Judy Collins

2025 Recipient of the John Lennon Real Love Award

Judy Collins was born in Seattle in 1939, and grew up in Denver. Her father, a blind singer and disc jockey, was a significant musical influence who exposed Judy to a wide range of music. Judy’s mother was a powerful source of encouragement who instilled in her resilience and belief in her own potential.  

A child prodigy, Judy made her public debut at age 13 performing Mozart's "Concerto for Two Pianos.” However, she fell in love with the 1960s folk music revival, taught herself guitar, and began performing in coffeehouses. Judy quickly gained recognition for her crystal-clear soprano and poignant interpretations of songs by emerging songwriters like Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs.

Signing with Elektra Records in 1961, Judy was given the artistic freedom to choose her own material and her early albums featured many protest songs. In 1966, she recorded her classic cover of the Beatles’ “In My Life,” bringing the songs of Lennon and McCartney squarely into the folk canon. 

The following year it was Judy’s Top 5 album, Wildflowers, that provided her major commercial breakthrough with her memorable version of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now," a recording that remains one of her many enduring classics. 

Judy has released over 50 albums, including her first album of all original material, Spellbound, at the age of 83. She has founded her own record label and directed an Academy Award-nominated documentary. 

Judy is also an author of several acclaimed memoirs and she continues to perform about 85 concerts a year around the world. 

Judy has never shied away from the world's injustices. She was deeply involved in activism against the Vietnam War and for civil rights. In 1964 she travelled to Mississippi to register voters as a civil rights worker. 

In 1970 Judy was called to testify at the infamous Chicago Seven conspiracy trial and was asked by defense attorney William Kunstler what she had done at a recent press conference. 

Judy answered by singing the first line of Pete Seeger's "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?," prompting the Judge to declare: "We are not here to be entertained. I will not permit singing in this courtroom." The moment became an iconic example of the tension between the establishment and the anti-war movement of the era. 

Judy unwavering ’s commitment to humanitarian causes has inspired her to support vital organizations such as UNICEF, WHYHunger, Child Help USA, and countless others. Judy is also a longtime supporter of Theatre Within, first appearing in the Annual John Lennon Tribute in 2012, the year of Hurricane Sandy. 

Upon learning that she would the recipient of this year’s John Lennon Real Love Award, Judy wrote, “John Lennon has been both a personal hero and a beacon of light whose influence transcends time. His legacy lives on, illuminating our path forward and reminding us of the power music holds to create positive change. It is truly an honor to be celebrating his enduring impact in support of Theatre Within.”