{cite book|last=Simmons|first=Sylvie|title=I'm Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen|year=2012|publisher=McClelland & Stewart|isbn=978-0771080401}}</ref><ref name=newman>{{cite book|last=Courrier|first=Kevin|author-link=Kevin Courrier|title=Randy Newman: American Dreams|year=2005|publisher=ECW Press|isbn=978-1550226904|pages=65–66}}</ref>

[[File:JodyCollins-Oct1965.jpg|thumb|right|Judy Collins in 1965]]
Collins' first few studio albums consisted of straightforward guitar-based folk songs, but with her fifth studio album ''[[In My Life (Judy Collins album)|In My Life]]'' (1966), she began branching out to include works from such diverse sources as [[the Beatles]], [[Leonard Cohen]], [[Jacques Brel]], and [[Kurt Weill]].<ref name=newman/> [[Mark Abramson]] produced and [[Joshua Rifkin]] arranged the album, adding lush [[orchestration]] to many of the numbers. The album was a major departure for a folk artist and set the course for Collins' subsequent work over the next decade.<ref>{{AllMusic|class=album|id=mw0000195828|label=''In My Life'' review|access-date=March 16, 2013}}</ref>

With her sixth studio album ''[[Wildflowers (Judy Collins album)|Wildflowers]]'' (1967), also produced by Abramson and arranged by Rifkin, Collins began to record her own compositions, beginning with "Since You Asked". The album also provided her with a major hit and a [[Grammy Awards|Grammy Award]] in Mitchell's "[[Both Sides, Now]]", which in December 1968 reached No. 8 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]],<ref>{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=judy collins|chart=all}} |title=Judy Collins|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=March 16, 2013}}</ref> later (February 1970) reaching No. 14 on the [[UK Singles Chart]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19700222/7501/|title=Official [U.K.] Singles Chart Top 50, 22 February 1970–28 February 1970|publisher=[[The Official UK Charts Company]]|access-date=December 17, 2021}}</ref>

Collins' seventh studio album ''[[Who Knows Where the Time Goes (Judy Collins album)|Who Knows Where the Time Goes]]'' (1968) was produced by [[David Anderle]], and featured back-up guitar by [[Stephen Stills]] (of [[Crosby, Stills & Nash]]), with whom she was romantically involved at the time. (She was the inspiration for Stills's CSN classic "[[Suite: Judy Blue Eyes]]".) ''Time Goes'' had a mellow [[country music|country]] sound and included [[Ian Tyson]]'s "[[Someday Soon (Ian Tyson song)|Someday Soon]]" and the title track, written by the UK singer-songwriter [[Sandy Denny]]. The album also featured Collins' composition "My Father" and one of the first covers of Leonard Cohen's "[[Bird on the Wire]]".<ref>{{cite news|title=Judy Collins Concert: Has Fans Gentle on Her Mind|date=May 24, 1969|magazine=Billboard|page=22}}</ref>

[[File:Judy Collins solo performance 1967.JPG|thumb|left| Collins performing on ''[[The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour]]'', 1968]]

Two of Collins' songs ("[[Who Knows Where the Time Goes?]]" composed by Sandy Denny and "Albatross") were featured in the 1968 film ''[[The Subject Was Roses (film)|The Subject Was Roses]]''.

===1970s===
By the 1970s, Collins had a solid reputation as an [[art song]] singer and folksinger and had begun to stand out for her own compositions. She also performed a broad range of material: her songs from this period included the traditional Christian [[hymn]] "[[Amazing Grace]]", the [[Stephen Sondheim]] [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]] [[ballad]] "[[Send in the Clowns]]" (both of which were top 20 hits as singles in both the U.S. and the U.K.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/13893/judy-collins/|title=JUDY COLLINS|publisher=[[The Official UK Charts Company]]|access-date=December 17, 2021}}</ref>), a recording of [[Joan Baez]]'s "[[One Day at a Time (Joan Baez album)|A Song for David]]", and her own compositions, such as "Born to the Breed".<ref>{{cite news|last=Santosuosso|first=Ernie|title=Judy Collins' flight of fancy|newspaper=Boston Globe|date=May 11, 1975}}</ref>

In 1971, Collins released her second live album, ''[[Living (Judy Collins album)|Living]]'' and the compilation album ''[[Colors of the Day: The Best of Judy Collins]]'' followed a year later. Collins' contemplative ninth studio album ''[[True Stories and Other Dreams]]'' (1973) featured an original song about a friend who took his own life ("Song for Martin") and another about the life of Argentine [[Marxism|Marxist]] revolutionary [[Che Guevara]] ("Che"). For her tenth studio album ''[[Judith (album)|Judith]]'' (1975), Collins collaborated with producer [[Arif Mardin]] and produced her biggest hit single with her reflective version of Stephen Sondheim's "[[Send in the Clowns]]". It became her best-selling record, eventually going platinum.

As Collins stepped up to a higher level of stardom, the longtime activist put political themes at the forefront of her eleventh studio album  ''[[Bread and Roses (album)|Bread and Roses]]'' (1976). Political statements like the title song, originally a poem by [[James Oppenheim]] commonly associated with a 1912 [[1912 Lawrence textile strike|garment workers strike]] in [[Lawrence, Massachusetts]], were balanced with such pop compositions as [[Elton John]]'s "Come Down in Time", but the album failed to achieve the commercial success of ''Judith''. Following the release of the album, Collins underwent treatment for damaged vocal cords, and after years of struggling with alcoholism, she sought medical help to give up drinking. Her compilation album ''[[So Early in the Spring (Judy Collins album)|So Early in the Spring... The First 15 Years]]'' (1977) sold modestly.

