Judy 2019

Of the artists who enjoyed success in the folk music boom of the early '60s, very few had a career as long and varied as Judy Collins, in large part because she displayed a stylistic range matched by few of her peers. While Collins was a gifted songwriter who penned a few of her best songs, including "Since You Asked," "My Father," and "Secret Gardens," it was her talent and versatility as an interpretive vocalist that brought her lasting success. C

Johnny Mathis was billed on his very first album as “A New Sound in Popular Song.” In the decades since that 1956 debut, the vocalist has always explored new avenues in pop from Latin music to Philly soul. But the most adventurous of Mathis’ 60-plus albums may be the one that got away…until now. In late 1980, Johnny teamed up with the white-hot CHIC production team of Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, fresh off triumphant collaborations with artists including Sister Sledge and Diana Ross, for I Love My Lady. Mathis took his voice into new, uncharted territory on eight anthemic, club-ready tracks that pushed the envelope of rhythm and blues as they incorporated funk, jazz, disco, and dance rhythms.