Judee Sill Mesmerized Bostonians 50 Years Ago Tonight

 

Fifty years ago tonight, indeed probably at this very hour on October 3, 1971, a 26-year old singer-songwriter named Judee Sill took the stage of the Boston Music Hall (now the Wang Theatre) and played a seven song acoustic set from her eponymous debut album Judee Sill as the opening act for Crosby & Nash. Had I been alive, sentient and living in Boston I would have surely been there.

A live recording of that night exists and Sill's voice is angelic and mesmerizing. Her melodies belied a hard life of crime, drugs and physical pain that would come to an end on November 23, 1979 at the age of 35. 

During her lifetime, Sill only recorded two albums Judee Sill and Heart Food under David Geffen's nascent Asylum label. Neither sold well and Geffen would soon drop her in the midst of recording a third album in 1974.

More than three decades that unfinished third album Dreams Come True would spark a renewed interest in Sill's work and over the past 15 years or so Sill has gained the kind of following she could have only dreamed of during her brief lifetime. I first became familiar with Sill's music in 2016. The combination of her distinct voice, melodic arrangements, intricate guitar and piano playing and religious imagery in her lyrics hit me hard - especially a song called "The Donor". This song is so intense I can only listen to it a couple of times a year.

My go to Sill song is "The Lamb Ran Away With The Crown". But another song worthy of attention is "Lady-O" which the The Turtles had a minor hit with two years before Sill recorded it. I listen to it and can easily imagine myself in that audience. For your convenience, I have posted "Lady-O" at the top of this post.

After all, I would see Crosby and Nash (along with Stephen Stills) in that very same venue in 2015. Now Crosby and Nash no longer speak to each other and Sill has been silent for more than four decades. When Nash said, “We’ve performed in thousands of venues, but this one has a really spectacular view.” It is worth noting that Nash produced one of Sill's song "Jesus Was a Crossmaker" (which she performed that night). All these years later, I now if memories of Judee Sill's music are part of Nash's spectacular view. 

Judee Sill's music would not be appreciated in the way it ought to have been until decades after her death. But for about 30 minutes 50 years ago tonight, Judee Sill mesmerized Bostonians.