Sweet Judy Blue Eyes: My Life in Music

Although she has written other books, Judy Collins had never written a full autobiography until this book appeared in 2011. It was about time that we had a biography of Judy, who whether in Greenwich Village in the early sixties or Laurel Canyon later on, always seemed to be at the center of things during one of the most musically creative and culturally turbulent times in our history. She writes the book (and she really did write the book; there's no ghost writer) in a clear, almost conversational style, easily readable.All autobiographies are suspect to some extent, in that you're getting what the subject wants the world to know, but this one seems open and truthful, not portraying its subject as a great heroine, but rather just the stories and details that make up any life, leaving you to decide things. What there is is a guarded sense, a point past which she does not go in explaining just what was going on in her mind at that time, but in a life as busy as hers was we can not be sure she was aware of everything herself. The book starts with her earliest years on the West Coast and then mostly in Colorado, the formative years that led her from singing at family gatherings, to singing in isolated mountain lodges and then a succession of folk clubs that brought her a growing fame and eventually a record contract with Jac Holzman's Elektra. It includes her study under Antonia Brico and her life with first husband, Peter Taylor.After that, the book focuses on her most creative years from 1961 to the late seventies and is as much about her songs and albums as it is about the other parts of her life. This is of great interest in her case because Judy Collins was a very involved artist, always choosing her material and working with arrangers like Joshua Rifkin and producer Mark Abramson as a virtual co-producer of her albums. We see her growth and development as she goes from interpreter of traditional material to one of the foremost singers of the songs of the new generation of singer-songwriters just coming up, from Bob Dylan and Tom Paxton, to Eric Andersen, Phil Ochs, Randy Newman, Donovan and Joni Mitchell.She knew everyone, and they all appear here. She lived a bohemian life and this was the sixties, so she had lots of relationships with the men, both long-term and brief. There was always a kind of pristine quality to her personna and demeanor, the kind where you might hesitate to offer her anything stronger than herb tea. But she had a genuinely wild side that is a surprising contrast to her image. Judy has always been known as a gracious person and she is king to everyone she writes about. Nowadays it's common for book agents to insist on gossip, dirt and scandal to create controversy to sell the book. It's to her credit that Judy skips over any dirt (and she must know a lot) and remembers the good things about old friends and acquaintances. She was disappointed when Jac Holzman sold Elektra to Warner's without telling anyone, and her relationship with Joni Mitchell was strained, but that's about as far as it goes.There is one person she is unsparing with and that's herself. Though a professional in every way and always seeming calm and collected, she was often in a state of confusion and depression living a life that was always teetering on total chaos. That was largely because there is a villain in the story, a very long and difficult struggle with alcoholism that ruined times of her life that should have been happy and which was threatening to kill her by the mid seventies. It's hard to imagine, but as she relates, "I could not walk, talk, think or function without a quart of vodka in my system." The last part of the book deals with her final triumph over addiction, a family inheritance that took both her father and her son away.I can not imagine any fan of Judy Collins, or even anyone interested in sixties music not finding this book interesting. Such a fascinating life at such an amazing time. I only wish she had written more.

I just finished "Sweet Judy Blue Eyes." After seeing Judy Collins perform in Oregon I wanted torevisit the 60's with this survivor. Let me tell you reading this book is like listening to oneof her songs. This is a very honest book and I think that describes her character. What evershe has experienced in life she owns it. It is almost like she is confiding in a good friendtelling things that could only be told to someone whom she trusts, the reader.With the help of the computer I was able to google the characters in her book and that justadded to her story telling.The richness of the guitar chords come to life and leave you wanting the artist that broughtthose chords to life to celebrate in their contributions to the arts.Reminiscing I would have to say that a lot of these artist were guided by a searching soul andwith that they used their musical instruments on their quest that was not just for them but forall- a whole generation. Two words describe the music of her time "heart felt."I don't know if other generations will ever experience what the 60's were. I suppose therewill be other generations that will and can even be better but wow what an experience.I love the pictures that were in the book. Judy, Joni and the girls dressed appropriately likethey were going to Sunday School. Very sweet and that is why they will always be classics along with theirgreat talents.Not at all like the girl performers of today. I mean it is hard for Madonna to keep her clothes onand the other girl performers well I think you know what I am saying.I understand Taylor Swift is going to be playing Joni Mitchell in a new movie. I am wondering ifJudy Collins will have a movie coming out about her life, she should, I'm just saying........

This book begins and ends with Stephen Stills, one of Collins' lovers during the `sixties; certainly a tryst that remains most vivid in her mind. And in between she tells us of her youth in Colorado, her family, including her talented, blind father, and her attraction to folk music. She chronicles her ailments: polio, and a growing depression that resulted in an early attempt at suicide.But mostly the book is about her life within the music business of the `sixties and `seventies, her evolution as a folk singer, which eventually expanded to include show tunes and various strains of pop music of that era. She began to write her own material during the `sixties, but she was mainly known then, as now, as an interpreter of other songwriters' music.But there's much more here than simply her life in music - or rather the manner in which the music exposed her to much more than the entertainment business. She experimented sexually, was involved in therapy for years, and eventually came to the forefront of the women's movement. During this time, she drank increasingly, until it began to affect her career, something she's since conquered.Her writing here is casual, almost conversational, and she borders on gossip at times, certainly an easy thing to do when considering the peccadilloes of that era's musical luminaries. But she has clearly made an attempt to see her decades in music, and the people about her during those years, in an objective manner, and she writes about it all in a sweet manner. It's a confessional that doesn't drag you into personal morass as much as present you with a from-years-later perspective on her life.

I truly loved your story/memoir. I read it slowly, absorbing the fabulous 60's ambiance that you set for us. Your dedication and honesty made me relive a time I was too little to understand at the time it all took place. It really filled in the blanks!I enjoyed your on-target descriptions of places and people. So vivid ~as if I was there!Side note: When I was in a school show (grade 6), I sang your Both Sides Now song on stage. I couldn't hold a candle to you, but the (mostly parents & relatives) gave me massive applause which made me shine. That was my best, and I remember it fondly.Thank you so much , sweet Judy, for being exactly who you are ~for singing the songs you sung and for writing this amazing book!

A fascinating description of the life of a folk singer and the world she experienced. And a delightful stroll down memory lane for those of us who appreciated that world at the time.

Good

good read if you're a fan..

I actually bought this for research purposes. I expected to skim through and pick out the bits I needed for a book I'm writing. That didn't work! Very quickly I was absorbed in Judy Collins very open and frank account of her life. She has an unusual style but has an incredible knack of taking the reader close to the action.