Tag Archives: musical star

Judy Collins: A Voice Still Lovely and Strong

Judith Marjorie Collins was born on May 1, 1939, in Seattle, Washington. She studied classical piano as a child with Antonio Brico, and made her public debut at the age of 13, performing Mozart’s “Concerto for Two Pianos.” Three years later, she was playing the guitar, drawn to the folk revival sounds of the early 1960s and the music particularly of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. She performed in Greenwich Village, New York, busking and playing in clubs until she landed a contract with Elektra records with whom she was associated for thirty-five years. In 1961, at the age of … Continue reading →

Carole King: Talented Brooklyn Composer

Carole Klein was born on February 9, 1942, in Brooklyn, New York. Her talent and love for music revealed itself by the age of four when she began playing piano. While in high school, she formed her first band, the “Co-Sines,” and regularly attended the local rock and roll shows created by influential disc jockey and impresario, Alan Freed. She attended Queens College where she met and forged a writing partnership with budding songwriters Paul Simon, Neil Sedaka and Gerry Goffin, whom she later married. In 1961, she and Goffin scored their very first hit with the Shirelle’s chart-topping number, … Continue reading →