Big Judy

The Rhino Handmade imprint recently issued a limited edition two-disc set chronicling the career of one of pop music's great eccentrics, Judy Henske. The collection, Big Judy: How Far the Music Goes (1962 - 2004), covers a 42-year period that saw Henske gain notoriety as a folk/beatnik comedienne, morph into a rock and roller and finally settle into an artist beyond category. The set includes Henske's haunting rendition of Billy Edd Wheeler's folk standard, "High Flying Bird" and Henske's version of her own "Yellow Beach Umbrella," which has been covered by Andy Williams, Bette Midler and Rita Coolidge.