Judy Collins + Ari Hest Collaborate For 'Silver Skies Blue' - Co-Written Album Of New Original Compositions - Out June 3 On Wildflower/Cleopatra Records

The endlessly prolific Judy Collins - singer, songwriter, activist and author - has partnered with singer-songwriter Ari Hest for 'Silver Skies Blue' out June 3 (Wildflower/Cleopatra). This fresh new collaboration marks a first for Judy: an album made with another artist, of songs co-written by her and a partner that were crafted and sung together. Collins and Hest first met backstage at a show, and a friendship and artistic relationship blossomed over one-off duets, a recording of the song "Strangers Again" for Judy's 2015 album, and now this full-length album debut and a 2016 Collins/Hest tour.

Says Collins: "I have written songs since 1967 when Leonard Cohen asked me why I was not writing my own. Although I have written many since then, writing with Ari has been new and challenging. We started our writing sessions and soon began to find our way together. What an amazing journey! Each song has been a revelation of melody and lyric, each song a new discovery."

Over 11 original songs, 'Silver Skies Blue' unfurls with a magnetic chemistry between Judy's legendary voice and Ari's deep, velvety voice. The songs effortlessly sway from energetic and pulsing - "Drifting Away" and "I Choose Love" - to haunting ballads that linger like the political "Run."

This new album comes on the heels of Judy's 2015 effort 'Strangers Again' which went on to become her highest charting album on the Billboard 200 in decades, and debuted at #1 on Amazon's Music chart. Collins has recently appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, 'Later....With Jools Holland,' and headlined shows at The MET and Lincoln Center's Out of Doors series.

Judy Collins has appeared everywhere from Sesame Street to HBO's Girls, performed at a presidential inauguration and released two live DVD/CD specials in the past 4 years which were also broadcast on PBS. She performs over 100 shows a year and 2016 is no different

Over his 15 year career, Ari Hest has released eight albums, three EPs, and "52" in 2008, an innovative project whereby he wrote, recorded and released a new song every Monday for a full year. Ari's song "The Landlord" recently appeared in an episode of NPR's "All Things Considered". Ari also scored a film called Dreamriders in 2008 which won several independent film awards.

Track List

1. Drifting Away

2. I Choose Love

3. Silver Skies Blue

4. The Weight

5. Slow Burn

6. Let You In

7. Run

8. Aberdeen

9. Elena

10. Secret Harbor

11. Home Before Dark

Bonus Track

Strangers Again

TOUR DATES:

4/1/16 - Modlin Center For the Arts - Richmond, VA - JUDY COLLINS 

4/3/16 - Ram's Head - Annapolis, MD - JUDY COLLINS 

4/6/16 - The Rusty Nail Brewing Co - Mifflinbug, PA - ARI HEST 

4/7/16 - New Hope Winery - New Hope, PA - COLLINS & HEST 

4/8/16 - New Hope Winery - New Hope, PA - COLLINS & HEST

4/9/16 - Bergen PAC - Englewood, NJ- JUDY COLLINS 

4/10/16 - Jonathan's - Ogunquit, ME - COLLINS & HEST

4/14/16 - Cinema Salem - Salem, MA - ARI HEST 

4/17/16 - Mountain Stage - Morgantown, WV -COLLINS & HEST

4/22/16 - Tuscon Symphony - Tuscon, AZ - JUDY COLLINS 

4/23/16 - Henry Strater Theater - Durango, CO - JUDY COLLINS 

4/27/16 - The Dakota - Minneapolis, MN - COLLINS & HEST 

5/8/16 - Boettcher Hall - Denver, CO - JUDY COLLINS 

5/12/16 - Lincoln Theatre - Washington DC - COLLINS & HEST 

5/13/16 - Tally Ho - Lessburg, VA - JUDY COLLINS 

5/14/16 - The Egg - Albany, NY - JUDY COLLINS 

5/15/16 - Chandler Music Hall - Randolf, VT - JUDY COLLINS 

5/21/16 - Elgin Community College - Elgin, IL - ARI HEST 

6/1/16 - The Music Box - Cleveland, OH - COLLINS & HEST 

6/2/16 - The Music Box - Cleveland, OH - COLLINS & HEST 

6/3/16 - The Ark - Ann Arbor, MI - COLLINS & HEST 

6/10/16 - Passim - Boston, MA - ARI HEST 

6/11/16 - Ridgefield Playhouse - Ridgefield, CT - COLLINS & HEST 

6/12/16 - Kerrville Folk Festival - Kerrville, TX - COLLINS & HEST

6/14/16 - Winnsboro Center - Winnsboro, TX - JUDY COLLINS 

6/17/16 - The Kate - Old Saybrook, CT - COLLINS & HEST

6/18/16 - The Kate - Old Saybrook, CT - COLLINS & HEST

6/19/16 - City Winery - New York, NY - ARI HEST

6/24/16 - Steel City Coffeehouse - Phoenixville, PA - ARI HEST 

6/27/16 - NJ Pops - Cape May, NJ - JUDY COLLINS

6/30/16 - Music From The Mountains - San Juan Capistrano, CA - JUDY COLLINS 

7/1/16 - Uptown Theater - Napa, CA - COLLINS & HEST