Judee Sill

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Judith Lynn "Judee" Sill (born October 7, 1944 in Oakland , † November 23, 1979 in North Hollywood, Los Angeles ) was an American singer and songwriter .

life and work

Judee Sill grew up largely in her father's pub, who died of pneumonia in 1952. In her second marriage, her mother, a chronic alcoholic, married a drinking companion. As a minor, Judee Sill tried to escape domestic misery by marrying early and fleeing her parents' home, but she was caught and the marriage was annulled. After a few armed robberies, she was sent to an educational institution. Upon her release, Judee Sill enrolled at Los Angeles Valley College to study music. She also worked as a bar musician and began using hard drugs. She married the drug addict pianist Bob Harris , who died of an overdose in 2001. During their marriage, Sill tried hard as a burglar and prostitute to raise enough money for her drug use. After almost dying from an overdose, she stopped using drugs.

After reading religious and mystical books, she wrote songs with alleluia refrains. David Geffen , who had other songwriters in his program with Joni Mitchell and Carole King , signed Judee Sill for his company Asylum Records . The first song she recorded was Jesus was a Crossmaker , which was produced by Graham Nash . She later said: "If I hadn't written this song, I would have only committed suicide." The song was later recorded by Mama Cass , The Hollies and Judie Tzuke , among others . Linda Ronstadt covered the song under the title Bandit & A Heart Breaker in 1989, but did not release it until ten years later.

Her very personal texts, religious allusions, careful compositions and her clear voice quickly made Judee Sill known, she went on tour in support of Graham Nash and David Crosby . In April 1972 and February 1973 Judee Sill performed in England, including live on television and on Radio One. In 1973 her second album came out, which she had recorded with musicians such as Buddy Emmons, Spooner Oldham and Doug Dillard . In 1974 she relapsed and started taking drugs again. Her third album Dreams Come True was no longer released, although eight pieces had been produced. Judee Sill disappeared from the music scene, and in 1979 she died of a speedball overdose .

25 years after her death, her songs were rediscovered. The eight not yet released songs were first released as a double album, along with demo recordings and unused versions. Then their first two records were re-released as a double album under the name Abracadabra . In 2007 the BBC released the recordings of their concerts in 1972 and 1973.

Discography

Albums
  • Judee Sill (1971)
  • Heart Food (1973)
  • Dreams Come True (2005)
  • Live in London. The BBC Recordings 1972-1973 (2007)
  • Abracadabra. The Asylum Years (2006)

literature

  • Siegfried Schmidt-Joos and Wolf Kampmann: Rock Lexicon. rororo-Verlag, Reinbek 2008, ISBN 978-3-499-62133-8 , p. 1598 f.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Rolling Stone . No. 190 , August 2010, p. 75 .
  2. ↑ https://www.discogs.com/artist/558172-Judee-Sill?filter_anv=0&subtype=Writing-Arrangement&type=Credits

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Sill, Judee
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Sill, Judith Lynn (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American singer and songwriter
DATE OF BIRTH October 7, 1944
PLACE OF BIRTH Oakland
DATE OF DEATH November 23, 1979
Place of death North Hollywood, Los Angeles