[[File:Zangeres Judy Collins in Hiltonhotel Amsterdam, Judy Collins, Bestanddeelnr 925-1517.jpg|thumb|right| Collins in Hilton Amsterdam, a hotel, in 1971]]
Collins guest starred on ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' in an episode broadcast in January 1978,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Garlen|first1=Jennifer C.|last2=Graham|first2=Anissa M.|title=Kermit Culture: Critical Perspectives on Jim Henson's Muppets|year=2009|publisher=McFarland & Company|isbn=978-0786442591|page=[https://archive.org/details/kermitculturecri0000unse/page/218 218]|url=https://archive.org/details/kermitculturecri0000unse/page/218}}</ref> singing "[[Leather-Winged Bat]]", "[[There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly]]", "[[Do-Re-Mi]]", and "Send in the Clowns". She also appeared several times on ''[[Sesame Street]]'', where she performed "Fishermen's Song" with a chorus of [[Anything Muppet]] fishermen, sang a trio with [[Biff and Sully]] using the word "yes", and starred in a modern musical fairy tale skit called "The Sad Princess".<ref>{{cite news|last=Ann|first=Lolordo|title=Judy Collins changing styles|newspaper=Lodi News-Sentinel|date=August 13, 1977}}</ref> In 1979, Collins released her twelfth studio album ''[[Hard Times for Lovers]]'', a pop-oriented album in the same vein as ''Judith''; she gained some extra publicity with the cover sleeve photograph of her in the nude.{{CN|date=October 2025}}

===1980s===
''[[Running for My Life]]'' (1980) and ''[[Times of Our Lives (Judy Collins album)|Times of Our Lives]]'' (1982) were well-crafted exercises in adult pop and soft rock, but as tastes changed, Collins' sales were on the decline. ''[[Home Again (Judy Collins album)|Home Again]]'' (1984) found her exploring some new musical avenues, including a synth-based cover of [[Yazoo (band)|Yaz's]] "Only You" and a duet with country star [[T. G. Sheppard]] on the title cut. While the "Home Again" single was a minor hit, the album was not, and after 23 years, Collins and [[Elektra Records|Elektra]] parted ways. She performed the music for the 1983 animated television special ''[[The Magic of Herself the Elf]]'', as well as the theme song of the [[Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment|Rankin/Bass Productions]] television film ''[[The Wind in the Willows (1987 film)|The Wind in the Willows]]''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Woolery|first=George W.|title=Animated TV Specials|year=1989|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0810821989|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/animatedtvspecia0000wool}}</ref>

[[File:Judy Collins.jpg|thumb|Collins at a book signing, 1995|left]]
Collins traveled to England in 1985 and struck a one-off deal with Telstar Records to record the studio album ''[[Amazing Grace (Judy Collins album)|Amazing Grace]]'', in which she re-recorded several of her better-known songs with an inspirational bent. In 1987, she signed with the independent [[Gold Castle Records|Gold Castle]] label, and her first studio album for them, ''[[Trust Your Heart]]'', which collected seven tracks from ''Amazing Grace'' and added three new selections. That same year, she released her first memoir, ''Trust Your Heart''.<ref name="judycollins.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.judycollins.com/books|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211121113722/http://www.judycollins.com/books|url-status=live|archive-date=November 21, 2021|title=Judy Collins Official Website – Books|access-date=March 11, 2022}}</ref>

In 1989, Collins released two albums: a live disc titled ''Sanity and Grace'',<ref>{{cite web|last=Ruhlmann|first=William|title=Sanity and Grace|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/sanity-and-grace-gold-castle--mw0002054886|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=March 11, 2022|archive-date=February 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220205085850/https://www.allmusic.com/album/sanity-and-grace-gold-castle--mw0002054886|url-status=live}}</ref> and a collaboration with clarinetist [[Richard Stoltzman]], ''Innervoices''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Innervoices|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/innervoices-mw0000654261|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=March 11, 2022|archive-date=December 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202171057/https://www.allmusic.com/album/innervoices-mw0000654261|url-status=live}}</ref>

===1990s===
In 1990, Collins released her eighteenth studio album ''[[Fires of Eden (album)|Fires of Eden]]'' on [[Columbia Records]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Eder|first=Bruce|title=Fires of Eden|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/fires-of-eden-mw0000316233|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=March 11, 2022|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115161447/https://www.allmusic.com/album/fires-of-eden-mw0000316233|url-status=live}}</ref> The album spawned one single – "Fires of Eden", written by [[Kit Hain]] and [[Mark Goldenberg]]. The single peaked at No. 31 on ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'''s [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|Adult Contemporary]] chart. At the time of its release, Collins performed it live on several occasions, including on ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]'' and ''[[The Joan Rivers Show]]''. A [[music video]] promoting it and featuring her was also released.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6c2f5|title=Judy Collins Fires of Eden – Vidéo Dailymotion|website=Dailymotion.com|date=August 3, 2008 |access-date=August 20, 2021}}</ref> Later, [[Cher]] recorded "Fires of Eden" for her 1991 studio album ''[[Love Hurts (Cher album)|Love Hurts]]''. Other songs from ''Fires of Eden'' include "The Blizzard", "Home Before Dark", and a cover of [[the Hollies]] song – "[[The Air That I Breathe]]". That same year saw the release of a pair of children's albums, ''Baby's Morningtime''<ref>{{cite web|last=Ruhlmann|first=William|title=Baby's Morningtime|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/babys-morningtime-mw0000690513|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=March 11, 2022|archive-date=October 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029231145/https://www.allmusic.com/album/babys-morningtime-mw0000690513|url-status=live}}</ref> and ''Baby's Bedtime''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ruhlmann|first=William|title=Baby's Bedtime|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/babys-bedtime-mw0000441204|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=March 11, 2022|archive-date=October 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029221522/https://www.allmusic.com/album/babys-bedtime-mw0000441204|url-status=live}}</ref> Collins performed at President [[Bill Clinton]]'s first inauguration in 1993, singing "[[Amazing Grace]]" and "[[Chelsea Morning]]". (The Clintons have stated that they named their daughter, [[Chelsea Clinton|Chelsea]], after her recording of the song.)<ref name="Clark">{{cite news|last=Clark|first=Eric|title=After spinning others' songs into gold, Judy Collins gets tribute album of her own works|newspaper=Gazette, The (Cedar Rapids-Iowa City, IA)|date=October 12, 2008}}</ref>

