Judith Marjorie "Judy" Collins (born May 1, 1939) is an American singer and songwriter known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records (which has included folk, show tunes, pop, rock and roll and standards) and for her social activism.
Collins' debut album "A Maid of Constant Sorrow" was released in 1961, but it was her cover of Joni Mitchell's Both Sides, Now, released on her 1967 album "Wildflowers", that gave Collins international prominence. The single hit the Top 10 on the Pop Singles chart , and won Collins her first Grammy Award for Best Folk Performance. She enjoyed further success with covers of Someday Soon, Amazing Grace, and Cook With Honey. Collins experienced the biggest success of her career with her cover of Stephen Sondheim's Send in the Clowns from her best selling 1975 album "Judith". The single charted on the Pop Singles chart in 1975, and then again in 1977, spending 27 nonconsecutive weeks on the chart, and earned Collins a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female.