Editing Judy Collins (section)

===1970s===
By the 1970s, Collins had a solid reputation as an [[art song]] singer and folksinger and had begun to stand out for her own compositions. She was also known for her broad range of material: her songs from this period include the traditional Christian [[hymn]] "[[Amazing Grace]]", the [[Stephen Sondheim]] [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]] [[ballad]] "[[Send in the Clowns]]" (both of which were top 20 hits as singles in both the U.S. and the U.K.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/13893/judy-collins/|title=JUDY COLLINS|publisher=[[The Official UK Charts Company]]|access-date=December 17, 2021}}</ref>), a recording of [[Joan Baez]]'s "[[One Day at a Time (Joan Baez album)|A Song for David]]", and her own compositions, such as "Born to the Breed".<ref>{{cite news|last=Santosuosso|first=Ernie|title=Judy Collins' flight of fancy|newspaper=Boston Globe|date=May 11, 1975}}</ref>

In 1971, Collins issued her second live album, ''[[Living (Judy Collins album)|Living]]'', and the compilation album ''[[Colors of the Day: The Best of Judy Collins]]'' followed a year later. Collins' ninth studio album ''[[True Stories and Other Dreams]]'' (1973) found her in a contemplative mood, featuring an original song about a friend who took his own life ("Song for Martin") and another about the life of Argentine [[Marxism|Marxist]] revolutionary [[Che Guevara]] ("Che"). For her tenth studio album ''[[Judith (album)|Judith]]'' (1975), she collaborated with producer [[Arif Mardin]], who gave the album a sophisticated sound. ''Judith'' produced her biggest hit single with her mournful version of Stephen Sondheim's "[[Send in the Clowns]]", and it would become her best-selling record, eventually going platinum.

As Collins stepped up to a higher level of stardom, the longtime activist put political themes at the forefront of her eleventh studio album  ''[[Bread and Roses (album)|Bread and Roses]]'' (1976). Political statements like the title song, originally a poem by [[James Oppenheim]] commonly associated with a 1912 [[1912 Lawrence textile strike|garment workers strike]] in [[Lawrence, Massachusetts]], were balanced with such pop compositions as [[Elton John]]'s "Come Down in Time", but the album failed to achieve the commercial success of ''Judith''. Following the release of the album, Collins underwent treatment for damaged vocal cords, and after years of struggling with alcoholism, she sought medical help to give up drinking. Her compilation album ''[[So Early in the Spring (Judy Collins album)|So Early in the Spring... The First 15 Years]]'' (1977) sold modestly.

[[File:Zangeres Judy Collins in Hiltonhotel Amsterdam, Judy Collins, Bestanddeelnr 925-1517.jpg|thumb|right| Collins in Hilton Amsterdam, a hotel, in 1971]]
Collins guest starred on ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' in an episode broadcast in January 1978,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Garlen|first1=Jennifer C.|last2=Graham|first2=Anissa M.|title=Kermit Culture: Critical Perspectives on Jim Henson's Muppets|year=2009|publisher=McFarland & Company|isbn=978-0786442591|page=[https://archive.org/details/kermitculturecri0000unse/page/218 218]|url=https://archive.org/details/kermitculturecri0000unse/page/218}}</ref> singing "[[Leather-Winged Bat]]", "[[There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly]]", "[[Do-Re-Mi]]", and "Send in the Clowns". She also appeared several times on ''[[Sesame Street]]'', where she performed "Fishermen's Song" with a chorus of [[Anything Muppet]] fishermen, sang a trio with [[Biff and Sully]] using the word "yes", and even starred in a modern musical fairy tale skit called "The Sad Princess".<ref>{{cite news|last=Ann|first=Lolordo|title=Judy Collins changing styles|newspaper=Lodi News-Sentinel|date=August 13, 1977}}</ref> In 1979, she returned to music with her twelfth studio album ''[[Hard Times for Lovers]]'', a pop-oriented album in the same vein as ''Judith''; she gained some extra publicity with the cover sleeve photograph of her in the nude.