For her next studio album, Collins turned to a project that was both personal and familiar, a set of Bob Dylan covers titled ''Judy Sings Dylan... Just Like a Woman''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Roach|first=Pemberton|title=Judy Collins Sings Dylan: Just Like a Woman|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/judy-collins-sings-dylan-just-like-a-woman-mw0000106482|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=March 11, 2022|archive-date=December 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211211030546/https://www.allmusic.com/album/judy-collins-sings-dylan-just-like-a-woman-mw0000106482|url-status=live}}</ref> Released in 1993, the album was a commercial success and reminded fans she was still active and in fine voice. In 1994, she issued her first [[Christmas album]], ''Come Rejoice! A Judy Collins Christmas''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ruhlmann|first=William|title=Come Rejoice! A Judy Collins Christmas|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/come-rejoice%21-a-judy-collins-christmas-mw0000626262|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=March 11, 2022|archive-date=December 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209121604/https://www.allmusic.com/album/come-rejoice%21-a-judy-collins-christmas-mw0000626262|url-status=live}}</ref> It would prove to be the first in a series, with other holiday releases soon following, the first being the live album ''Christmas at the Biltmore Estate'' in 1997,<ref>{{cite web|last=Ruhlmann|first=William|title=Christmas at the Biltmore Estate|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/christmas-at-the-biltmore-estate-mw0000595906|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=March 11, 2022|archive-date=October 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029231150/https://www.allmusic.com/album/christmas-at-the-biltmore-estate-mw0000595906|url-status=live}}</ref> followed by ''All on a Wintry Night'' in 2000.<ref>{{cite web|last=Torreano|first=Bradley|title=All on a Wintry Night|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/all-on-a-wintry-night-mw0000103563|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=March 11, 2022|archive-date=December 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209151204/https://www.allmusic.com/album/all-on-a-wintry-night-mw0000103563|url-status=live}}</ref> Collins combined her interests in music and literature for her next project. In 1995, she published a novel, ''Shameless'',<ref name="judycollins.com"/> that took place against the backdrop of the music business; she also released an album of the same name that served as the soundtrack.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ruhlmann|first=William|title=Shameless|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/shameless-mw0000174112|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=March 11, 2022|archive-date=October 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029231103/https://www.allmusic.com/album/shameless-mw0000174112|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1998, Collins published her third book, ''Singing Lessons: A Memoir of Love'', ''Loss, Hope and Healing,''<ref name="judycollins.com"/> which focused on her struggles with alcoholism, depression, and the emotional trauma of her son's death. In 1999, she released ''Classic Broadway'', a collection of vintage show tunes.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ruhlmann|first=William|title=Classic Broadway|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/classic-broadway-mw0000669220|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=March 11, 2022|archive-date=October 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029221540/https://www.allmusic.com/album/classic-broadway-mw0000669220|url-status=live}}</ref> That same year, she and her manager [[Katherine DePaul]] founded Wildflower Records.

===2000s–2020s===
[[File:Judy Collins by Bryan Ledgard 1.jpg|thumb|right|Collins performing at the Cambridge Folk Festival, 2008]]
Collins maintained a busy release schedule via Wildflower, issuing numerous live albums and reissues as well as new material such as 2005's ''[[Portrait of an American Girl]]'', 2010's ''Paradise'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Paradise|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/paradise-mw0001989692|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=March 11, 2022|archive-date=November 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102203015/https://www.allmusic.com/album/paradise-mw0001989692|url-status=live}}</ref> and 2011's ''Bohemian'',<ref>{{cite web|last=Monger|first=James Christopher|title=Bohemian|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/bohemian-mw0002206147|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=March 11, 2022|archive-date=November 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102203018/https://www.allmusic.com/album/bohemian-mw0002206147|url-status=live}}</ref> all of which focused on her continued strength as an interpretive vocalist. In 2006, she sang "[[This Little Light of Mine]]" in a commercial for [[Eliot Spitzer]].<ref name="Clark"/> In 2007, she released her own covers collection of [[The Beatles|Beatles]] songs, entitled ''[[Judy Collins Sings Lennon and McCartney]]''. Various artists, including [[Shawn Colvin]], [[Rufus Wainwright]], and [[Chrissie Hynde]], covered Collins's compositions for the tribute album ''[[Born to the Breed: A Tribute to Judy Collins|Born to the Breed]]'' in 2008.<ref>[http://www.cleveland.com/popmusic/index.ssf/2009/06/basking_in_the_afterglow_of_a.html "Basking in the Afterglow of a Tribute Album"] by John Soeder, ''Cleveland Plain Dealer'', June 24, 2009.</ref> In the same year, she received an honorary doctorate from [[Pratt Institute]]. The tribute albums ''Tom Thumb's Blues: A Tribute to Judy Collins''<ref>{{cite web|title=Tom Thumb's Blues: A Tribute to Judy Collins|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/tom-thumbs-blues-a-tribute-to-judy-collins-mw0000001849|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=March 15, 2022|archive-date=December 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201140026/https://www.allmusic.com/album/tom-thumbs-blues-a-tribute-to-judy-collins-mw0000001849|url-status=live}}</ref> and ''Born to the Breed: A Tribute to Judy Collins''<ref>{{cite web|last=Ruhlmann|first=William|title=Born To the Breed: A Tribute to Judy Collins|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/born-to-the-breed-a-tribute-to-judy-collins-mw0000796428|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=March 15, 2022|archive-date=January 29, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129052031/https://www.allmusic.com/album/born-to-the-breed-a-tribute-to-judy-collins-mw0000796428|url-status=live}}</ref> appeared in 2000 and 2008, respectively.

