A few years back, I did some research for Judy Collins about her roots and thought it might be interesting for folks to get a peek into that process. (The photo above shows my husband Brian, Judy, me, and Judy’s husband, Louis.)

Here is a photo of a copy of the little book I put together about her heritage, signed by Judy.

Judy Collins signature Smolenyak

Learning about her roots inspired Judy to write the song, New Moon over the Hudson. If you click the screenshot below, you can watch and listen to her sing it.

Judy Collins sings New Moon over the Hudson

Subsequently, Irish America did an interview with Judy in which she spoke about her experience learning more about her forebears and how this affected her. You can read this article in blog form here or in digital magazine form here (see pages 94-95).

Hope you enjoyed!