Music with Judee Sill
Judee Sill & David Bearden, Mill Valley, CA, 1973
Photograph by James Bearden
David Bearden met his match with singer, songwriter, & musical folk artist Judee Sill, with whom he shared a deep and poetic romance.
Judee Sill's music style is regarded as mystic Christian folk with influences by classical composers such as Mahler, Beethoven, and especially Bach. Graham Nash produced the first single for her first album, “Jesus Was A Cross Maker,” which was released to radio in 1971 – the album Judee Sill soon followed. Sill toured with Graham Nash and David Crosby as their opening act.
Soon after, Judee Sill became the first artist signed to David Geffen's Asylum label and released two albums. She sold her song “Lady-O” to The Turtles and was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone. Together Bearden and Sill recorded the second and last album, Heart Food in 1973. Bearden wrote the lyrics to one of the cuts on the album—the solo piano song titled “When the Bridegroom Comes.” They toured internationally together with Roy Harper and Jimmy Page and performed at the legendary Royal Albert Hall among other venues. David Bearden fulfilled the role of a Cowboy-Jesus figure for Judee Sill, accompanying her on the guitar. She gave him solo time onstage covering Hank Williams’ songs like “Someday You'll Call My Name” and “Weary Blues.”
Judee Sill inspired many artists like Iggy Pop to write the song “Young, Loud & Snotty”, and has been covered by Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Cass Elliot, Linda Ronstadt, The Hollies, and Warren Zevon.
To learn more see Bearden's Biography "Music with Judee Sill (1972-1975)."
