Biography
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Born
20 December 1936
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Born In
Chippewa Falls, Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States
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Died
27 April 2022 (aged 85)
Judy Henske (born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, on 20 December 1942; died 27 April 2022) was an American singer and songwriter once known as “the Queen of the Beatniks”. Initially performing in folk clubs in the early 1960s, her performances and recordings embraced blues, jazz, show tunes, and humorous material. Her 1963 recording of "High Flying Bird" was influential on folk-rock.
Henske moved to California in the early 1960s, singing in coffee houses in San Diego and Los Angeles, and working with the likes of Lenny Bruce. Moving on to Oklahoma, she worked with ex-Kingston Trio member Dave Guard and the Whiskeyhill Singers, recording an album.
After they disbanded she returned to Hollywood, gaining the attention of Jac Holzman and Elektra Records, for whom she made three solo albums. The first of these highlighted her offbeat humour in her live performances; the second featured the song High Flying Bird, a minor hit later covered by many bands of the era including Jefferson Airplane. During this time she worked extensively as a solo singer in New York, working among others with Woody Allen (with whom she had a relationship – the character Annie Hall, born in Chippewa Falls, was allegedly inspired by her).
After a failed attempt in the mid-60s by Mercury Records to present her as an all-round entertainer, she returned in 1969 with her husband Jerry Yester (previously of The Lovin' Spoonful), making the remarkable baroque / psychedelic folk album Farewell Aldebaran for Frank Zappa’s Straight Records. The pair then formed a band, Rosebud, making a further album before they separated and Henske returned to domestic life with new husband, musician Craig Doerge.
Henske returned to performing in the late 1990s, releasing two subsequent albums Loose In the World (1999) and She Sang California (2004).
In February 2007, Rhino Handmade issued a limited edition 2-CD compilation set of her recordings, Big Judy: How Far This Music Goes (1962-2004), covering her entire career.
Crime writer Andrew Vachss is a fan of Henske, and has promoted her music in some of his novels.
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