In 2010, Collins sang "The Weight of the World" at the [[Newport Folk Festival]], a song by [[Amy Speace]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Amy Speace on Mountain Stage|publisher=NPR Music|quote=Judy Collins, who chose Speace as the first artist on her Wildflower label, has been singing her song "The Weight of the World" at prominent venues of late, including the 50th anniversary of the Newport Folk Festival and the Isle of Wight.|date=August 12, 2010|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114290478|access-date=September 26, 2010}}</ref> Another memoir from Collins, ''Sweet Judy Blue Eyes: My Life in Music'',<ref name="judycollins.com"/> appeared the following year and put its focus on her career as an artist. In July 2012, she appeared as a guest artist on the Australian [[SBS (Australian TV channel)|SBS]] television programme ''[[RocKwiz]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Blundell|first=Graeme|title=Bang a gong as Rockwiz turns 10|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/review/bang-a-gong/story-fn9n8gph-1226417802468|newspaper=The Australian|access-date=March 16, 2013}}</ref> She paid homage to some of her favorite songwriters as well as her favorite vocalists with the 2015 album ''Strangers Again'', which featured duets with [[Willie Nelson]], [[Jackson Browne]], [[Jeff Bridges]], and [[Glen Hansard]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Monger|first=Timothy|title=Strangers Again|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/strangers-again-mw0002866019|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=March 11, 2022|archive-date=December 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214071037/https://www.allmusic.com/album/strangers-again-mw0002866019|url-status=live}}</ref> The album also included a track with singer-songwriter [[Ari Hest]]. Collins and Hest joined forces again in 2016 for a full studio album titled ''[[Silver Skies Blue]]'', which later earned them a Grammy Award nomination for [[Grammy Award for Best Folk Album|Best Folk Album]].
[[File:Judy Collins, prior to a performance at the Boettcher Concert Hall, one of the venues at the Denver Performing Arts Center in downtown Denver, Colorado.jpg|left|thumb|293x293px|Judy Collins, prior to a performance at the Boettcher Concert Hall, part of the [[Denver Performing Arts Complex]], in 2016]]
In 2017, Collins returned to the work of the songwriter who gave her "[[Send in the Clowns]]" with ''A Love Letter to Stephen Sondheim'',<ref>{{cite web|title=A Love Letter to Stephen Sondheim|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-love-letter-to-stephen-sondheim-mw0003009533|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=March 11, 2022|archive-date=November 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211103073826/https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-love-letter-to-stephen-sondheim-mw0003009533|url-status=live}}</ref> and the same year, she and her longtime friend, [[Stephen Stills]], collaborated on an album, ''[[Everybody Knows (Stills & Collins album)|Everybody Knows]]''. In addition to the two albums, she bared her soul in another book, ''Cravings: How I Conquered Food,''<ref name="judycollins.com"/> where she opened up about her difficult relationship with food and her years of dealing with [[eating disorder]]s. In 2019, she released the album ''[[Winter Stories (Judy Collins, Jonas Fjeld and Chatham County Line album)|Winter Stories]]'', a collaboration with Norwegian singer [[Jonas Fjeld]] and the [[North Carolina]] country-folk quartet [[Chatham County Line]]. In 2022, she released her first studio album of all original material, entitled ''[[Spellbound (Judy Collins album)|Spellbound]]''.

Collins joined the judging panel for the 7th, 9th, 10th,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.independentmusicawards.com/judges|title=Independent Music Awards|publisher=Independent Music Awards|date=September 23, 2010|access-date=October 13, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://top40-charts.com/news/Charts-Awards/She-&-Him-The-Black-Keys-Mark-Hoppus-Aimee-Mann-And-Bettye-LaVette-Join-Judging-Panel-For-The-9th-Annual-Independent-Music-Awards/48785.html|title=Top40-Charts.com|publisher=Top40-Charts.com|access-date=October 13, 2010}}</ref> 11th,<ref>[http://www.independentmusicawards.com/ima/judges/11th-annual-ima-judges/ "11th Annual IMA Judges]. Independent Music Awards. Retrieved on September 4, 2013.</ref> 12th, 13th and 14th Annual Independent Music Awards.

==Activism==
Like many other folk singers of her generation, Collins was drawn to social activism. Her political idealism led her to compose a ballad, ''Che,'' in honor of the 1960s [[Marxism|Marxist]] revolutionary [[Che Guevara]].<ref>[http://www.cleveland.com/friday/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/friday/124591870160950.xml&coll=2 Collins doesn't rest on laurels but looks for songs' surprises] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607160541/http://www.cleveland.com/friday/plaindealer/index.ssf?%2Fbase%2Ffriday%2F124591870160950.xml&coll=2 |date=June 7, 2011 }} by John Soeder, ''Cleveland Plain Dealer'', June 26, 2009</ref> Collins sympathized with the [[Youth International Party|Yippie]] movement and was friendly with its leaders, [[Abbie Hoffman]] and [[Jerry Rubin]]. On March 17, 1968, she went to Hoffman's press conference at the Americana Hotel in New York to announce the party's formation. In 1969, she testified in [[Chicago]] in support of the [[Chicago Seven]]; during her testimony, she began singing [[Pete Seeger]]'s "[[Where Have All the Flowers Gone?]]" and was admonished by prosecutor [[Tom Foran]] and judge [[Julius Hoffman]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/chicago7/Collins.html|title=Testimony of Judy Collins in the Chicago Seven Trial|publisher=Law.umkc.edu|date=August 19, 1968|access-date=September 8, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100619235723/http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/Chicago7/Collins.html|archive-date=June 19, 2010}}</ref>

