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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZHENSKE, Judy(b c1943, Chippewa Falls WI) Folk singer with a strong voice, a sense of humour, beatnik attitudes and a striking appearance (she is very tall), her music described by some fans as 'dirty blues' or 'barrelhouse', with more sensitive material mixed in. She moved to the West Coast as a teenager, joined the Whiskeyhill singers organised by Dave Guard (ex-Kingston Trio) and sang on their '62 LP, then recorded solo for Elektra: Judy Henske '63 was recorded 'live', with spoken intros to songs; High Flying Bird '64 was a very good studio album, and The Death Defying Judy Henske '65 was recorded 'live in the studio' with an audience of fans: it was a tad over-produced (by Jack Nitzsche) with too much chat (the wisecracks wear thin after a few hearings) but the actual singing of the songs had her usual integrity. A Little Bit Of Sunshine '65 came out on Mercury. She married Jerry Yester (ex-Association, Lovin' Spoonful); they recorded as a duo for Frank Zappa's Straight label, albums Farewell Aldebaran '69 and Rosebud '71 were on Staight in the UK, Reprise in the USA. Almost a household name during the urban folk boom of the early '60s, Henske made many fans and was critically praised but did not match the success of the purer folk of Joan Baez or Judy Collins. New fans discovered her in the crime novels of Andrew Vachss, whose character Burke recharges his batteries by listening to Judy Henske. She began a comeback with another husband, keyboardist and producer Craig Doerge, and good backing including the likes of Russ Kunkel on drums: albums Loose In The Wind 2000 and She Sang California 2005 were on Fair Star Music, and the fans were waiting for her personal appearances. |