Judy Collins, Sweet Judy Blue Eyes: My Life In Music

Sweet Judy Blue Eyes: My Life In Music
Judy Collins
Crown Archetype
[Rating: 3.5 stars]

Judy Collins, alcoholic? That’s one of the themes running through this new memoir penned by the folk music queen, whose recording career predates Bob Dylan and The Beatles. Collins looks back on her life and the people who were in her orbit, including Dylan (who, it’s revealed, wrote “I’ll Keep It With Mine” for her), former flame Stephen Stills (who wrote “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” about her), Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Phil Ochs, and more. Accounts of free love are plentiful, but don’t expect Keith Richards-style tales of debauchery. Collins revisits her glory days and tragic turns with a measured pen, and a grace befitting her beguiling voice. Eventually, after twenty-plus years, Collins overcomes her struggles with alcohol and depression, and the book turns into a redemption song.