In 1971, Collins signed her name to a ''[[Ms. (magazine)|Ms]]''. campaign, "We Have Had Abortions", which called for an end to "archaic laws" regarding [[abortion]] rights; the campaign encouraged women to share their stories and take action. In 1982, she wrote the song "Mama Mama" about a mother of five and her ambivalence over her decision to abort an unintended pregnancy.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/opinion/la-xpm-2013-nov-13-la-ol-women-speak-out-abortion-20131113-story.html|title=Women speak out: 'My abortion'|date=November 13, 2013|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=May 25, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/30/opinion/sunday/abortion-kennedy-supreme-court.html|title=Opinion {{!}} Let's Talk About My Abortion (and Yours)|last=Leive|first=Cindi|date=June 30, 2018|work=The New York Times|access-date=May 25, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>[http://www.judycollins.com/lyrics/mama_mama.php "Mama Mama" lyrics] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120525065919/http://www.judycollins.com/lyrics/mama_mama.php|date=May 25, 2012}}. (n.d.). ''Judycollins.com''. Retrieved August 3, 2012.</ref><ref>Ruhlmann, William. (n.d.) [http://www.allmusic.com/album/times-of-our-lives-mw0000198515 ''Times of Our Lives'' review]. ''[[Allmusic]]''. Retrieved August 3, 2012.</ref> In the late 1990s, she was a representative for [[UNICEF]]<ref>{{Cite news|last=Roos|first=John|title=Taking a Novel Approach; A Grieving Judy Collins Finds Writing a Book Helps the Healing Process|page=30|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-01-26-ca-29106-story.html|date=January 26, 1996|id={{ProQuest|293262779}}}}</ref> and campaigns on behalf of the abolition of [[land mine|landmines]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Brozan|first=Nadine|title=Chronicle|newspaper=The New York Times|date=July 9, 1996|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEFDC1139F93AA35754C0A960958260|access-date=August 1, 2008}}</ref> Later songs include "River of Gold" about the environment and "My Name is Maria" about [[DREAM Act|DREAMers]], who are mostly undocumented students and youth.<ref>{{Cite news| url=https://portlandtribune.com/pt/11-features/394001-285612-stills-and-collins-bring-decades-of-activism-to-revolution-hall
 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628204920/https://portlandtribune.com/pt/11-features/394001-285612-stills-and-collins-bring-decades-of-activism-to-revolution-hall
 | url-status=dead
 | archive-date=June 28, 2018
 | title=Stills & Collins bring decades of activism to Revolution Hall|work=Portland Tribune|date=April 30, 2013}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Collins has been married twice. She was married to Peter Taylor in 1958 and they had her only child, Clark C. Taylor, who was born the same year. The marriage ended in divorce in 1965.<ref>{{cite web|title=Biography for Judy Collins|publisher=Internet Movie Database|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0172423/bio|access-date=February 24, 2009}}</ref> In April 1996, she married industrial designer [[Louis Nelson (artist)|Louis Nelson]], whom she had been seeing since April 1978. They lived in [[New York City]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Brady|first=Louis Smith|title=Weddings: Vows; Judy Collins, Louis Nelson|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 21, 1996|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C06E6DC1F39F932A15757C0A960958260|access-date=February 24, 2009}}</ref> Nelson died of cancer in 2024.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Harrison |title=Louis Nelson, designer who honored Korean War veterans, dies at 88 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2024/12/06/louis-nelson-dead/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=December 6, 2024}}</ref>

In 1962, shortly after her debut at [[Carnegie Hall]], Collins was diagnosed with [[tuberculosis]] and was in a sanatorium for six months recuperating.<ref>{{cite book|first=Judy|last=Collins|title=Singing lessons: a memoir of love, loss, hope and healing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KBIJPmrOwNMC&pg=PA127|access-date=November 16, 2010|date=October 1998 |publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-0-671-00397-5|page=127}}</ref> She is the subject of the [[Stephen Stills]] composition "[[Suite: Judy Blue Eyes]]", which appeared on the 1969 [[Crosby, Stills & Nash (album)|eponymous debut studio album]] of [[Crosby, Stills & Nash]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Farber |first1=Jim |title=Interview Judy Collins on Stephen Stills: 'I said, it's such a beautiful song but it's not winning me back' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/sep/21/judy-collins-on-stephen-stills-i-said-its-such-a-beautiful-song-but-its-not-winning-me-back |website=Guardian News & Media Limited |date=September 21, 2017 |access-date=February 14, 2022}}</ref>

Collins suffered from [[bulimia nervosa]] after she quit smoking in the 1970s. "I went straight from the cigarettes into an [[eating disorder]]", she told ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'' magazine in 1992. "I started throwing up. I didn't know anything about bulimia, certainly not that it is an addiction or that it would get worse. My feelings about myself, even though I had been able to give up smoking and lose 20 pounds, were of increasing despair." 

She wrote at length of her years of addiction to alcohol, the damage it did to her personal and musical lives and how it contributed to her feelings of depression.<ref>{{cite book|first=Judy|last=Collins|title=Singing lessons: a memoir of love, loss, hope and healing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KBIJPmrOwNMC&pg=PA127|access-date=November 16, 2010|date=October 1998|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-0-671-00397-5|pages=172–190, 238–240}}</ref> Collins admits that although she tried other drugs in the 1960s, alcohol had always been her drug of first choice just as it had been for her father. She entered a rehabilitation program in [[Pennsylvania]] in 1978 and has maintained her sobriety ever since, even through such traumatic events as the death of her only child Clark by suicide in 1992 at age 33 after a long bout with clinical depression and substance abuse. Since then, she has also become an activist for suicide prevention.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/people/2007-06-18-judy-collins_n.htm | title=Son's suicide prodded Collins to write | newspaper=USA Today | date=June 18, 2007 | access-date=November 25, 2013 | author=Hellmich, Nanci}}</ref>

Collins is a member of the [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal Church]].  In 2000, she cancelled a planned appearance and concert at the Episcopal Church's [[General Convention of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America|General Convention]] in protest of the Church's positions against gay rights.<ref>{{cite web | title=Colorado News and Denver News: The Denver Post | website=The Denver Post | date=2000-07-08 | url=https://extras.denverpost.com/news/news0708f.htm | ref={{sfnref | The Denver Post | 2000}} | access-date=2024-08-05}}</ref> Collins stayed connected with the church, however, when it modified its stance on gay rights and gay marriage.<ref>https://www.hrc.org/resources/stances-of-faiths-on-lgbt-issues-episcopal-church</ref>

==Awards and recognition==
===Academy Awards===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="6" style="text-align:center;"| [[Academy Awards]]
|-
!Year
! style="width:225px;"|Nominated work
! style="width:175px;"|Award
! style="width:200px;"|Recipients
!width="65"|Result
! style="width:20px;"| Ref
|-
| [[47th Academy Awards|1975]]
| ''[[Antonia: A Portrait of the Woman]]''
| [[Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film|Best Documentary Feature]] 
| Judy Collins and [[Jill Godmilow]]
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1975 |title=The 47th Academy Awards (1975) Nominees and Winners |access-date=October 2, 2011 |work=oscars.org |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004005/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1975 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }}</ref>
|}

*In 2003, ''Antonia: A Portrait of the Woman'' was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States [[Library of Congress]] and selected for preservation in the [[National Film Registry]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Librarian of Congress Adds 25 Films to National Film Registry|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-03-211/25-films-added-to-national-film-registry/2003-12-16/|access-date=September 15, 2020|website=Library of Congress}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Complete National Film Registry Listing |url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/|access-date=September 15, 2020|website=Library of Congress}}</ref>

