Judy Collins was just a teenager when she told her piano teacher she wasn’t going to play Rachmaninoff anymore because she had found something she was even more passionate about — folk music.
She was 15 when she heard folk ballads such as “Barbara Allen” for the first time.
“Those were the songs that changed my life,” Collins said in an interview with the Deseret News. “I got a guitar, I started singing them and I never looked back.”
Collins said it was difficult for her teacher, Antonia Brico, to accept her new path. Collins would later end up directing a movie about Brico’s life. The film, titled “Antonia: A Portrait of the Woman,” was nominated for an Oscar in 1975, according to oscars.org.
“Even though I took her to the Academy Awards, she still didn’t forgive me,” Collins said with a laugh.
Collins will be bringing some stories and a large repertoire of songs ranging from show tunes to folk music to Abravanel Hall on March 11.
While leaving behind a world of classical music for one inhabited with folk singers such as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger was “a pretty serious jump,” Collins said it was a natural move for her, and attributes much of her classical training to her success in the music industry.
“All the discipline, all the years of practice,” she reflected. “I know so much more than I would have known if I hadn’t had years and years of training and performing. Everything I did previous to when I was 15 when I found folk music — everything helped.”
Collins found her place as a folk artist with the success of her Joni Mitchell cover, “Both Sides Now,” which won Collins her first Grammy in 1969, according to awardsandshows.com.
Collins was also the inspiration for the Crosby, Stills & Nash song titled “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," released in 1969, which Stephen Stills wrote about his relationship with Collins, according to nytimes.com. She called it an honor to be associated with such a wonderful song. She and Stills will be going on a brief tour together at the end of this summer.
“We’ve always remained friends, which is nice,” Collins said. “He’s just a wonderful writer."
With a career spanning nearly 60 years, Collins, 77, continues to be as enthusiastic about performing as she was during her early years. She enjoys discovering and learning new music, and recently released an album titled "Silver Skies Blue" with singer-songwriter Ari Hest in 2016 that was nominated for a Grammy for best folk album, according to latimes.com.
“Everything about performing is rewarding,” she said. “I love it. I like to always mix it up, tell stories, change things around (and) do new material. That’s always very galvanizing.”
Of all the music in her repertoire, a song that has always resonated with Collins is “Amazing Grace.” She believes it is the piece she has sung the most throughout her career.
And as she brings her performance to Salt Lake City, Collins hopes her music will serve to uplift others and inspire them “to do things that are interesting and exciting."
If you go …
What: An evening with Judy Collins
When: Saturday, March 11, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Abravanel Hall, 123 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City
How much: $49.50-$59
Web: artsaltlake.org