Judy Collins brings her Christmas show to Stambaugh Auditorium for a Monday Musical Club concert.
Collins got her start in the folk genre, drawing inspirations from such artists as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, and recording the songs of her folk contemporaries, such as Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton and Phil Ochs.
Before Joni Mitchell released her debut album, Collins recorded Mitchell's "Both Sides Now," which became a top-10 pop hit in 1968 and won Collins a Grammy Award for Best Folk Performance / Best Folk Recording.
"Both Sides Now" remains Collins' biggest commercial success, although she returned to the top 40 in the 1970s with the hymn "Amazing Grace" and "Send in the Clowns," the Stephen Sondheim song from the musical "Company."
Her latest studio album, 2011's "Bohemian," includes her rendition of "Pure Imagination" from "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" and a duet with Shawn Colvin on Mitchell's "Cactus Tree." 2010's "Paradise" included collaborations with Joan Baez and Stephen Stills, and Collins was the inspiration for the Crosby, Stills & Nash hit "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes."
In addition to recording and touring, Collins has written several books, including "Sanity & Grace," a memoir about coping wit the death of her only son. Collins also was nominated for an Academy Award for producing the 1974 documentary "Antonia: A Portrait of the Woman."
Collins performs at 8 p.m. Friday at Stambaugh Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave., Youngstown. Tickets are $40, $35 and $25 and are available by calling the Monday Musical Club at 330-743-2717.