===Grammy Awards===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="7" style="text-align:center;"| [[Grammy Awards]]
|-
! Year
! style="width:250px;" | Work
! style="width:275px;" | Award
! style="width:65px;"| Result
! style="width:20px;"| Ref
|-
| [[6th Annual Grammy Awards|1964]]
| ''[[Judy Collins 3|Judy Collins #3]]''
| rowspan=4|[[Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording|Best Folk Recording]]
| {{nom}}
| rowspan=7 style="text-align:center;"|<ref name="Gram"/>
|-
| [[10th Annual Grammy Awards|1968]]
| ''[[In My Life (Judy Collins album)|In My Life]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[11th Annual Grammy Awards|1969]]
| "[[Both Sides, Now]]" 
| {{won}}
|-
| [[12th Annual Grammy Awards|1970]]
| "[[Bird on the Wire]]"
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[17th Annual Grammy Awards|1975]]
| "[[Send in the Clowns]]"
| [[Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance|Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female]]
|{{nom}}
|-
| [[59th Annual Grammy Awards|2017]]
| ''[[Silver Skies Blue]]'' <small>with [[Ari Hest]]</small>
| rowspan=2|[[Grammy Award for Best Folk Album|Best Folk Album]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[65th Annual Grammy Awards|2022]]
| ''[[Spellbound (Judy Collins album)|Spellbound]]''
| {{nom}}
|}

* [[Stephen Sondheim]] won the 1976 [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year]] based on the popularity of Collins' performance of "[[Send in the Clowns]]" on her album ''[[Judith (album)|Judith]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Send in the Collins|url=http://www.timespressrecorder.com/articles/2010/10/07/ae/ae17.txt|work=Times Press Recorder|date=July 12, 2006 |access-date=March 16, 2013}}</ref>

===Other awards===
* For her activism and musical abilities, the [[Americana Music Association]] presented Collins with the "Spirit of Americana"/Free Speech Lifetime Achievement Award at their 2005 [[Americana Music Honors & Awards|Honors & Awards ceremony]].
* She was inducted into the [[Colorado Women's Hall of Fame]] in 2006<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cogreatwomen.org/project/judy-collins/|title=Judy Collins|publisher=[[Colorado Women's Hall of Fame]]|year=2019|access-date=October 27, 2017}}</ref>
* She was awarded an [[Honorary degree|Honorary Doctor]] of Fine Arts Degree from [[Pratt Institute]] in May 2009
* In 2009, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the [[BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2009/02_february/03/folk.shtml|title=BBC – Press Office – 10th Radio 2 Folk Awards|website=Bbc.co.uk|access-date=August 20, 2021}}</ref>
* Her rendition of "[[Amazing Grace]]" was selected for preservation in the [[National Recording Registry]] by the [[Library of Congress]] as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" in 2017.<ref name="Library of Congress"/>
* She received the Golden Plate Award of the [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement]] in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=Achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url= https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=2019 Summit Highlights Photo | url= https://achievement.org/summit/2019/|quote= Four legendary singer-songwriters and musicians: Judy Collins, Steven Tyler, Buddy Guy, and Jimmy Page enjoy a rare private tour of Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll, the first major exhibition in an art museum dedicated in its entirely to the iconic instruments of rock and roll, on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.}}</ref>
* Collins received the International Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2023 [[Americana Music Honors & Awards#UK Americana Music Association Awards|UK Americana Awards]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/loretta-lynn-judy-collins-mike-scott-2023-uk-americana-awards/ | title=Loretta Lynn, Judy Collins, Mike Scott to be Honored at 2023 UK Americana Awards | date=November 9, 2022 }}</ref>

==Discography==
{{further|Judy Collins discography}}

===Charted albums===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Album
! <small>[[Billboard 200|US]]</small><br /><ref name="billboard">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/judy-collins/|title=US Albums and Singles Charts > Judy Collins|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=February 28, 2022}}</ref>
! <small>[[UK Singles Chart|UK]]</small><br /><ref name="officialcharts">{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/13893/judy-collins/|title=Official Charts > Judy Collins|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=February 28, 2022}}</ref>
! <small>[[Kent Music Report|AUS]]</small><br /><ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|authorlink=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=69}}</ref>
! <small>[[VG-lista|NO]]</small><br /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=norwegiancharts.com - Norwegian charts portal|url=https://norwegiancharts.com/search.asp?cat=a&search=Judy+Collins|access-date=March 12, 2022|website=norwegiancharts.com}}</ref>
!<small>US</small>

<small>Sales</small>
!  Certifications
|-
| 1963
| ''[[Judy Collins 3]]''
| style="text-align:center;"|126
|
|  
|  
|
|
|-
| 1965
| ''[[Fifth Album]]''
| style="text-align:center;"|69
| 
| 
|  
|
|
|-
| 1966
| ''[[In My Life (Judy Collins album)|In My Life]]''
| style="text-align:center;"|46
| 
| 
| 
|
|  
* [[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]]: Gold
|-
| 1967
| ''[[Wildflowers (Judy Collins album)|Wildflowers]]''
| style="text-align:center;"|5
| 
| 
| 
|
|  
* RIAA: Gold
|-
| 1968
| ''[[Who Knows Where the Time Goes (Judy Collins album)|Who Knows Where the Time Goes]]''
| style="text-align:center;"|29
| 
| 
| 
|
|  
* RIAA: Gold
|-
| 1969
| ''[[Recollections]]''
| style="text-align:center;"|29
| 
| 
|  
|
|
|-
| 1970
| ''[[Whales & Nightingales]]''
| style="text-align:center;"|15
| style="text-align:center;"|16
| style="text-align:center;"|26
| 
|
|  
* RIAA: Gold
|-
| 1971
| ''[[Living (Judy Collins album)|Living]]''
| style="text-align:center;"|64
| 
| 
| 
|
|
|-
| 1972
| ''[[Colors of the Day|Colors of the Day: The Best of Judy Collins]]''
| style="text-align:center;"|37
| 
| 
| 
|
|  
* RIAA: Platinum
|-
| 1973
| ''[[True Stories and Other Dreams]]''
| style="text-align:center;"|27
| 
| 
|  
|
|
|-
| 1975
| ''[[Judith (album)|Judith]]''
| style="text-align:center;"|17
| style="text-align:center;"|7
| style="text-align:center;"|19
| 
|
|  
* RIAA: Platinum
|-
| 1976
| ''[[Bread and Roses (album)|Bread and Roses]]''
| style="text-align:center;"|25
| 
| style="text-align:center;"|96
|  
|
|
|-
| 1977
| ''[[So Early in the Spring (Judy Collins album)|So Early in the Spring... The First 15 Years]]''
| style="text-align:center;"|42
| 
| 
|  
|
|
|-
| 1979
| ''[[Hard Times for Lovers]]''
| style="text-align:center;"|54
|
|  
| 
|
|
|-
| 1980
| ''[[Running for My Life]]''
| style="text-align:center;"|142
| 
| 
|  
|
|
|-
| 1982
| ''[[Times of Our Lives (Judy Collins album)|Times of Our Lives]]''
| style="text-align:center;"|190
| 
| 
|  
|
|
|-
| 1985
| ''[[Amazing Grace (Judy Collins album)|Amazing Grace]]''
|
| style="text-align:center;"|34
| style="text-align:center;"|85 
|  
|
|
|-
| 2015
| [[Strangers Again (album)|''Strangers Again'']]
| style="text-align:center;"|77
| 
| 
| 
|
|
|-
| 2017
| ''[[Everybody Knows (Stills & Collins album)|Everybody Knows]]''
| style="text-align:center;"|195
| 
| 
|  
|
|
|-
| 2019
| ''[[Winter Stories (Judy Collins, Jonas Fjeld and Chatham County Line album)|Winter Stories]]''
| align="center"|{{efn|Peaked at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Bluegrass Albums chart}}
| 
| 
| style="text-align:center;"|25
|
|
|-
|2022
|''[[Spellbound (Judy Collins album)|Spellbound]]''
|
|
|
|
|60
|
|}

