Lui Collins was born in Barre, Vermont and began to play her first gigs in the early Seventies, while she was a student at the University of Connecticut. In the mid-Seventies, Collins began to tour as part of a duo with a young folk singer named Horace Williams, Jr. They played a regular circuit around the best of New England's many folk clubs, and gained much respect for the sense of style and humor they brought to the burgeoning folk community. Collins started out singing covers of Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez songs, but quickly started to include music that was written by what were then emerging artists, such as Greg Brown, Julie Snow and Stan Rogers. In fact Rogers, the late great Canadian folk singer, once stated "She sings my songs better than I do."
Released in 1978, Made in New England, Collins' first album on Philo, contained some of her most cherished material for years to come including compositions by Mike Heron, Robin Williamson and others as well as several outstanding originals. Baptism of Fire, released in 1981, was a more refined mix of tunes by fellow songwriters including Brown, Rogers, and Snow as well as Collins' originals "Passion", "Awaiting the Snow", and "January Thaw". Her next album, There's A Light was released on Green Linnet Records in 1985, and completed a trilogy of albums that documented her early career. Produced by ex-Silly Wizard member Johnny Cunningham, the majority of the album contained Collins" originals, with additional material co-written with fantasy/children's book author Jane Yolen ("Ballad of the White Seal Maid"), and a stunning version of Bob Franke's definitive "For Real". Collins' own songs began to deepen in their musical and poetic composition; "Midwinter Night" is a classic example of Collins' seasonal cycle of songs, while "The Enfolding" gracefully blended the sensual with the spiritual.
In 1986 Collins put touring and recording on hold and over the next eight years spent much needed time attending to herself and her young family. But music still called to her like a wild creature in the woods, and by 1993 she had gathered more than enough material for a new album. Moondancer, subtitled "The Journey of the Child Within" was released in 1993 on Collins' own label, Molly Gamblin Music. The album, one of Collins' most intense works, is not without its lighter moments; "Mermaid's Lullabye", (another song co-written with Yolen), and the jubilant title track offset the album's darker moments. A collection of music for children called North of Mars followed in 1995. Though billed as a children's album, there are some lovely songs for people of any age, including "Joyful Noise", "Storyteller", and several more Yolen collaborations.
The opening of 1997 marked yet another new album; Stone By Stone, by the increasingly prolific Collins. The new album weaves together all the best aspects of Collins' previous work, gathering both an excellent group of backing musicians and an outstanding set of new songs, that explore love, friendship, spirituality, and earthly concerns such as her deepening of ties with Native Americans and her work with prisoners.
In 1997 Collins relocated to the Pioneer Valley in western Massachusetts, immersing herself in music. In addition to her solo performances in concerts, festivals and schools, Collins has performed extensively with singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Dana Robinson. Together they released two limited edition collaborative recordings, Paired Down and Paired Down Vol. 2, in 1998 and 1999 respectively.
Collins took up clawhammer banjo in 1999, and has continued to delve deeply into southern Appalachian music. This traditional influence is evident on her 2000 solo recording Leaving Fort Knox. Dirty Linen's assessment, "Quite simply, this is the best Lui Collins recording, ever," is a clear affirmation of the continuing vitality, after 30 years, of Collins' art. This vitality expresses itself in her live performances, as Collins blends her original songs, dynamic readings of her poetry, and traditional banjo tunes, in an intimate conversation with her audience.
7/8/99: Lui Collins and Dana Robinson
