You can’t call it a real Maine summer without Judy Collins performing at Jonathan’s in Ogunquit. “I’ve been coming to Maine for fifty years, at least,” says the Manhattan-based singer, famous for her renditions of “Send in the Clowns” and “Both Sides Now.”
For Jonathan’s, the ritual is personal, a matter of sweet luck. “Judy’s been performing here forever,” says Larry Johnson. “At least twice a year. We had to do two shows that first night for 480 people.”
How does a perennial summer visitor pack for Maine? Is there a special black sweater she has to bring or that perfect scarf for a brisk walk along Marginal Way? “I always pack for every season, wherever I go.”
Asked what her favorite haunts in Ogunquit are, she says, “Jonathan’s! This is not a sightseeing trip. We get there and go on stage. There’s time for a nap. Then we’re on to the next destination.”
Sure, but if she was born in Seattle (she moved to Colorado at age 10) and she performs often on the East Coast, she’s seen the U.S. from both sides now. Which Portland is best? “I like them all,” she says. Aha, a global perspective. There is a Portland, UK; a Portland, New Zealand; and a Portland in Ontario, Canada!
You have to go deeper to what makes Maine a great stop for her. For any Judy Collins fan, there are some interesting cultural connections. Stephen Sondheim (Into the Woods), who wrote “Send in the Clowns” as part of A Little Night Music, went to summer camp as a child at Camp Androscoggin in Maine (see “Into the Woods,” February/March 2019), so we’re a cultural convergence zone. Stephen Stills of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young was once romantically linked to Collins. His “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” is all about the girl, a stunning tribute. Years ago, Stills spent a lost winter renting a place in Cape Porpoise on Pier Road, with views of the lobster boats. Or so a local legend goes. Why? Maine is both a great place to be seen and a great place to disappear. Sometimes you just feel like having a lot of seagulls around you.
Singer/songwriter (and Maine native) Will Holt (famous for “Lemon Tree”) retired to Long Lake in Maine (see “Music Man,” Summerguide 2013). It was an easy guess that Holt and Collins were friends during their Greenwich Village days, and we were right. “Oh, I was very fond of him. I was opening for Will Holt and Dolly Jonah in Chicago and in New York. He was a big influence on me,” along with contemporaries Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen.
Interesting. Will Holt moved back to Maine. Maine really is one of those places intentionally off the grid. Has Collins ever fantasized about living here?
“I love Maine, but I’m a Colorado girl. That’s where I’ll spend more time when I can.”
Hey, not everybody’s a foodie. But she does pack quite an audience. Her music lights up the Maine coast when she’s here—from both sides now.
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