===Charted singles===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Song
! <small>[[Billboard Hot 100|US]]</small><br /><ref name="billboard"/>
! <small>[[Adult Contemporary chart|US AC]]</small><br /><ref name="billboard"/>
! <small>[[UK Singles Chart|UK]]</small><br /><ref name="officialcharts"/>
! <small>[[Kent Music Report|AUS]]<br /></small><ref name=aus/>
! Album
|-
| 1967
| "Hard Lovin' Loser"
| style="text-align:center;"|97
| style="text-align:center;"|–
| style="text-align:center;"|–
| style="text-align:center;"|–
| ''[[In My Life (Judy Collins album)|In My Life]]''
|-
| 1968
| "[[Both Sides, Now]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|8
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|14
| style="text-align:center;"|37
| ''[[Wildflowers (Judy Collins album)|Wildflowers]]''
|-
| rowspan=3|1969
| "[[Someday Soon (Ian Tyson song)|Someday Soon]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|55
| style="text-align:center;"|37
| style="text-align:center;"|–
| style="text-align:center;"|–
| ''[[Who Knows Where the Time Goes (Judy Collins album)|Who Knows Where the Time Goes]]''
|-
| "[[Chelsea Morning]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|78
| style="text-align:center;"|25
| style="text-align:center;"|–
| style="text-align:center;"|–
| ''(single only)''
|-
| "[[Turn! Turn! Turn!|Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|69
| style="text-align:center;"|28
| style="text-align:center;"|–
| style="text-align:center;"|–
| ''Recollections''
|-
| 1970
| "[[Amazing Grace]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|15
| style="text-align:center;"|5
| style="text-align:center;"|5
| style="text-align:center;"|10
| ''[[Whales & Nightingales]]''
|-
| 1971
| "Open the Door (Song for Judith)"
| style="text-align:center;"|90
| style="text-align:center;"|23
| style="text-align:center;"|–
| style="text-align:center;"|–
| ''[[Living (Judy Collins album)|Living]]''
|-
| rowspan=2|1973
| "Cook with Honey"
| style="text-align:center;"|32
| style="text-align:center;"|10
| style="text-align:center;"|–
| style="text-align:center;"|–
| rowspan="2"|''[[True Stories and Other Dreams]]''
|-
| "Secret Gardens"
| style="text-align:center;"|122
| style="text-align:center;"|–
| style="text-align:center;"|–
| style="text-align:center;"|–
|-
| 1975
| "[[Send in the Clowns]]"
| style="text-align:center;"|36
| style="text-align:center;"|8
| style="text-align:center;"|6
| style="text-align:center;"|13
| rowspan="2"|''[[Judith (album)|Judith]]''
|-
| 1977
| "Send in the Clowns" (re-release)
| style="text-align:center;"|19
| style="text-align:center;"|15
| style="text-align:center;"|–
| style="text-align:center;"|–
|-
| 1979
| "Hard Times for Lovers"
| style="text-align:center;"|66
| style="text-align:center;"|16
| style="text-align:center;"|–
| style="text-align:center;"|–
| ''[[Hard Times for Lovers]]''
|-
| 1984
| "Home Again" (duet with [[T. G. Sheppard]])
| style="text-align:center;"|–
| style="text-align:center;"|42
| style="text-align:center;"|–
| style="text-align:center;"|–
| ''[[Home Again (Judy Collins album)|Home Again]]''
|-
| 1990
| "Fires of Eden"
| style="text-align:center;"|–
| style="text-align:center;"|31
| style="text-align:center;"|–
| style="text-align:center;"|–
| ''[[Fires of Eden (album)|Fires of Eden]]''
|}

==Filmography==
{{Div col}}
*''[[The Doctors (1963 TV series)|The Doctors]]'' (1982) Judith Howard
*''[[Guiding Light]]'' (1982) as herself
*''Baby's Bedtime'' (1992)
*''Baby's Morningtime'' (1992)
*''[[Junior (1994 film)|Junior]]'' (1994), the operator of a spa for pregnant women 
*''[[Christy (TV series)]]'' (1994–1995), recurring role as "Aunt Hattie McHone"
*''Christmas at the Biltmore Estate'' (1998)
*''[[A Town Has Turned to Dust (1998 film)|A Town Has Turned to Dust]]'' (1998), telefilm based on a 1958 [[Rod Serling]] story
*''The Best of Judy Collins'' (1999)
*''Intimate Portrait: Judy Collins'' (2000)
*''Judy Collins Live at Wolf Trap'' (2003)
*''Wildflower Festival'' (2003) (DVD with guest artists [[Eric Andersen]], [[Arlo Guthrie]], and [[Tom Rush]])
*''[[Girls (TV series)|Girls]]'' (2013), [[List of Girls episodes|series 2, episode 8]]: "It's Back"
* [[Danny Says (film)|''Danny Says'']] (2016)
{{Div col end}}

