Judy Collins

After 40 years of touring and recording, it would be understandable if Judy Collins wanted to scale back her schedule. But the golden-voiced singer, who was immortalized in the 1969 Crosby, Stills & Nash song, "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," has no intention of kicking back.

"This is the beginning of the second 40 years, as far as I'm concerned," said Collins, speaking from New York. "I have more energy and fun now, and I was raised to believe that this is a lifetime process. My feeling about being on the road is that it's a true calling."

True to her calling, she is now in the midst of the 30-city Wildflowers Festival tour. It teams her with fellow singer-songwriters Richie Havens, Janis Ian and Roger McGuinn, who ... prior to becoming the leader of the Byrds ... served as the musical arranger for her 1963 album, "Judy Collins No. 3." Each will perform a 30-minute set, then collaborate on a grand finale.

The tour is just one facet of Collins' constantly active career. A longtime social activist, she's a spokeswoman for UNICEF and is involved with Amnesty International. She's also a champion for the campaign against land mines. But music remains her greatest passion.

Last year, Collins launched her own label, Wildflower Records, and released two albums, the Yuletide-themed "All on a Wintry Night" and "Live at Wolf Trap," aired as a PBS-TV special and soon to be released on VHS and DVD Video. Recently, Wildflower re-released the first two albums she recorded for Elektra Records, 1961's "A Maid of Constant Sorrow" and 1962's "Golden Apples of the Sun."

Meanwhile, Rhino Records last month put out "The Very Best of Judy Collins." The 16-song collection includes such staples of her repertoire as "Amazing Grace," "Send in the Clowns" and two Joni Mitchell songs that Collins popularized, "Both Sides Now" and "Chelsea Morning" (her version of the latter was cited by Bill and Hillary Clinton as the inspiration for their daughter's name).

"I always intended to be around as long as possible," said Collins, 61. "I knew I wouldn't get good enough to do what I'd intended to until I'd been around long enough and done enough things creatively."

Forming her own record label (which is named after her 1967 album, "Wildflowers") allows Collins to take control of the marketing of all her past recordings. She also plans to sign other artists and hopes to assemble a different roster of performers each summer for her Wildflower Festival.

"This time, I chose people I'd worked with, know and think highly of; people who bring a presence and freshness to their music," she said. "Next year, I'll maybe go to younger, edgier artists. So it will be exciting to me, because it means I may poke around and create new combinations of people. I was stimulated to start Wildflower by Ani DiFranco and other artists, so it's a revolving cycle.

"What I'm doing now is creating a new support system for myself that can be positive and sustaining. I'm in this for the long haul."

(c) Copley News Service

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Author: George Varga