Judy C

Judy C is a regular on the New England folk circuit. Her guitar and haunting vocals have stirred emotions at many venues in the Boston area. She draws on a wealth of inspirations from Led Zeppelin to Crosby, Stills and Nash, blending them into her own ethereal sound which suggests Celtic balladry and eastern modality. She recently released her debut CD, 444, a moving collection of songs about empowerment and spirituality. The CD features a wonderful group of musicians including world renown ...

Judy C is a regular on the New England folk circuit. Her guitar and haunting vocals have stirred emotions at many venues in the Boston area. She draws on a wealth of inspirations from Led Zeppelin to Crosby, Stills and Nash, blending them into her own ethereal sound which suggests Celtic balladry and eastern modality. She recently released her debut CD, 444, a moving collection of songs about empowerment and spirituality. The CD features a wonderful group of musicians including world renown drummer Dave Mattacks, Richard Gates on bass, Chris Rival on electric guitar, and Ian Kennedy on violin. It's a blend of both full band songs and acoustic songs, with Judy's own acoustic guitar work. The songs on the CD are from different times in the singer/songwriter's life. Expressing both the emotions from those times and different musical influences. Raised in San Francisco by professional classical musicians, Judy's own development was marked by a tension between the nurture of a musical home and an aversion to the rigors classical music demanded. "My mother had music degrees from Brown and Colorado College and my father was a Fulbright scholar who composed operas, piano pieces and chamber music," she explains. Although Judy loved music, the rigid structure of the classical genre was intimidating to her. "I rebelled and picked up the guitar because neither of my parents played," says Judy, who has been singing and playing guitar since age 8. Thus began Judy's personal musical explorations, seeking her own way on the guitar, learning from one of her parents' students. Not long after, at eleven, the poetry bug bit, and she began writing profusely. She experienced the mystery of inspiration early on. "I didn't try to sit and write; it just flowed out of me. Later, in my teens, the poems started coming out as songs, just automatically, with melodies to go with what I played on the guitar." By the mid-nineties she was in the Boston area, enrolling at Salem State College where she would earn her degree. Featured at numerous clubs and festivals, Judy has continued expressing her passion for original song craft. Her recording explores the ethereal harmonics of open tunings, a sensation that recalls her early experiences with Indian music. Her unique compositions give voice to a poetry which explores life beneath the surface. Writing and performing songs helps me get through the challenges of life, Judy says, "We all experience the same struggles, in the midst of which there is surely hope."