Judee Sill | Artist

Judith Lynn Sill was an American singer/songwriter born 1944 in Los Angeles. Her life was troubled by drug abuse and she died prematurely in 1979 at the age of 35. Although largely forgotten until the critical re-assessment of her work and re-release of her long out-of-print catalogue in 2004, she is now regarded as one of the most important artists from the era. Sill's father was a cameraman, and Judith was devastated by his death when she was eight. Her mother turned to alcohol and downers, and re-married. Sill detested her stepfather, Ken Muse (an award-winning "Tom and Jerry" animator), and claimed he abused her sexually and physically. Sill's brother left home and married, becoming an importer of exotic animals for film companies. Left at home with an alcoholic mother and abusive stepfather, Sill became the quintessential wild child and went on a criminal spree in her teens. She took part in armed robberies and was arrested and sent to reformatory school, where she learned to play the piano and organ. On release, she turned to LSD and other drugs and was busted again for possession and forging cheques. After a spell in jail in the 60s, during which time she wrote her first songs, she married her first husband Bob Harris (briefly a member of The Mothers of Invention) and began a costly heroin habit, which also drove her to prostitution. By the late 60s, her career begun to pick up and her songs were covered by The Turtles and The Leaves. She started performing in clubs, and was signed to David Geffen's Asylum Records label. In 1971 she issued her debut album Judee Sill which was the first for the label. It got positive reviews but sold poorly, despite the radio hit "Jesus Was A Cross Maker," produced by Graham Nash. Sill toured in 1971 and 1972 as an opening act for other artists. Her second album, Heart Food, was released on Asylum in 1973. Few critics reviewed it as it didn't have a hit single, and it flopped. Today, it is considered to be her artistic peak and a 'lost gem'. Subsequently, Sill insulted label boss Geffen on the radio, which severed her ties with Asylum. She then suffered a car accident (the other driver was popular entertainer Danny Kaye) and was forced out of the studio to recuperate. During this time she wrote new songs while suffering from the effects of a series of botched back surgeries to correct injuries from the accident. She went back into the studio in late 1974 to record a third album but these songs were never released, as Sill did not have a label. They came to light 30 years later in 2005 on the album Dreams Come True, newly mixed for the release by longtime admirer Jim O'Rourke. After 1975, Sill's life is shrouded in mystery. There are rumours of another car accident and Sill turned to heroin again to ease her pain. She also used cocaine, dabbled with the occult and spent her final years living in obscurity and poverty. She died from a cocaine overdose on Thanksgiving 1979 at the age of 35. The coroner ruled suicide, but it was never proven. Sill's albums remained out of print until 2004, when Rhino reissued them to great acclaim and in 2005 her reputation continued to grow with the release of the songs from her last recording sessions. Her three studio albums are highly recommended, as is Live in London: The BBC Recordings 1972-1973, released in 2007.

Artist Website: wikipedia/Judee_Sill

Featured Albums: Judee Sill