: She formed a duo with her sister, Dolly, who played the portative organ, creating a unique sound that blended tradition with Renaissance-style arrangements.
After decades of silence, Collins was coaxed back into the studio by friends and fellow musicians like David Tibet of Current 93. The Ballad of Shirley Collins
: She later founded this band with her second husband, Ashley Hutchings, further pushing the boundaries of traditional music. The Loss of Her Voice : She formed a duo with her sister,
: The trauma was exacerbated when her husband's new partner began attending her shows, sometimes even wearing his clothes while standing in the front row. The Loss of Her Voice : The trauma
Born in Hastings, East Sussex, in 1935, Shirley Collins grew up in a family deeply rooted in traditional English song. In 1954, she met famed American ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax in London and eventually became his lover and research assistant.
: The 2017 feature film The Ballad of Shirley Collins chronicles this remarkable comeback, juxtaposing her modern recording sessions with footage and stories from her 1959 trip with Lomax.