Shirley Collins, folk singer

Published: Sept. 2, 2023, 11:01 p.m.

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Shirley Collins first enjoyed success as one of the leading figures in the British folk revival of the 1960s. She initially performed with her sister, Dolly Collins, and also collaborated with other folk luminaries to create some of the era\\u2019s most beloved albums. In the past decade she has made an acclaimed return to the concert stage and the recording studio.

Shirley was born in Sussex in 1935. She can still recall how her grandfather used to sing folk songs to comfort her while they were sheltering during German air raids in the early 1940s.

Alongside her career as a singer, in the 1950s she travelled to the American South with Alan Lomax, where they made field recordings of blues and folk musicians, helping to create a significant archive.

Later in her performing career, Shirley found that she could no longer sing, following a distressing betrayal in her private life. She stepped away from music and was silent for many years, taking on other work, including a stint in a job centre Then, in her 80s, she found her voice again. In 2016 she released her first new album after a gap of almost four decades, and she has since released two more albums.

Shirley lives in Sussex, not far from her childhood home.

DISC ONE: Chiling O Guiry - Concerto Caledonia\\nDISC TWO: The Birds in the Spring - The Copper Family \\nDISC THREE: Who Would True Valour See - Maddy Prior & The Carnival Band\\nDISC FOUR: Dear Father, Pray Build Me a Boat - Sheila Smith \\nDISC FIVE: 61 Highway Blues - Mississippi Fred McDowell\\nDISC SIX: Poor Sally Sits a-weeping - Dolly Collins\\nDISC SEVEN: A Heart Needs A Home - Richard & Linda Thompson\\nDISC EIGHT: Going Home - Mark Knopfler \\n \\nBOOK CHOICE: A collection of Brodie detective novels by Kate Atkinson \\nLUXURY ITEM: A solar powered fridge filled with Italian Ice cream and two lipsticks \\nCASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Poor Sally Sits a Weeping

Presenter Lauren Laverne\\nProducer Sarah Taylor

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