==Bibliography==
{{Div col}}
*''Trust Your Heart'' (1987)
*''Amazing Grace'' (1991)
*''Shameless'' (1995)
*''Singing Lessons'' (1998)
*''Sanity and Grace: A Journey of Suicide, Survival and Strength'' (2003)
*''The Seven T's: Finding Hope and Healing in the Wake of Tragedy'' (2007)
*''Sweet Judy Blue Eyes: My Life in Music'' (2011)
*''Cravings: How I Conquered Food'' (2017)
{{Div col end}}

==Certifications==
The years given are the years the albums and singles were released, and not necessarily the years in which they achieved their peak.
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
'''U.S. ''Billboard'' Top 40 Albums'''<ref name="billboard"/>
* 1967 – ''[[Wildflowers (Judy Collins album)|Wildflowers]]'' (No. 5)
* 1968 – ''[[Who Knows Where the Time Goes (Judy Collins album)|Who Knows Where the Time Goes]]'' (No. 28)
* 1969 – ''Recollections'' (No. 29)
* 1970 – ''[[Whales & Nightingales]]'' (No. 15)
* 1972 – ''[[Colors of the Day|Colors of the Day: The Best of Judy Collins]]'' (No. 37)
* 1972 – ''[[True Stories and Other Dreams]]'' (No. 27)
* 1975 – ''[[Judith (album)|Judith]]'' (No. 17)
* 1976 – ''[[Bread and Roses (album)|Bread and Roses]]'' (No. 25)

'''U.S. ''Billboard'' Top 40 'Pop' Singles'''<ref name="billboard"/>
* 1968 – "[[Both Sides, Now]]" (No. 8)
* 1971 – "[[Amazing Grace]]" (No. 15)
* 1970 – "Cook with Honey" (No. 32)
* 1975 – "[[Send In the Clowns]]" (No. 19)

'''U.S. ''Billboard'' Top 40 'Adult Contemporary' Singles'''<ref name="billboard"/>
* 1968 – "[[Both Sides, Now]]" (No. 3)
* 1969 – "[[Someday Soon (Ian Tyson song)|Someday Soon]]" (No. 37)
* 1969 – "[[Chelsea Morning]]" (No. 25)
* 1969 – "[[Turn! Turn! Turn!|Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)]]" (No. 28)
* 1971 – "[[Amazing Grace]]" (No. 5)
* 1971 – "Open the Door (Song for Judith)" (No. 23)
* 1973 – "Cook with Honey" (No. 10)
* 1975 – "[[Send In the Clowns]]" (No. 8)
* 1979 – "Hard Times for Lovers" (No. 16)
* 1990 – "Fires of Eden" (No. 31)
{{col-break}}

'''Albums and singles certifications'''<ref name="autogenerated1"/>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Album title
!Certification
|-
|''[[In My Life (Judy Collins album)|In My Life]]''
|Gold
|-
|''[[Wildflowers (Judy Collins album)|Wildflowers]]''
|Gold
|-
|''[[Who Knows Where the Time Goes (Judy Collins album)|Who Knows Where the Time Goes]]''
|Gold
|-
|''[[Whales & Nightingales]]''
|Gold
|-
|''[[Colors of the Day]]''
|Platinum
|-
|''[[Judith (album)|Judith]]''
|Platinum
|}
{{col-end}}

==See also==
* [[List of peace activists]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{Archival records|title=Judy Collins papers, circa 1955–2002|location= [[Music Division, Library of Congress]]|description_URL=https://lccn.loc.gov/2014572486}}
{{Commons category|Judy Collins}}
* {{Official website|http://www.judycollins.com}}
* [http://www.personallifemedia.com/podcasts/living-dialogues/episode004-judy-collins-sanity-grace.html Audio interview with Judy Collins]
* [http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/04/07/midmorning2/ Audio interview, Minnesota Public Radio 7 April 2009]
* {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=mn0000294923}}
* {{discogs artist}}
* {{IMDb name|0172423}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120210160152/http://woodsongs.com/showdetailspage.asp?SN=549 Judy Collins profile (#549)]

{{S-start}}
{{S-ach|aw}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Steve Earle]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[First Amendment Center]]/[[Americana Music Association|AMA "Spirit of Americana" Free Speech Award]]|years=2005}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Charlie Daniels]]}}
{{S-end}}
{{Judy Collins}}
{{Colorado Women's Hall of Fame}}
{{Chicago Seven}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Judy}}
[[Category:Judy Collins| ]]
[[Category:1939 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American acoustic guitarists]]
[[Category:American country singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American Episcopalians]]
[[Category:American women country singers]]
[[Category:American women singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American folk guitarists]]
[[Category:American folk singers]]
[[Category:American political music artists]]
[[Category:American sopranos]]
[[Category:American women pianists]]
[[Category:American people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:Nautilus Book Award winners]]
[[Category:American anti–Vietnam War activists]]
[[Category:Yippies]]
[[Category:Elektra Records artists]]
[[Category:Geffen Records artists]]
[[Category:MCA Records artists]]
[[Category:Atlantic Records artists]]
[[Category:Cleopatra Records artists]]
[[Category:Singers from Denver]]
[[Category:Singer-songwriters from Washington (state)]]
[[Category:Singers from Seattle]]
[[Category:Guitarists from Colorado]]
[[Category:Guitarists from Washington (state)]]
[[Category:20th-century American women guitarists]]
[[Category:20th-century American guitarists]]
[[Category:21st-century American women guitarists]]
[[Category:21st-century American guitarists]]
[[Category:20th-century American composers]]
[[Category:20th-century American pianists]]
[[Category:21st-century American pianists]]
[[Category:20th-century American women singers]]
[[Category:21st-century American women singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American women composers]]
[[Category:21st-century American women composers]]
[[Category:20th-century American singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:21st-century American singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Singer-songwriters from Colorado]]
[[Category:East High School (Denver, Colorado) alumni]]