Grammy-Award Winner Judy Collins to Kickoff Cain Park's Newly Expanded Season

On Saturday, May 20, the legendary Judy Collins and a 27-piece Cain Park Symphony Orchestra will perform her album Wildflowers in its entirety at the Evans Amphitheater at Cleveland Heights' Cain Park. The show will also feature Judy's most beloved songs from her decades-spanning career.

Gates will open at 7:00 pm, with the concert starting at 8:00 pm. Visit cainpark.com or call the Cain Park Box Office at 216-371-3000 for tickets.

The path to Judy Collin's performance at Cleveland Heights' Cain Park on May 20 began fifty-seven years ago.

In 1966, Collins was an established artist, building a career singing other people's songs. She had released five albums in five years and had broken into the pop charts with her single Hard Lovin' Loser earlier in the year. She had also released Suzanne, a song by her not-yet-famous friend Leonard Cohen.

It was a question from Cohen that changed her career: "Why aren't you writing your own songs?"

That same day, Judy sat down at her Steinway and wrote her first song, Since You Asked. She penned two more songs, Skyfell and Albatross, which, together with Since You Asked, became the core of her milestone 1967 album Wildflowers.

Wildflowers feature Collins singing folk songs over orchestral arrangements and was a massive success. It peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 in 1968, went gold, and spent 18 months on the charts.

Wildflowers also introduced Joni Mitchell to the world. Judy's recording of Mitchell's Both Sides Now on Wildflowers reached Number 8 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart and earned Collins the Grammy Award for best folk performance in 1968.

Since Wildflowers, Collins has released an incredible 50 more albums, including 2022's, Spellbound, her first album for which she wrote every song.

Her show on May 20 at Cain Park, though, is focused on Wildflowers, which she will perform in its entirety. Her performance will also highlight selections from her six-decade career.

It will be an evening you'll never forget.